Forests lack firebreaks, making it difficult to respond when fires occur.
Nghe An province has a large forest area and frequently faces the risk of forest fires during the hot season. However, in many communes, the firebreak system is lacking or completely covered by vegetation. This situation makes it difficult to contain, control, and extinguish forest fires when incidents occur.
Lack of firebreaks makes it difficult to respond when wildfires occur.
The forest fire that occurred in Thien Nhan commune in late June is a prime example of the shortcomings in the current forest fire prevention and control system. On the afternoon of June 21st, a fire suddenly broke out in the hilly area of Hamlet 3, Thien Nhan commune. Immediately after discovering the fire, the local authorities coordinated with thousands of people to fight the fire. However, firefighting efforts were difficult due to the dense undergrowth and dry bushes. Many areas had steep, rugged terrain with no firebreaks, causing the fire to spread rapidly. After nearly three days and nights of effort, the fire was only brought under control on June 23rd.
Mr. Le Ngoc Hien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thien Nhan commune, said, "The entire commune currently has about 1,100 hectares of acacia and pine interspersed forest. The recent fire has taught the locality a lesson in forest fire prevention and control. The safest and most effective solution is still to maintain the firebreak system. Previously, there were several firebreaks in the area, but they haven't been maintained for many years, so the undergrowth is now dense. When a fire occurs, forces have to both clear the undergrowth and create new firebreaks, which takes a lot of time; in some places, the fire spreads before they can even start. To ensure the safety of the existing forest area, the commune needs to invest in about 20 km of firebreaks, but faces significant difficulties in securing funding."
Representatives from the Nam Dan - Hung Nguyen Forest Protection Department stated that the unit currently manages over 5,800 hectares of forest across five communes, including approximately 3,000 hectares of pine forest. Due to limited funding, the firebreaks managed by the communes have received little to no maintenance or repair over the years. Meanwhile, undergrowth grows rapidly, completely covering the old firebreaks in a short time. Many forest areas in the region still lack internal, inter-regional, and inter-field firebreaks. This is a major reason why the task of containing and isolating large fires is very difficult.
Currently, the entire area has only about 69 km of firebreaks built by the Southern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board and over 20 km of firebreaks implemented by local authorities. To ensure the safety of the area under the unit's management, more than 60 km of firebreaks are still needed.
Not only Thien Nhan, but many other localities in the province are in a similar situation. In Tan Chau commune, which has more than 1,000 hectares of pine forest bordering Hai Loc, Van Kieu and Hop Minh communes, the risk of forest fires is always present during the dry season.
Visiting the pine forest area of Trung Son hamlet, Tan Chau commune during hot weather, it's easy to see that the undergrowth beneath the forest canopy is still thick, with many areas covered in dry pine needles. The previously existing firebreaks are now overgrown with weeds and bushes.
Mr. Cao Van Tai, a resident of Trung Son hamlet and a forest protection household, said: "My family is responsible for protecting over 30 hectares of forest, but I have only managed to build more than 2 kilometers of access roads combined with firebreaks. I hope the government will pay attention and invest in more firebreaks. We are always worried every time the hot season comes."
Mr. Le Van Sau, a specialist from the Economic Department of Tan Chau commune, said: Currently, the entire commune only has about 10 km of firebreaks, but most of them are dilapidated. Due to a lack of funding, most of the forest area managed by the commune cannot be cleared of undergrowth or have its firebreaks maintained. When forest fires occur, it will be very dangerous because the fire spreads quickly and it is very difficult to access and extinguish it. Currently, only a few households contracted to protect the forest are utilizing the roads used for transporting acacia trees to create firebreaks. However, these routes do not meet technical requirements and cannot replace the specialized firebreak system.
“The local authorities are eager to invest in maintaining and expanding the firebreak system, but funding is limited. Currently, the commune mainly focuses on prevention work such as educating the people and organizing patrol and guard forces at forest entrances during peak hot weather,” Mr. Le Van Sau shared.
According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Quyen, acting head of the Dien Chau Forest Ranger Station, the unit currently manages over 6,000 hectares of forest, including more than 1,500 hectares of pine forest. Only about 50 km of firebreaks have been constructed throughout the area. However, many of these have deteriorated due to a lack of regular maintenance. Currently, communes in the area still lack over 50 km of firebreaks, especially in border areas. If a large fire occurs in strong winds, the risk of widespread fire spread is very high.
Invest in firebreaks.
According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Head of the Nghe An Forest Protection Department, since the beginning of this year's dry season, the province has provided support to 124 out of 130 communes with a total budget of over 32 billion VND for forest fire prevention and control. However, this funding has mainly been used to purchase equipment such as blowers, brush cutters, fire beaters, water pumps, and other firefighting tools. Major investments such as clearing undergrowth and constructing or upgrading firebreaks have not yet met actual needs.
According to regulations from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, pine forests of 2,000 hectares or more must have a system of white strip roads to divide the forest into sub-areas with a width of 8 to 12 meters. For forests of 100 hectares or more, secondary strip roads must be built to divide the forest into plots or sections; these roads should be 6 to 10 meters wide and connected to the main strip road system.
Currently, in Nghe An province, only the Management Boards of protective forests, special-use forests, and forestry companies have invested in and constructed approximately 225 km of firebreaks that meet technical standards. Meanwhile, the majority of forest areas managed at the commune level have not yet received comprehensive investment.
According to statistics from the Forest Protection Department, the province currently lacks approximately 250 km of firebreaks that need to be newly constructed. Local authorities need to proactively integrate funding sources and mobilize social resources to maintain and repair the firebreak system, and the State needs to provide financial support for clearing vegetation to create firebreaks. This is a fundamental and long-term solution to minimize the risk of forest fires and limit damage when incidents occur.
With the extreme heatwave predicted to continue, the risk of forest fires in Nghe An remains very high. Recent forest fires have shown that without a firebreak system, even mobilizing thousands of firefighters can be ineffective. Therefore, along with raising public awareness and strictly controlling the burning of undergrowth, investing in and maintaining a firebreak system should be considered an urgent task to protect forest resources and minimize damage caused by forest fires.
