Warning of forest fire risk from burning vegetation in Nghe An

Forest fires caused by burning vegetation

Recently, April 30th happenedforest firein Tan Phong hamlet, Thanh Khai commune, Thanh Chuong district, then the fire spread to the pine forest of Nam Dan town, Nam Dan district. As soon as the fire was discovered, the local authorities of Nam Dan and Thanh Chuong districts mobilized the "4 on-site" forces, forest rangers, police and fire fighting vehicles to quickly move to the scene, coordinate with local authorities and people to extinguish the forest fire.

According to initial preliminary statistics, nearly 10 hectares of forest were burned. The burned forest was mainly acacia, eucalyptus, pine, the rest was grassland and reeds. This is forest land assigned to households for protection and management.

Initial information, on April 30, Mr. V.D.N. in Thanh Khai commune, Thanh Chuong district, after harvesting acacia trees, hired 3 people to clear the ground cover and set fire, causing a forest fire. Currently, the authorities are completing the documents to handle the above cases according to the provisions of the law.

There are many causes of forest fires, among which, burning to treat the ground cover for planting acacia and melaleuca is one of the high risks of large-scale, difficult-to-control forest fires that have occurred frequently in recent years. Although local authorities and forest rangers have advised people not to burn ground cover during the hot season, this situation still recurs.

From January to May 2024, passing through the communes along the Ho Chi Minh trail in Tan Ky district, it is not difficult to see the situation of people massively burning and treating the ground cover to plant acacia, posing a high risk of forest fires. The owner of an acacia garden in Nghia Binh commune said: Burning the ground cover will be faster, saving the cost of hiring workers to clean up, so most people choose this method.

Every year, Tan Ky district plants about 5,000 hectares of raw forest. According to habit, most people burn the vegetation to plant forests. This problem not only pollutes the living environment but also affects the granting of certificates (FSC). Tan Ky district is actively propagating and mobilizing people to reduce the burning of vegetation and implement methods of collecting vegetation and bringing it to a safe place.

In some communes in Thanh Chuong, Yen Thanh, Quynh Luu districts, there has been a situation in which people arbitrarily burn and treat the ground cover to plant acacia trees, causing a high risk of forest fires.

Burning of vegetation needs to be strictly controlled.

Mr. Tran Quoc Minh - Head of Forest Protection Management Department, Nghe An Forest Protection Department said: Every year, Nghe An plants 16,000-18,000 hectares of raw material forests, mainly acacia trees. Before planting forests, most people use the method of burning the ground cover to plant acacia. The most worrying thing is that people treat the ground cover to plant acacia near pine forests that are prone to forest fires. In order to minimize the risk of forest fires from burning the ground cover during the hot season, the Forest Protection Department has implemented many solutions.

First of all, it is required that localities and relevant units strengthen inspections of forest fire prevention and fighting safety in key forests, inspect, urge and guide people on the use of fire in forests and near forests. Temporarily stop activities of treating vegetation using fire during the peak period of forest fires, and sign a commitment with households immediately after forest exploitation not to burn vegetation on hot days.

Assign forest owners in the province to promptly develop, submit for appraisal, approve plans and organize the implementation of forest fire prevention and fighting. In particular, pay attention to measures to treat the ground cover by pre-burning to reduce combustible materials; new construction, maintenance and repair of firebreaks must be carried out in suitable weather conditions.

When carrying out measures to treat vegetation using fire, it is required to consider suitable weather conditions, arrange for guardians, prepare plans and forces to extinguish the fire, and prevent the fire from spreading into the forests. Before burning vegetation, the forest owner must proactively notify the local forest rangers and local authorities at the commune level to monitor and ensure absolute safety in forest fire prevention and fighting.

Commune-level People's Committees and relevant agencies strictly implement their management responsibilities for forest fire prevention and fighting, and strengthen regular inspection and supervision during the peak period of forest fires. Inspect, promptly detect and strictly handle organizations and individuals who violate regulations and rules on forest fire prevention and fighting safety conditions for forests, especially the management responsibilities of forest owners, households and individuals living in forests and forest edges.

During hot weather, the risk of forest fires is high, so it is necessary to maintain personnel and be on duty 24/7 at the Office of the Forest Fire Prevention and Fighting Steering Committee at all levels, forest rangers, forest owners and at fire watchtowers. Set up checkpoints, patrol and guard in key areas prone to forest fires, and strictly control people entering and leaving forest areas with high risk of fire.

In particular, for production forest areas, close to fire-prone pine forests, forest owners need to build firebreaks in plots and plots to minimize the risk of fire.

In addition, the authorities need to coordinate to investigate and clarify the cause, strictly handle those who intentionally violate the provisions of the law on forest fire prevention and fighting; and handle the management responsibility of the head when forest fires occur.