Nghe An strengthens measures to prevent forest fires.
(Baonghean) - With the intense heat at this time, the risk of forest fires in pine forests is very high. Nghe An is implementing a 24/7 forest fire monitoring system at the Forest Fire Prevention and Control Command Centers at all levels and fire watchtowers, preventing any acts of bringing fire into the forest in any form, in order to minimize the risk of forest fires.
Risk of pine forest fires
At the tomb of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan - President Ho Chi Minh's mother, in Nam Giang commune (Nam Dan district), staff from the Nam Dan Forest Protection Department are currently on duty 24/7 at the forest fire watchtower. Patrolling and preventing people and vehicles from entering the forest are being carried out seriously and strictly.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Duong, an officer of the Nam Dan Forest Protection Department, said: "The Nam Giang fire watchtower is over 10 meters high and can monitor forest fires for the entire Nam Giang area of Nam Dan district and a portion of the forest area of Hung Nguyen and Thanh Chuong districts. Thanks to good forest fire monitoring, some small fires are detected early, allowing local forces to extinguish them promptly."
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| Inspecting the work of the Fire Prevention and Control Committee in Nam Giang commune (Nam Dan district). Photo: Van Truong |
At the Nam Hung fire watchtower (Nam Dan district), forest protection officers are also stationed there to monitor forest fires during the hot season. This fire watchtower, built in 2016, is over 10 meters high and can observe forest fires over approximately 780 hectares of pine forest and border areas between parts of Nam Dan district and Do Luong and Thanh Chuong districts.
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 pre-burn undergrowth on 600 hectares, clear undergrowth on 400 hectares, and repair firebreaks along 38.24 km in the communes of Nam Nghia, Nam Hung, Nam Giang, and Nam Linh.
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| Forest fire watchtower in Nam Hung commune (Nam Dan district). Photo: Archival material. |
The current challenge is that many localities have pine forests but have not yet cleared the undergrowth. For example, in Dien Chau district, nearly 6,000 hectares of pine forest are managed by communes and local communities, which creates significant difficulties in forest fire prevention and control.
Each year, only 400 hectares out of 6,000 hectares are cleared of undergrowth, leaving the remaining area uncleared. The risk of forest fires is high in the communes of Dien Doai, Dien An, and Dien Phu. Yen Thanh district has nearly 3,000 hectares of pine forest. At the beginning of the dry season, the district's forest protection management board clears over 500 hectares, and the communes clear about 500 hectares. Nearly 1,000 hectares of pine forest under the management of the communes remain uncleared, concentrated in the three communes of Cong Thanh, My Thanh, and Bao Thanh.
Many other districts are in the same situation, such as Nam Dan district which has only treated 1,000 out of 6,000 hectares, and Do Luong district which has treated 1,000 out of 6,500 hectares.
According to the Forest Protection Department's report, to date, the entire province has cleared undergrowth to prevent forest fires on over 7,500 out of 16,000 hectares of forest. 12.5 km of new firebreaks have been constructed, and 201 km of existing firebreaks have been repaired. However, a current difficulty in forest fire prevention and control is the dilapidated condition of many existing fire watchtowers.
Regarding firebreaks in the border areas between Nam Dan district and Ha Tinh province, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has had a plan to build them since 2017, but they have not yet been implemented. As for the costly process of clearing undergrowth, and the limited availability of pine resin, most of the pine forest area managed by the commune has not been cleared.
Enhance solutions
Mr. Bach Quoc Dung, Head of the Nghe An Forest Protection Department, said: To cope with the increasingly complex drought and heatwave situation, the Department advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue Directive No. 05/CT-UBND dated February 10, 2020, to direct relevant departments, units, and district, city, and town People's Committees to strengthen forest fire prevention and control measures in the province.
The People's Committees of districts and towns were directed to develop 21/21 forest fire prevention and control plans, as well as plans for mobilizing forces, equipment, and tools for forest firefighting when fires occur in their areas. 30 plans from forest owners (organizations) and 371 forest fire prevention and control plans at the commune level were reviewed and submitted to higher authorities for approval.
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| Inspecting fire-fighting equipment at the Thanh Chuong forest ranger station. Photo: Van Truong |
Prior to the hot season, the Forest Protection Department also directed forestry units to prepare, repair, and test-operate various types of machinery and equipment to be ready for forest fire fighting. Additional fire fighting equipment and tools have been purchased; currently, the province has acquired 18 water pumps, 84 blowers, 39 brush cutters, 53 chainsaws, nearly 4,000 machetes, and over 1,500 fire beaters...
Specifically, from April 16, 2020 to September 16, 2020, the Forest Protection Department directed its subordinate units to maintain 100% of their personnel on duty 24/7 during periods of hot weather and high risk of forest fires. Forest owners and commune-level People's Committees deployed forces to monitor and control access to the forest in key forest areas, at fire watchtowers, and forest protection stations with a high risk of forest fires, in order to proactively prevent and control forest fires.
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| Using a high-powered blower to clear firebreaks in the pine forest. (Photo: Huy Thu) |
And the Standing Agency of the Provincial Steering Committee for Forest Fire Prevention and Control, the Forest Protection Department, has put forward urgent solutions for forest fire prevention and control with key tasks.
To improve forest fire prevention and control in the coming period, the Forest Protection Department requires forest protection units and forest owners to strengthen the dissemination of forest fire warning information at the local level. Upon receiving information about a forest fire, forest owners and forest protection units must promptly report to the district and commune steering committees to mobilize forest firefighting forces. They must also be present at the scene to provide comprehensive advice on firefighting efforts. After extinguishing the forest fire, the forest protection unit must advise the district and commune steering committees on deploying personnel to monitor and extinguish any remaining embers to prevent re-ignition. Simultaneously, they must advise the district steering committee to direct relevant agencies to coordinate investigations, gather evidence, and track down and report the perpetrators of the forest fire, so that the offenders can be severely punished as a deterrent and educational measure.
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