It is urgent that wildfire control measures be taken to protect forest recourses as well as minimize losses and damages caused by fire...
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| Farmers may increase fire outbreak risk when using fire as a tool for conversion of forests into agricultural land. |
A part from 1,396ha of forest under the project 132 and 147, forests covering 22,179ha, including 1,848ha of pine trees are at high risk of fire. In hot and dry seasons, grass fires are a major concern as they can get quickly out of control and cause the natural disaster.
To Quoc Hung, Chief of the Khanh Son Forest Management Department, Vice Chief of the Local Standing Steering Board of Forest Fire Prevention said, “Forests in Khanh Son are located in mountainous and hilly terrains making it difficult to control fire when it happens. Therefore, at the beginning of the dry season, we make plans to protect forests, strengthen the Executive Board of Forest Fire Prevention and closely cooperate with local authorities and forest owners to locate high-risk forests and ensure that wildfire control methods are used.”
The 2011 Wildfire Prevention Scheme has been seriously taken. The executive board has checked the fire prevention task of the protective forest management board and 8 towns and communes in Khanh Son District. Propaganda campaigns have been launched to raise public awareness of forest protection and fire prevention. Locals have been warned of the risk of fire outbreak. Officials are permanently on standby to discover timely cases of unattended grass burning and Illegal forest destruction.
Fire control measures have been implemented in high-risk forests and mountain fields. The construction of wildfire control system, including fire-breaks, signals, etc has been sped up and completed.
However, there are still obstacles for wildfire control due to a lack of firefighting equipment. Besides, fire is traditionally used by small-scale farmers as a tool for conversion of forests into agricultural land. The fires may go out of control and the fire risk can reach the warning level 4 or 5 in time of drought.
All locals in Khanh Son have been mobilized to join forest fire control effort. The suitable methods in wildfire prevention have helped to develop the locals, forest owners and officials’ sense of responsibility for the conservation and protection of forests and awareness of forest fire risks.
N.T
