A series of forests in Nghe An have dried up and died, high risk of forest fires
Currently, the area of dead trees is showing signs of happening simultaneously and contiguously in many localities, causing the risk of large-scale forest fires. People need to be extremely vigilant.
People call the phenomenon of mass drying up of bamboo trees “dying button”. This is a normal growth phenomenon of bamboo species, meters, and lung; after a certain growth cycle, bamboo species will reach the stage where the mother tree dries up, preparing for a stage of sprouting green shoots.
Currently, in Que Phong district, there is a situation of many areas of dead trees occurring simultaneously, on a large scale, in adjacent areas, in adjacent plots, causing the risk of large-scale forest fires. This area is mainly concentrated in the protective forests and production forests of the buffer zone of Pu Hoat Nature Reserve, in the communes of Tien Phong, Thong Thu, and Dong Van. This is an ecological area where the trees are concentrated.
The area of dead trees is most common in sub-areas including: 5, 9, 10, 11, 22, 41, 48 along the Vietnam - Laos border in the administrative boundary of Thong Thu commune. The trees in this forest area are in the flowering stage and show signs of dying simultaneously. On the other hand, through inspection, in the border area, on the Lao side, people are engaged in slash-and-burn farming activities. The locations of people's slash-and-burn farming are very close to the Vietnam border, posing a very high risk of fire spreading, especially at the end of April and the beginning of May 2025.
Faced with the above difficulties and challenges, the leaders of Pu Hoat Nature Reserve Management Board assessed that the risk of forest fires in the area is very high, especially during the hot season of 2025. To proactively respond to and minimize the above forest fire risks, recently the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve Management Board has organized and implemented synchronous solutions.
In particular, it is important to note that the Forest Protection Departments and Forest Management Stations in the communes of Tien Phong, Dong Van, and Thong Thu should conduct a general inspection, count, and delimit the entire area of bamboo and dead bamboo; identify these as key areas for forest fires and focus on implementing necessary measures according to the 2025 forest fire prevention plan for prevention.
At the same time, fully prepare facilities, materials, and means to respond when a forest fire occurs. Organize meetings of the management boards of the villages that have contracted to protect forests in the area, assign and arrange forces to guard the forest fire prevention and control in key areas with high risk of forest fires, especially in sub-areas with bamboo and dead bamboo.
Strengthen coordination with Thong Thu Border Guard Station to grasp the situation and developments in the area; through the border operations of the Border Guard force to propagate and inform the functional forces of Laos in the work of fire prevention and control. Work with the Management Board of Muong Phu and Muong Piet villages in Thong Thu commune, which are the communities contracted to protect the forest in the border area, through visits between the people of the two countries to exchange information and propagate to the Lao people to raise awareness of fire prevention and control.
Along with that, organize propaganda, disseminate laws and sign commitments on forest fire prevention and fighting for communities in buffer zones, raise awareness of forest fire prevention and fighting, absolutely do not burn fields, carry out activities using fire in the forest during peak hot weather.
