Since the end of May, Quang Tri has been experiencing a severe heatwave. Outdoor temperatures have reached 38-40 degrees Celsius on many days. The sunlight, no longer golden, has turned a silvery white, like a blazing fire, while the hot, dry winds from the border blow directly in. In this atmosphere, even the leaves in the forest seem to wither and dry up, easily catching fire like straw.
The story of preserving forests during wildfire season, therefore, is no longer a simple technical task, but a silent, arduous battle between humanity and nature, a changing landscape.
Awake with the forest
The road leading into the Ben Hai River Basin Protection Forest (PPF), which spans over 21,000 hectares of forest across Gio Linh and Vinh Linh districts, is covered in red dust this season. Natural forest accounts for over 12,000 hectares, with the remainder being planted forest, mainly acacia and eucalyptus – trees that are both highly flammable and spread rapidly in windy conditions. And the Lao wind never lags behind. Here, the Ben Hai River Basin PPF Management Board has established a high-intensity duty system.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, the Director of the Forest Management Board, who has been involved with the forest for over 20 years, said: “We have never been complacent about fire. But this year, the situation is particularly tense. The Lao wind is strong, and the weather is dry early. A small spark can turn into a large fire in 5-10 minutes. There is no time to hesitate.” Mr. Hung didn't speak in the dry tone of an administrative official. He spoke as if a family member were talking about their home, where every fallen leaf is worth worrying about, and every distant wisp of smoke makes his heart ache.
Authorities promptly detected and extinguished a forest fire in the Ben Hai River basin's protective forest.
People like Mr. Hung, including forest rangers, contract forest protection workers, and even villagers hired to monitor the forest, are constantly on alert alongside it. Patrolling the forest during the day is tough enough, but patrolling at night is the real test. On nights during the hot, dry season, a single spark from a cigarette, a cooking stove in the field, or a spark from a lawnmower can ignite a fire.
On a forest patrol route in sub-area 608 of Vinh Linh district, we met Mr. Le Van Hoa, a contract forest protection officer, and his group of four were trekking through the forest under the midday sun. They were wearing thick cloth clothing, cloth hats, and carrying water cans on their shoulders. Mr. Hoa recounted that in May, his group had participated in extinguishing two forest fires in planted forests caused by local people burning undergrowth, which were then blown by the wind.
"Forest fires are not like house fires. They can't be put out with a bucket of water or a hose. You need manpower, water pumps, digging firebreaks, and... luck too," he said with a smile, his eyes reflecting his experience.
There are fires that start from a small patch of undergrowth where a family is preparing the land for planting acacia trees. The fire, fanned by the wind, spreads through pine and acacia forests, engulfing hectares in just 30 minutes. People call for help, forest rangers arrive, the authorities mobilize militia, and everyone has to act quickly. But there are fires that last for hours, burning down entire areas of forest that have just finished their maintenance. All the hard work, capital, and livelihoods are reduced to ashes.
In Quang Tri, locals call the southwest wind blowing from the Lao border "Lao wind," a rough, dry wind that sweeps through mountain passes and then down onto the fields like the breath of fire. The Lao wind not only cracks skin and withers trees, but also dries out the forest floor, turning every leaf and dry branch into ideal kindling. "The scariest thing is that sometimes there are no fires for several days, making people complacent. But just one fire, and we can't react in time. This year's Lao wind is strong early. We are determined to keep the fires under control as if we were protecting a border region free from gunfire," shared Mr. Doan Van Phi, Head of the Forest Protection Department of Vinh Linh district.
Mr. Phi also added that sometimes they have to set up temporary checkpoints right on the edge of the forest, camping in hammocks to be ready for a quick response. One day, before dawn, the patrol team spotted a strange plume of smoke; the early detection allowed them to save the forest in time. "We sleep little, travel a lot, and eat simply. But as long as there is forest, there is life. That's enough reason to stay," he said.
Laws are not just on paper.
In addition to the efforts of forest rangers and the community, legal sanctions on forest fire prevention and control are also being tightened to raise awareness and deter violations. According to the 2017 Forestry Law and Decree 45/2022/ND-CP, any act causing a forest fire, whether unintentional or intentional, will be severely punished.
Specifically, the act of burning fields or clearing vegetation with fire without safety measures or without permission, if it causes a forest fire, can be fined from 10 to 50 million VND, and in serious cases, violators may also be prosecuted under Article 313 of the Penal Code, with a prison sentence of up to 12 years if significant damage is caused.
“We have dealt with many cases where people seemingly burned grass unintentionally, but due to negligence in not controlling the wind and the direction of the fire, it caused fires that burned dozens of hectares of planted forest. The damage amounted to hundreds of millions of dong, but an apology isn't enough,” Mr. Phi shared. Furthermore, forest owners, both state-owned and private, who do not have or do not implement forest fire prevention and control plans, and allow fires to occur, will face administrative penalties, even project suspension. These are no longer just theoretical, but have been applied in some localities in the province.
Forests are not just vast stretches of green on a map. In Quang Tri, forests also serve as windbreaks for the hilly areas, provide water for streams and springs, and shelter endemic plant and animal species facing climate change. Even a small forest fire can disrupt the ecological balance, cause soil erosion, reduce crop yields, and push people into a vicious cycle of poverty when the forests are no longer sustainable for exploitation.
Strict laws are necessary, but they will not be enough if people do not feel a moral responsibility and a connection to the forest. Because within that forest, there are not only trees, but also future livelihoods, water sources for their children and grandchildren, and ecological balance that no law can restore if lost.
"Protecting the forest is not just the responsibility of forest rangers. It's the responsibility of every person living in forested areas. If each citizen simply stopped before lighting a fire, hundreds of hectares of forest would be protected," emphasized Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, Director of the Ben Hai River Basin Forest Protection Management Board.
In the scorching late afternoon sun, the Lao wind still blew through the forest, carrying the distant scent of burning leaves. But the forest stood there, green and silent, just like the people who were preserving it with all their dedication and faith. They protected the forest not out of fear of fire, but because they knew that if the forest was lost, no one would be able to protect them.
Source: https://cand.com.vn/doi-song/giu-rung-giua-tam-gio-lao-i771692/
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