Forest fire watchtowers prove effective during the hot season.

(Baonghean) - The prolonged intense heat poses a very high risk of forest fires in many localities, especially in districts with pine forests. Therefore, localities and forest owners in Nghe An province are strengthening fire monitoring and implementing forest fire prevention and control measures.

These days, staff at the Nam Hung Forest Protection Management Station (under the Nam Dan Special Forest Management Board) take turns on duty 24/7 at the fire watch towers. In addition, patrols and control of people and vehicles entering the forest have been intensified.

Staff members of the Nam Hung Forest Protection Station (Nam Dan district) take turns manning the forest fire watchtower. Photo: Van Truong

Mr. Nguyen The Nhan, Head of the Nam Hung Forest Management and Protection Station, said: "Within the managed area, there is a fire watchtower built in 2016, over 10 meters high, which can observe approximately 780 hectares of pine forest and the border areas between parts of Nam Dan and the districts of Do Luong and Thanh Chuong."

Along with the specialized forces, Nam Hung commune has established three additional forest protection teams with members from three hamlets near the forest, namely Nam Son, Tien Phong, and 3/2, to strengthen the forest fire prevention and control capabilities.

The Nam Dan Special Forest Management Board is responsible for managing over 3,000 hectares of pine forest. Since mid-April 2017, the Board has assigned personnel to take turns on duty 24/7 at 7 fire watch towers in the communes of Nam Thai, Van Dien, Nam Hung, and Nam Giang.

Through patrolling the watchtowers, several small fires were detected, and forces were promptly deployed to extinguish them, preventing them from spreading. From the beginning of the year until now, the Committee has coordinated with households to clear undergrowth on 600 hectares, remove undergrowth on 400 hectares, and repair 38.24 km of firebreaks in Nam Nghia, Nam Hung, Nam Giang, and Nam Linh communes.

To effectively prevent and control forest fires, the "contracting and management" system must be implemented properly. The company has coordinated with local authorities in the communes to monitor the situation in residential areas, encourage people to accept contracts, and resolve "contracting and management" issues fairly.

Provincial leaders inspect fire prevention and control work in Nghi Dong commune (Nghi Loc district). Photo: Van Truong

Quynh Luu district is also actively implementing solutions to prevent and control forest fires. For example, Ngoc Son commune has a relatively large forest area of ​​over 1,115 hectares. With the determination to prevent forest fires, most households in Quynh Luu have built green firebreaks using a layer of mixed-crop trees with a multi-layered structure, dividing the forest into plots to prevent fires at ground level and fires from spreading to the canopy, especially in pine-growing areas.

The entire Quynh Luu district currently has nearly 15,000 hectares of planted forest, of which 6,000 hectares are pine trees in the resin harvesting stage. The main forest trees are pine and eucalyptus, all of which contain essential oils and are highly flammable. Especially during the hot season, the humidity in the forest drops sharply, sometimes down to 65%, and combined with the impact of high temperatures, these factors pose a significant risk of forest fires.

To minimize damage caused by wildfires, the Forest Protection Department of Quynh Luu district has intensified its efforts in disseminating legal information and educating the public. In addition, it has incorporated state regulations and guidelines on wildfire prevention and control into meetings and forums, encouraging members to voluntarily comply.

At the same time, direct local officials to coordinate with local authorities to organize forest fire patrols, command posts, duty officers, and watchtowers to prevent any violations of forest fire prevention and control regulations. Furthermore, strictly prohibit burning beehives, and prohibit people from entering or leaving the forest during peak hours and carrying flammable materials.

A representative from the Forest Protection Department added: Forest fire prevention and control efforts are being implemented with the most decisive and optimal measures to prevent and be ready to respond to any forest fire incidents.

Forest rangers also coordinated surveys to build firebreak systems in key border forest areas. As a long-term solution, the Forest Protection Department, in coordination with forest management units, surveyed and identified areas of inefficient planted forests with dense undergrowth and high fire risk to carry out procedures for forest liquidation, clearing, and reforestation.

The Provincial Military Command and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have issued regulations on coordination in forest fire prevention and control in accordance with Government Decree No. 166/2015/ND-CP, clearly defining the coordination mechanism for mobilizing forces and technical equipment for forest fire fighting from military units. For forest fires, the "four on-the-spot" plan should be effectively implemented to extinguish forest fires promptly and efficiently.

Van Truong