Risk of forest fires due to slow vegetation clearing.

Thousands of hectares of withered reeds in mountainous districts, along with dense undergrowth beneath pine forests, are increasing the risk of forest fires in Nghe An during the peak of the hot season.

Thousands of hectares of bamboo have withered and died in the high mountains.

Large areas of bamboo in the high mountainous communes of Nghe An province have died. Photo: Van Truong

Upon arriving at Ta Soi village, Chau Hanh commune, reporters observed that many patches of bamboo forest had turned yellow, dry, and barren, interspersed with other tree species.

Mr. Vi Van Nam, a resident living near the edge of the forest in Ta Soi village, expressed his concern: “The trees started dying in early April. During the hottest days, the trunks become brittle and easily catch fire. Every day, the villagers remind each other and closely monitor those entering and leaving the forest to prevent people from using fire to catch bees or burning leaves indiscriminately.”

Discussing this issue, Mr. Thai Van Quang, a specialist from the Economic Department of Quy Chau commune, said that the locality currently has over 16,000 hectares of natural forest and over 12,000 hectares of planted acacia forest. The bamboo is interspersed with many other forest tree species, but the phenomenon of drying out is occurring on an area of ​​over 200 hectares, putting significant pressure on forest fire prevention and control efforts.

"The local authorities have intensified propaganda efforts reaching every household, assigned personnel to man checkpoints 24/7 in key sub-areas. At the same time, they have flexibly allowed people to enter and trim dry bamboo to reduce flammable materials in the forest," Mr. Quang said.

Bamboo in Ta Soi village, Quy Chau commune, is dying, posing a high risk of forest fires. Photo: Van Truong

The situation is equally tense in the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve, not just in Quy Chau commune, where more than 1,200 hectares of bamboo have died due to drought, mainly concentrated in the border commune of Thong Thu.

Mr. Nguyen Van Sinh, Director of the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve Management Board, stated: "The phenomenon of mass bamboo die-offs is actually a natural growth process of bamboo species. After a long growth cycle lasting many years, the mother plant will flower, bear seeds, and then die to regenerate a new generation. However, when this phenomenon occurs simultaneously over a wide area, combined with extreme weather and strong southwest winds, the risk of forest fires increases significantly," Mr. Sinh noted.

In response to the prolonged heatwave, the Pù Hoạt Nature Reserve Management Board has developed a hazard map, identifying areas at high risk of fire to deploy emergency response forces in villages and forest entrances.

The unit also coordinated with the Thong Thu commune government to organize the signing of forest protection commitments with households living in the buffer zone, requiring people to absolutely not burn fields or bring sources of fire into the forest during periods of intense heat.

Wild sedges interspersed with primary forest pose a high risk of forest fires. Photo: Van Truong

In addition, the Pu Hoat Conservation Area Management Board, in coordination with the Thong Thu Border Guard Station, is strengthening the dissemination of knowledge on forest fire prevention and control to people in the border area to minimize the risk of forest fires during the dry season.

Dense undergrowth beneath the pine forest canopy.

Besides the dying pine forests, many pine forests in Nghe An province are also facing a high risk of fire due to the undergrowth not being thoroughly cleared. In Quynh Mai ward, observations show that a thick layer of dry pine needles and decaying branches covers the forest canopy, reaching almost head height in some places. Many pine trees that were broken and felled by previous storms have not been cleared and lie mixed in with the dry undergrowth. Mr. Le Van Hong, a resident living near the pine forest in Quynh Mai ward, expressed his concern, stating that the risk of forest fires is very high during the hot season and that relevant authorities need to find a solution to completely clear this undergrowth.

Authorities in Yen Na commune inspect the forest during the hot season. Photo: Van Truong.

According to Mr. Ho Van Nghia, a specialist in the Economic Department of Quynh Mai ward, the locality currently has about 200 hectares of pine forest, most of which has been leased to local people for management.

"Although the local authorities have intensified propaganda and mobilization efforts to clear the undergrowth, a large portion of the area remains uncleared because the demand for collecting undergrowth for fuel is no longer as high as before," Mr. Nghia said.

According to Mr. Le Ngoc Huu, Head of the Quynh Luu Forest Protection Unit in Hoang Mai town, the entire area currently has more than 5,000 hectares of pine forest concentrated in Tan Mai and Quynh Mai wards.

However, only the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board has managed to clear firebreaks and remove vegetation from about 500 hectares. The remaining area has mostly been handed over to households for management, but the people face significant financial difficulties and cannot clear the undergrowth themselves," Mr. Huu said.

The situation of pine forests being overgrown with dry undergrowth is not only occurring in Hoang Mai district but is also common in An Chau, Hung Chau, and Binh Minh communes...

Pine forest with dense undergrowth in Quynh Mai ward. Photo: Van Truong

According to Mr. Nguyen Quoc Minh, Head of the Forest Protection and Nature Conservation Management Department of the Nghe An Forest Protection Sub-Department, the province currently has more than 15,867 hectares of pine forest, of which 8,895 hectares are mixed eucalyptus and pine forests.

Since the beginning of 2026, localities have implemented many measures to prevent and fight forest fires, especially in clearing undergrowth and reducing flammable materials. However, the area of ​​undergrowth cleared has only reached over 2,800 hectares, still failing to meet the actual requirements in the context of the increasing risk of forest fires.

In response to extreme weather conditions, the Nghe An Forest Protection Department has requested localities to implement more comprehensive and decisive forest fire prevention and control measures; at the same time, it has requested households contracted to protect forests to proactively inspect and clear undergrowth from the beginning of the hot season to minimize the risk of fire outbreaks.

The fallen pine trees, not yet cleared, now lie dry and barren in Quynh Mai ward. Photo: Van Truong

In addition, authorities also emphasized the role of social mobilization in forest fire prevention and control. Mobilizing resources from the people, businesses, and communities is considered a necessary solution to improve the effectiveness of forest protection during this year's peak dry season.

Advertising

Source: https://baonghean.vn/nguy-co-chay-rung-vi-cham-xu-ly-thuc-bi-10338613.html