Final article: We need to act urgently and proactively.

(Baonghean) - The alarming situation in forest fire prevention and control in the province, along with the forecast of a high risk of fire in 2015, requires all levels, sectors, forest owners, and especially the people to promptly change their awareness of forest protection, as forests are a national interest, as well as a vital and long-term interest for each household and each individual...

Increase shared responsibility

Forest fires are a constant annual worry for forest owners, but learning from past experiences and devising new solutions is proving difficult; and when fires do occur, "the following year's fire is bigger than the previous year's!" Many meetings of the Provincial People's Committee have criticized relevant agencies and districts for the high number of forest fires, but the response and actions taken so far have generally been inadequate.

Forest fire watch at the Nam Dan Protective Forest Management Board. Photo: Huu Nghia

Through our work and research in various communes, we've observed that awareness of forest fires is sometimes limited to issues affecting the government's reputation. Some forest owners are preoccupied with "personal matters" (someone might burn the forest because they don't like it) and fail to recognize that forest fires are a "red alert" regarding environmental protection and ecosystems, causing damage to the resources and property of both the people and the State that may take decades to rebuild. The district-level guidance, inspection, and supervision of communes also have limitations, as the district believes it has more pressing issues to address. Besides the numerous, yet largely identical, forest fire prevention and control plans developed annually, local Party committees and authorities, who should be the most knowledgeable about why forest fires occur and why they are caught off guard, often blame it on "intentional actions," "hot weather," etc.; in many places, they completely delegate responsibility to local forestry extension officers, whose salaries are only 200,000 VND per month...

...When it is said that conflicts in the distribution of benefits derived from forests are a cause of forest fires, then local Party committees and authorities must direct an investigation to clarify this issue, find the root of the problem, and resolve it. Investigating the perpetrators of the fires is essentially a follow-up action, a reactive response. When people living near forests are given contracts to manage and protect the forests, they will do their best to protect their own forests. When conflicts arise regarding livestock grazing or harvesting, for example, relevant departments and levels must sit down together to ensure that the ultimate right to the forest is respected. Authorities need to mandate that livestock farmers do not let their buffalo and cattle roam freely in the forest; they must keep them confined and grow grass for them to eat. Mountainous districts have been doing this for many years to protect the forests. Strict rewards and punishments for localities where forest fires occur have not been effectively implemented, and are only mentioned on paper. A truly severe form of punishment for local leaders responsible for forest fires should be considered to ensure that the local political system takes prompt and genuine action against forest fires.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Hong Linh, Head of Department 1, Fire Prevention and Control Police in charge of Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan, and Vinh City, stated: To effectively prevent and fight forest fires, first and foremost, all levels of government and relevant agencies must reassure the people, and benefits must be distributed fairly. Conflicts and grievances must be resolved; this is the responsibility of the Party committees, government, and relevant agencies. Localities need to launch mass movements in areas with forests to participate in forest protection and fire prevention, similar to fishermen protecting the sea. In the past, many small fires have been extinguished promptly by the people, and this should be commended and rewarded. In addition, it is necessary to prepare the necessary equipment, forces, and plans to extinguish large fires that are beyond the capacity of the people to fight. But the most important thing in forest fire prevention and control remains prevention.

We need to take proactive action.

Mr. Tang Van An, Head of the Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting Department (North Central Region Meteorological and Hydrological Station), stated: "During the summer months of 2015, there is a possibility of localized heatwaves. If these are accompanied by high temperatures and low humidity, the risk of forest fires in Nghe An province in particular will be very high." With such a warning, what urgent action should be taken?

Nam Dan district clears undergrowth before the fire season.

Burning undergrowth is an effective forest fire prevention solution included in the forest fire prevention and control plan. However, until early April 2015, this was only being carried out in forests under contracted for protection, while forests managed by communes had hardly had their undergrowth cleared. Even in forests under contracted for protection before the dry season, the burning of undergrowth is progressing slowly and has not achieved much. Specifically, in Nam Dan district, as of April 1st, 2015, Nam Giang commune had only burned 60 hectares, Kim Lien 36 hectares, Khanh Son 70 hectares, Nam Loc 50 hectares, Nam Thai 15 hectares, Nam Hung 60 hectares, and Van Dien 8 hectares, totaling 358 hectares. Meanwhile, the Nam Dan Protective Forest Management Board alone manages over 5,000 hectares of special-use pine forest.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, a forest owner in Nam Giang commune (Nam Dan district), pre-burning flammable materials is extremely necessary to protect the forest. His family built a camp right in the forest, and the whole family collects pine needles to burn and use as firewood. The forest surrounding his family's property is fenced with barbed wire to prevent strangers from entering, and they also keep fierce dogs for protection. Thanks to this, his pine forest has never caught fire. In Nam Nghia commune (Nam Dan district), workers from the Nam Dan Special Forest Management Board are actively burning undergrowth. One worker said: "If we burn when the weather is humid, the materials won't burn, but burning when it's hot greatly increases the risk of forest fires, so we have to constantly monitor the fire. Burning undergrowth is a technical measure, so it is essential that the Forest Rangers and Forest Management Boards conduct training for forest owners and local people."

Forests owned by households need to be thoroughly understood by forest owners regarding this issue, with inspection, supervision, and clear reward and punishment mechanisms. Currently, a huge resource from fallen pine needles is being wasted and needs further research for reuse. People who own forests should invest in purchasing forest firefighting equipment, proactively equip themselves with the skills to use forest firefighting equipment, and create firebreaks. Treating forests like gardens or fields, they also need to have blowers and chainsaws, just like farmers who cultivate fields and buy plows and hoes; they should not rely solely on the State.

Currently, firebreaks are proving ineffective due to the rapid spread of fire. Provinces, districts, and forest owners need to allocate funds to plant green trees (non-flammable trees) to create green firebreaks between the designed and constructed firebreaks to permanently block fire. For forests bordering Nam Dan and other districts, the province and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development should consider building new standard green firebreaks; the current narrow firebreaks, only 10m or 20m wide, are ineffective... One suggestion should be considered: neighboring provinces like Nghe An and Ha Tinh should hold meetings to discuss fire prevention and control boundaries in detail. Forests with tall grass and shrubs, lacking pine and large trees, should be completely destroyed, as these forests in border areas are a major cause of fires. They should be burned completely to allow for reforestation. For example, in 2015, Nam Dan district will re-identify treeless forest areas for conservation and management, and allocate them to local people for burning and reforestation...

Chau Lan - Pham Bang