Storm No. 13 damaged thousands of hectares of planted forests.

Gia Lai After storm No. 13, the previously straight, neat forests in the East of Gia Lai no longer exist, replaced by fallen forests lying around...

About 3 months before storm No. 13 occurred, we had the opportunity to visit the large timber forest of Song Kon Forestry Company Limited in Binh Hiep commune ( Gia Lai ). Everyone was amazed by the large timber forest with healthy trees standing straight and in a row.

After storm number 13, returning to this forest, the scene before my eyes was a forest lying collapsed and lying in disarray, it was heartbreaking to see.

Storm No. 13 caused the planted forests of Quy Nhon Forestry Company Ltd. to fall down and look like a battlefield. Photo: V.D.T.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dao, Chairman of Song Kon Forestry Company Limited, immediately after storm No. 13, the unit sent officers and employees to the planted forests to check the damage, but because the mountain roads had many steep passes that were difficult to travel on, and mobile phones could not be connected, there was no full report. Just checking in Binh Hiep commune, it was found that 400 hectares of large timber planted forests were severely damaged, of which 200 hectares were broken, with damage of 70-80%, and 200 hectares were damaged by about 20-30%.

“That’s not counting the planted forests in Vinh Quang, An Tuong and Kim Son communes. The most painful thing is that the large timber forests that are 7 years old are often broken down, the younger the forests, the less damage,” said Mr. Dao.

The planted forests of Quy Nhon Forestry Company Ltd., even the trees that were not felled, were stripped of their leaves by the storm, leaving them standing bare. Photo: V.D.T.

The large timber forests of Ha Thanh Forestry Company Limited (Van Canh Commune) are in the same situation. The fallen trees lie in layers, the leaves have not yet been pulled. Preliminary statistics show that the planted forests of Ha Thanh Forestry Company Limited were damaged in storm No. 13 by nearly 2,500 hectares. Of which, Canh Giao area has more than 348 hectares of forest broken down; Canh Lien commune area has nearly 460 hectares damaged, of which 5-year-old forest has more than 191 hectares broken down at 15%, more than 263 hectares of 1-4-year-old forest has a broken down rate of 5%; Ca Te area has nearly 270 hectares damaged, of which 7-year-old forest has nearly 4 hectares broken down at 15%, 6-year-old forest has 89.5 hectares broken down at 18%, more than 130 hectares of 2-4-year-old forest has a broken down rate of 3-5%; Ha De area damaged more than 1,400 hectares with a collapse rate of up to 20%.

Planted forests of Ha Thanh Forestry Company Ltd. collapsed after storm No. 13. Photo: V.D.T.

“The total damage to the planted forests is initially estimated at more than 12.4 billion VND, not to mention the damage to the Company's infrastructure of about 300 million VND. In the immediate future, the Company requests the Provincial People's Committee and relevant departments to consider and allow the Company to proactively repair the office and stations to ensure the safety of workers and collect fallen trees to reduce financial damage as well as property loss,” said Mr. Tran Nguyen Tu, Chairman of Ha Thanh Forestry Company Limited.

According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Viet, Chairman of the People's Committee of Van Canh commune (Gia Lai province), the locality has many farming households growing production forests. After storm No. 13, most of the planted forest area in this commune was destroyed with different levels of damage.

The storm uprooted the planted forest of Ha Thanh Forestry Company Ltd. Photo: V.D.T.

“In Van Canh commune, there are currently more than 20,000 hectares of planted forests planted by organizations and individuals; including Ha Thanh Forestry Company Limited, Quy Nhon Forest Planting Company (100% Japanese capital), the Protective Forest Management Board and hundreds of farmer households participating in forest planting. There are no specific statistics yet, but the damage caused by storm No. 13 to planted forests is very large,” said Mr. Nguyen Xuan Viet.

The planted forests of Quy Nhon Forestry Company Limited look even more miserable, there are forests with fallen trees in layers, and forests that have not fallen trees have been stripped of all their leaves and are standing bare. The planted forests of this Company were planted in Quy Nhon Tay ward a few months ago and were as beautiful as landscape forests, but now they are lying scattered and look like battlefields. The main damage to Quy Nhon Forestry Company Limited is the protective planted forests, special-use forests and landscape environmental forests, while the damage to natural forests is insignificant.

Large timber forests of Song Kon Forestry Company Limited were destroyed. Photo: V.D.T.

After storm No. 13, the Company's staff diligently inspected. By November 11, preliminary results showed that in more than 1,000 hectares of protective forests, special-use forests and landscape forests, mainly pine and acacia trees planted from 1988 to 2021, more than 360 hectares were damaged by over 70%, 275 hectares were damaged by 50-70%, nearly 199 hectares were damaged by 30-50% and nearly 194 hectares were damaged by less than 30%. In more than 595 hectares of replacement forests, mainly pine and acacia trees planted from 2016-2025, more than 105 hectares were damaged by 70%, more than 208 hectares were damaged by 50-70%, nearly 175 hectares were damaged by 30-50% and more than 106 hectares were damaged by less than 30%.

In addition, Quy Nhon Forestry Company Limited also suffered heavy damage to its production forests with more than 1,976 hectares, mainly hybrid acacia, eucalyptus, and acacia trees planted from 2008 to 2025. Storm No. 13 swept through and toppled more than 1,060 hectares with over 70% damage, more than 390 hectares with 50-70% damage, more than 275 hectares with 30-50% damage, and more than 251 hectares with less than 30% damage.

Employees of Song Kon Forestry Company Limited sadly clean up large areas of fallen timber after storm No. 13. Photo: V .D.T.

Not only that, forests planted on land outside the forestry planning with the Company's production and business capital and State budget capital with an area of ​​over 264 hectares were also severely damaged, and forests contracted to households and individuals with an area of ​​over 590 hectares were no exception, after the storm they lay flat "like mackerel" in a basket.

“All the remaining seedlings in the nursery, with a quantity of 1.45 million trees, were also severely damaged by the storm, causing damaged leaves and broken tops, affecting the growth process of the trees, with an estimated loss of 30%; the infrastructure in the management, protection and exploitation areas of bird's nests in Hang Doi, Hang Ca, Hang Doi, and Vung Bau was also destroyed by the storm, causing huge damage,” said Mr. Cai Minh Tung, Chairman of Quy Nhon Forestry Company Limited.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/bao-so-13-gay-thiet-hai-hang-ngan-ha-rung-trong-d783674.html