Forest fires: A concern during the hot season.

(Baonghean)In the mountainous district of Tuong Duong, the summer is extremely hot, with temperatures consistently above 37°C ("degree C"), reaching a peak of 42.7°C, making life very difficult for the local people. This also poses a threat of forest fires, potentially burning hundreds of hectares in this mountainous district.

Tuong Duong is one of the three districts with the largest forest area in the province, with approximately over 169,000 hectares of forest and a forest cover rate of 60.3%. Characterized primarily by secondary forests recovering after slash-and-burn agriculture, mixed forests of bamboo and reeds interspersed with bushes and shrubs, along with complex hilly terrain, and long dry and hot seasons, the risk of forest fires is high, making forest protection and fire prevention extremely difficult. Therefore, the motto adopted by the Forest Protection Department for all officials, forest owners, and people is "prevention is better than cure," and this has been applied quite successfully.

To implement the above principle, right from the beginning of the dry season, in addition to reorganizing the Forest Protection and Fire Prevention and Control Command at the district level, forest owners down to the village level, and the district government, have organized the signing of commitments to carry out forest fire prevention and control tasks. Furthermore, close coordination has been maintained between the Forest Ranger force, the Police, the Army, the Border Guard, forest owners, and local Party committees and authorities to effectively manage and protect the forests.

Present at Co Phao village (Yen Na commune), one of the units that performed well in forest protection and fire prevention and control last year, the officials and people of Co Phao village, following the motto "prevention is better than cure," have fully implemented the commitments of the Forest Protection and Fire Prevention and Control Command Board, such as clearing undergrowth, not bringing fire into the forest, raising people's awareness in protecting the forest, disseminating information on forest laws, and not engaging in illegal logging...

Mr. Lo Hoai Thom, Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Na commune, said that regarding forest protection and fire prevention and control, the commune has proactively disseminated information to the people through meetings and through village heads guiding and directing people on forest fire prevention and control, especially raising awareness among the people about slash-and-burn farming and the dangers of bringing fire into the forest. In 2012, Tuong Duong district did not experience any serious forest fires. The localities that performed well in this area were Tam Dinh, Thach Giam, Yen Hoa, Tam Quang, and Luu Kien communes.

Although the implementation of forest fire prevention and control measures by the functional agencies of Tuong Duong district has been very thorough, from specific actions and tasks to the involvement of officials and the people, due to objective conditions, there are still key areas prone to forest fires. According to statistics, Tuong Duong currently has more than 20 locations at risk of fire, such as Thac Duong, Mac village (Thach Giam commune), Tan Hop village, Lung village (Tam Thai commune), Xop Nam, Pha Lom (Tam Hop commune), La village, Minh Tien (Luong Minh)... These are locations with abundant undergrowth that easily causes fires, and are also hotspots for illegal logging, making protection very difficult. In addition, the situation of illegal repatriation and free migration into the Ban Ve reservoir area is becoming increasingly complex, and the people in the area still need to cultivate fields to ensure food security and use forest products... creating pressure on forest protection and fire prevention and control efforts.

North Vu