Nghe An focuses on clearing vegetation to reduce the risk of forest fires

Nghe An is the locality with the largest forest area in the country with 1.6 million hectares. The forest cover rate is 58.36%. The forest area with a high risk of forest fires is concentrated in 27,353 hectares of planted forests with essential oil trees that are flammable (including: 16,344 hectares of pure pine forests; 3,809 hectares of mixed pine forests; 7,200 hectares of mixed eucalyptus forests). This is the season of deciduous pines, the amount of fallen leaves creates thick vegetation, causing a high risk of forest fires. Photo: Quang An

According to the reporter's records in early May 2023, in many forests in Nghe An, especially in Dien Chau, Nghi Loc, Nam Dan districts... there are many thick layers of ground cover, especially leaves and dry branches, with some spots having a thickness of 5 - 10 cm, just a small spark can flare up into a large fire. Photo: Quang An

To be proactive in forest fire prevention and control, since the beginning of the year, Nghe An province has had a plan to clear the ground cover and deploy it to localities and forest owners. In addition, it focuses on repairing firebreaks and renovating fire watchtowers to ensure fire prevention and control safety. Photo: Van Truong

In Dien Chau district, nearly 6,000 hectares of pine forests are all assigned to the commune and the community for management, so there are many difficulties in forest fire prevention and fighting. Most of the pine forest cover has not been treated due to lack of funds, and the authorities have only treated high-risk areas. Photo: Quang An

Yen Thanh district also shares the concern of forest fires when the hot season comes. In My Thanh commune, 78 hectares of pine forest have been assigned to households for management. However, the vegetation has not been thoroughly treated. In the photo: Authorities clear a firebreak in Yen Thanh district. Photo: Van Truong

A representative of the Yen Thanh District Forest Protection Department added: The entire Yen Thanh district has over 2,000 hectares of forest, but only over 500 hectares of vegetation has been treated under the management of the Yen Thanh Protective Forest Management Board. The remaining over 1,500 hectares have been assigned to communes, communities and contracted households, but little vegetation has been treated. Photo: Quang An

In fact, when forest fires have occurred in the province in recent years, the failure to thoroughly clear the vegetation is the main reason why the fires spread quickly and are difficult to handle. Therefore, localities need to pay attention to clearing vegetation before the hot season to minimize damage when forest fires occur. In the photo: Forest fires in Dien Chau district in 2020 are difficult to control due to large vegetation and rapid fire spread. Photo: Quang An