Minimizing forest fires: "Prevention is key"
The entire province currently has over 30,000 hectares of pine plantations prone to fire in the districts of Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, Do Luong, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Yen Thanh, and Hung Nguyen. Many districts have implemented fire prevention and control measures, such as Do Luong district, where forest owners and localities with pine forests have proactively mobilized forces to clear undergrowth on over 70% of the area.
(Baonghean)The entire province currently has over 30,000 hectares of pine plantations prone to fire in the districts of Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, Do Luong, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Yen Thanh, and Hung Nguyen. Many districts have implemented fire prevention and control measures, such as Do Luong district, where forest owners and localities with pine forests have proactively mobilized forces to clear undergrowth on over 70% of the area.
Mr. Le Van Chinh from Do Son hamlet, Bai Son commune (contracted to protect and harvest pine resin from Do Luong Forestry Company Limited, covering 7 hectares of pine forest) added: For nearly a month now, all four members of his family have been working diligently to clear the area and have completed three firebreaks, each more than 10 meters wide and 1.5-2 kilometers long. In Bai Son commune, there are about 10 households using rice harvesting machines fitted with blades to clear undergrowth quite effectively.
Mr. Thai Dinh Loi, Chairman of the People's Committee of Bai Son commune, said: The commune has over 360 hectares of pine forest and over 150 hectares of planted forest. In particular, the pine forest area in Bai Son, bordering Dai Thanh commune in Yen Thanh district, has a very high risk of fire. Recognizing fire prevention as the primary focus, after the Lunar New Year, the commune mobilized 600 people, including over 150 youth union members, to clear undergrowth. To date, over 95% of the pine forest area has been cleared according to proper technical procedures. The commune has also prepared 132 fire beaters, 56 machetes, and more than 50 water containers. 438 households have signed commitments not to violate regulations that could cause forest fires; a strong fire prevention and control platoon of 28 people has been established, along with 9 fire prevention and control teams with 72 participants.
The pine forest in Hoa Son commune, Do Luong district, has been cleared of undergrowth.
The Do Luong Forestry Company Limited manages over 1000 hectares of pine forests. To date, it has coordinated with local authorities to clear undergrowth and pre-burn undergrowth under the pine canopy on over 930 hectares in the communes of Bai Son, Hoa Son, Dai Son, etc. It has also renovated over 20 km of firebreaks and organized 8 fire prevention and control drills in 8 key pine forest communes.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Thang, Head of the Do Luong Forest Ranger Station, said: Do Luong has over 8,000 hectares of pure forest, including over 1,000 hectares of pine trees ready for harvesting. The characteristic of pine forests is that many areas are contiguous, making the risk of forest fires high. From the beginning of the year, the Forest Ranger Station has developed a district-wide forest fire prevention and control plan and advised and approved the plans for each commune; coordinated with the district, Do Luong Forestry Company Limited, and communes with pine forests to guide and supervise the clearing of undergrowth, inspect and establish forest fire prevention and control teams in each commune and each hamlet. Focus has been placed on raising awareness and organizing the signing of commitments with each household to prevent forest fires; repairing fire prevention structures and rebuilding over 30 km of firebreaks. To date, Do Luong has cleared undergrowth in over 600 hectares of pine forest in key areas.
Con Cuong district has 129,216.82 hectares of natural forest. The district has identified key areas prone to forest fires, such as Thach Ngan, Cam Lam, and Mau Duc communes. Forest rangers are stationed in villages to guide local people in clearing undergrowth and burning fields for cultivation. Thanks to the restructuring of crop patterns, Con Cuong, which had 2,500 hectares of cultivated land before 2000, now only has over 120 hectares of upland fields. The District People's Committee has established 15 Forest Fire Prevention and Control Command Boards with 358 members, 15 militia platoons with 640 young people, and 126 forest fire prevention and control teams with 1,169 participants.
Tuong Duong District has 176,010 hectares of natural forest, with many areas of mixed bamboo and reed forests, therefore the risk of forest fires is very high. Many localities have implemented forest fire prevention and control measures well, such as Tuong Duong Forestry Company Limited, which has repaired 49,000 m2 of firebreaks, including a 1,800m long firebreak in Sub-area 689 and a 3,100m long firebreak in Sub-area 672. The district is strengthening inspections of forest fire prevention and control conditions, checking people entering the forest to collect firewood, hunt for honey, and clear undergrowth for slash-and-burn farming...
With the motto "prevention is key, firefighting must be urgent, timely, thorough, and effective," right from the beginning of the hot season, our province has consolidated and established 345 Forest Fire Prevention and Control Command Boards at all levels, mainly forming grassroots forest firefighting teams at the village and commune level, and developing operational regulations for the Forest Fire Prevention and Control Command Boards at all levels. Identifying fire-prone areas, mainly concentrated pine forests in Nam Dan, Do Luong, Quynh Luu, Nghi Loc… and some locations in Tuong Duong, Quy Hop, Que Phong districts… to direct the maintenance of a constant readiness system to detect fires early and organize timely firefighting forces.
To date, key pine forest areas have been largely cleared by burning, reducing undergrowth and flammable materials beneath the pine canopy. The total area cleared of undergrowth has reached over 2,000 hectares, and over 200 hectares of firebreaks have been newly constructed. Maintenance and repair work has been carried out on fire watchtowers in Nam Dan and Do Luong districts, as well as on the fire-fighting water reservoir system in the Nam Dan special-use forest. Local authorities have organized training courses on technical skills and command of forest fire fighting drills, and skills in using forest fire fighting equipment.
Van Truong
