Rampant burning of vegetation after acacia plantation

Walking along the Ho Chi Minh trail through Hamlet 3, Nghia Dung Commune, Tan Ky District, we saw people burning the ground cover on the hills, the smoke rising high and white across the area and the local traffic routes. In some places, the fire was so high that it spread to the 2-3 year old acacia areas.

The owner of an acacia garden in Nghia Dung commune is burning the undergrowth and said: After harvesting the acacia, as a habit, we carry out undergrowth burning to clean up the forest garden, making it easier for machines to dig new planting holes. Burning the undergrowth will be faster, saving costs for hiring workers to clean up.

Some people in Nghia Dung commune reported: This area burns vegetation to plant acacia trees, the forest fires burn day and night, the smoke drifts into the village, making it suffocating and very uncomfortable. The authorities need to have a solution to prevent this situation, because burning vegetation freely like this causes air pollution, affecting people's health.

According to data from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tan Ky district, the district currently has over 28,000 hectares of raw acacia forests; in 2023, the district coordinated with relevant sectors to grant forest certification (FSC) to over 2,700 hectares in Nghia Dung, Nghia Hanh, and Phu Son communes. It is expected that in 2024, Tan Ky district will continue to be granted certification for over 800 hectares.

In the long term, the district wants to increase the area of ​​FSC-certified raw material forests to ensure stable output and increase the economic value of acacia trees. However, the district still has limitations in that in many communes, people often burn the ground to clear land for planting acacia trees.

Meanwhile, the criteria for granting FSC certification prohibits burning vegetation after harvest. The district is directing localities to focus on mobilizing and propagating people not to burn vegetation to plant large timber forests, ensuring the criteria for being granted FSC certification.

In Yen Thanh district, this season, walking along Tien Thanh and Hung Thanh communes, looking up at the hills, you can easily see that they have been burned black. In the section passing through Tien Thanh commune, people are burning the ground cover, black smoke spreads out onto the road, making it difficult for people to travel.

Mr. Le Van Hong - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Yen Thanh district added: During the year, the area of ​​forest granted FSC certification increased by 1,254.7 hectares (from 1,979.6 hectares to 3,234.4 hectares, in 6 communes: Thinh, Dong, Hung, Hau, Tay, Dai Thanh). Currently, there are 5,334.27 hectares in 6 communes: Quang Thanh, Minh Thanh, Tien Thanh, Tan Thanh, Lang Thanh, Kim Thanh and Dong Bac Company that have been implemented, waiting for appraisal to grant FSC certification.

Every year, Yen Thanh district plants about 2,000 hectares of raw material forests. According to habit, most people burn the vegetation to plant forests. This problem not only pollutes the living environment but also affects the granting of certificates (FSC). The district is actively propagating and mobilizing people to reduce the burning of vegetation and implement methods of collecting vegetation and bringing it to a safe place.

To get FSC forest certification , we need to stop burning vegetation.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Hai - Head of Forest Use and Development Department (Forestry Sub-Department) added: Every year, Nghe An province plants 16,000-18,000 hectares of raw material forests, mainly acacia trees. Before planting forests, most people use the method of burning the ground cover. Burning the ground cover for forest planting has many harmful effects, not only posing a risk of forest fires, destroying soil structure, destroying underground ecosystems, but also significantly reducing the productivity of planted forests, directly affecting the health of people in the surrounding area.

A representative of the Forest Protection Department said: Recently, the Provincial People's Committee has worked with localities, businesses and sectors to speed up the progress of granting sustainable forest certification (FSC). Up to now, the whole province has had 26,184 hectares of forest granted FSC certification out of a total of 170,000 hectares of raw material forest.

The province has directed localities to implement forest certification, review the area of ​​planted forests in the area that meets the conditions to introduce to businesses to implement forest certification. However, there are currently many localities that allow people to burn and treat forest vegetation, so certification will be very difficult. Because the area of ​​forest granted FSC not only meets strict criteria such as strictly following the production process from planting, caring to harvesting; in addition, vegetation cannot be burned after harvest.

The method of treating the ground cover without burning, specifically collecting the ground cover by hand and moving it to a safe place, will not cause pollution. However, the difficulty of this method is that it takes a lot of effort, time, and increases labor costs many times more than burning the ground cover. Recently, the Forest Protection Department has directed the District Forest Protection Departments to strengthen propaganda and mobilize people not to burn ground cover, but it is still very difficult.

With the planting of large timber forests towards FSC certification, new raw wood has the opportunity to reach the world market and increase the value of planted forests. Nghe An people need to change the habit of burning the ground cover after logging. Specifically, it is necessary to use the method of clearing on the spot, which can be collected for composting, retaining the vegetation so that in the long term, the acacia trees will grow better.