Finding a solution to handle more than 28,000 hectares of broken and fallen forests after storm No. 5

(Baohatinh.vn) - The recent storm No. 5 has devastated forests in Ha Tinh, including 28,300 hectares of planted forests (acacia, cajuput, pine) that were broken and damaged at different levels, causing people to feel insecure.

The forests of My Phu village (Cam Due commune) were planted with a density of nearly 3,000 trees/ha, but have now become sparse after the strong storm.

Storm No. 5 caused hundreds of hectares of acacia and cajuput trees aged 3-7 years old belonging to the people of My Phu village, Cam Due commune (planted on the land assigned by the Management Board of Ke Go Nature Reserve) to be devastated by the storm, causing damage, uprooting, and broken trunks. The formerly lush green forests have now become barren, with trees lying scattered. According to initial estimates, in this village there are about 80 households with damaged raw material forests, the smallest households have 1-2 hectares, and the largest household is Mr. Duong Van Ky (over 30 hectares).

Mr. Duong Van Tinh in My Phu village (Cam Due commune) said: “My family has 6 hectares of acacia trees, nearly 7 years old (estimated yield of 300 tons), planted on the severely damaged contracted land. I am currently quite worried because this type of tree is damaged very quickly, if not harvested promptly, it will rot. Therefore, I am submitting an application to the Management Board of Ke Go Nature Reserve for exploitation. We really hope that the forest owner and the authorities will consider harvesting to reduce damage and soon resume production.”

The 3-year-old acacia trees planted by the people of My Phu village were uprooted and broken by the storm.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Dung - Director of Ke Go Nature Reserve said: "According to incomplete inventory data, storm No. 5 damaged 2,272 hectares of acacia trees planted from 6 to 12 years old (damage level from 70 to 90%), 1,330 hectares of trees aged 3 to 5 years old (damage level from 60 to 80%) and 1,007 hectares of trees under 3 years old (damage level from 30 to 60%).

The severe damage to the forest has made people worried, so in recent days, many people have come to submit applications for early exploitation. We have reported the situation to the Department of Agriculture and Environment for direction, guidance and a solution."

Ancient acacia trees, so big that a person could not hug them, in the Ke Go Nature Reserve were knocked down by a storm.

Like Ke Go Nature Reserve, storm No. 5 has damaged many production forests of state forest owners, forestry companies, collectives and households. The most serious damage was in forests over 4 years old, located along coastal areas, outside the forest edge. Currently, local authorities, functional forces and forest growers are focusing on inventorying, finding solutions to overcome and recover.

The damage in mountainous areas of Vu Quang, Huong Son, and the old Huong Khe districts was less severe. Mr. Nguyen Manh Tai, Deputy Head of Huong Khe Forest Protection Department, informed: “According to preliminary statistics, up to now, the area under our management has about 67 hectares of raw material forests planted by local people with their own capital that have been damaged, with the damage mainly ranging from 30-50%.”

The old Huong Khe district had 15 sub-areas damaged by the storm, causing 67 hectares of planted forests at a level of 30 - 50%.

According to incomplete statistics from localities and forest owners, up to now, storm No. 5 has affected more than 28,300 hectares of raw material forests; of which, about 13,900 hectares belong to forest owners who are organizations, and about 14,400 hectares belong to households. This area is affected at different levels; of the area damaged from 50 - 90%, it is difficult to restore, so it needs to be recovered soon, the area with less damage needs to be restored.

Damage to production forests is making forest growers feel insecure and under a lot of pressure because they are afraid that if they can't harvest in time, they will rot, the trunks will dry out and lose weight, purchasing facilities won't be able to keep up, there will be a lack of manpower to harvest, traders will force down prices, fires, etc. Currently, forest owners and forest growers are counting the damage, developing plans and completing all kinds of paperwork to prepare for harvesting to reduce damage.

People of Ky Lac commune check the damaged forest after the big storm.

Mr. Le Huu Tuan - Head of Forest Use and Development Department ( Ha Tinh Forest Protection Department) said: "Currently, the department is focusing on coordinating, urging, and directing localities and forest owners to continue to inspect the situation and count the damage.

In particular, we have advised the Department of Agriculture and Environment to issue a document guiding the implementation of measures to overcome damage and restore forestry production after storm No. 5 so that people, businesses, and protection boards can proactively exploit, collect, and effectively reproduce forests.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/tim-phuong-an-xu-ly-hon-28000-ha-rung-trong-gay-do-sau-bao-so-5-post294628.html