Support for the reconstruction of forestry production damaged by natural disasters

Storm No. 3 ( Yagi ) caused great damage to the province's forestry sector. To support people and forestry companies to quickly overcome the damage and rebuild production and business, the province, directly the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, is implementing many short-term and long-term solutions. Reporters from the Provincial Media Center interviewed Mr. Nguyen Duy Van, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, about this content.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Van, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

- Could you please tell us about the damage caused by storm No. 3 to the province's forestry sector?

+ Before storm No. 3 made landfall in the province, the whole province had 434,397.1 hectares of forest land, with a forest cover rate of 55%. After the storm passed, the whole province had over 117,000 hectares of forest damaged from 30-100%, mostly planted pine, acacia, eucalyptus forests; in addition, thousands of hectares of natural forest were affected, most of which had broken trunks and branches, 100% of leaves were stripped off, with no possibility of recovery.

Worryingly, the damaged forest left behind about 6 million tons of highly flammable materials (trunks, branches, roots, leaves that are drying out), combined with the hot and dry weather that is very flammable when exposed to fire or external impacts (humans, living activities, etc.), posing a great risk of large-scale fires; it can even cause environmental disasters, the environmental consequences are huge, having a negative impact on socio- economic activities and people's lives in the area.

Since the storm, the whole province has had 9 forest fires (3 in Van Don, 3 in Cam Pha, 1 in Ha Long, 1 in Ba Che, 1 in Mong Cai), with a forest area of about 57,734 hectares. Localities have mobilized more than 1,300 people including forest rangers, police, army, and local forces to directly participate in fighting forest fires.

It can be affirmed that this is the first time in history that the province's forestry sector has been affected and suffered such great damage due to natural disasters and floods, with over 30% of the existing forest area, of which nearly 50% of the existing planted forests were broken and felled.

Forest owners in Ba Che district are taking advantage of the forest to harvest all the forest, making efforts to consolidate resources to rebuild the forest after the storm.

- What solutions has the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development implemented to support forest growers to overcome damage?

+ First of all, the industry actively coordinates with relevant departments, branches and localities to promote propaganda in many forms to raise awareness and responsibility of forest owners, organizations, communities, households and individuals on forest fire prevention and control, voluntarily clean up and clear forests, proactively build firebreaks, handle vegetation to ensure regulations, avoid widespread and passive fires... At the same time, perfect the zoning of forest fire risk zones and synchronous forest fire prevention and control plans from commune to provincial levels.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development hopes that departments, branches and localities, with the highest spirit, will urgently direct the implementation of plans to clear and clean up damaged forest sites in accordance with the direction of the Provincial People's Committee in Document No. 2832/UBND-KTTC dated October 1, 2024 on launching a peak period to support clearing and cleaning forests, harvesting and utilizing the damaged areas after storm No. 3; focusing resources of mobilized forces to prioritize the construction of firebreaks in sub-zones to prevent the risk of fire spreading over large areas that are difficult to control. In particular, the role of village and area heads is extremely important, who will directly lead and direct people to handle the consequences and rebuild forestry production activities after storm No. 3.

The Department directed the forest rangers to increase their forces in key areas at risk of forest fires to effectively implement forest fire prevention plans after storm No. 3. Pay special attention to increasing patrols and inspections; instructing the implementation of plans; supporting forest fire fighting when forest fires occur. At the same time, organize forces, tools and equipment to be on duty 24/7, ready to proactively respond and handle forest fire situations if they occur.

The Department requires forestry companies, special-use forest and protective forest management boards to mobilize maximum human and material resources to strictly manage broken and fallen forests; while there is no specific State mechanism for handling assets after natural disasters, forest owners urgently develop exploitation plans and submit them for approval in October 2024 to clear and prepare for forest planting...

Ba Che district authorities made white firebreaks in forest areas damaged by storm No. 3.

In the immediate future, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will advise the province and guide localities and forest owners to quickly select suitable tree species with high economic value and short cycle, combined with reforestation with native species and large trees. The Department will strengthen contact and cooperation with tree breeding facilities to ensure the quantity and quality of seedlings; advise the Provincial People's Committee to work with businesses on purchasing wood to ensure prices and purchase quantities so that forest growers can reduce losses and difficulties.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinates with departments, branches, and units to advise the Provincial People's Committee to work with banks and credit institutions to have mechanisms and policies to support organizations operating in the forestry sector; advise the Provincial People's Committee to attract resources from appropriate funds and projects to create resources for forest reconstruction; quickly develop and complete the Project on restructuring the provincial Agriculture and Rural Development sector, in which priority is given to the forestry sector as soon as possible.

The Department advises the Provincial People's Committee to report to the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to promptly issue detailed instructions on the implementation of overcoming forestry damage caused by natural disasters (plans for recovery, forest liquidation records, plans for replanting forests damaged by natural disasters for forests owned by the entire people). While waiting for policies from higher levels, localities and units need to proactively and actively direct and develop plans to implement plans for replanting damaged forests, working with the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, ensuring forest cover before storm No. 3 occurs by 2027 at the latest.

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