Facing that fact, since the beginning of the current dry season, the forest protection units of localities in Yen Bai have coordinated with local administrations and organisations to regularly send staff to provide forest fire prevention and suppression guidelines for people. They have also made use of meetings with locals to disseminate regulations and policies on forest, as well as fire prevention and control methods.

Notably, anti-wildfire activities have been carried out even more drastically in the mountainous districts of Tram Tau and Mu Cang Chai.

Duong Anh Tuan, head of the Mu Cang Chai forest protection unit, said the dry season is currently at its peak. Communes in the district have maintained fire lookout towers at high-risk places, while hamlets and villages have sent personnel to guard around the clock at those towers.

Besides, the district People’s Committee has ordered communal authorities to have good planning of hill farming and instruct farmers how to practice agricultural burning in line with regulations.

Before burning, local residents have to ask for permission from the communal People’s Committees and ensure fire safety under local authorities’ monitoring. Notably, they are not allowed to practice agricultural burning on days when forest fire warnings reach the third level or higher.

Tram Tau district is currently home to 45,781ha of land under forest with a forest coverage reaching 61.7 percent. In the 2018-2019 dry season, it recorded six forest fires, damaging 52.69ha.

Vu Trong Huan, head of the Tram Tau - Nghia Lo forest protection unit, said his unit has kept a close watch on weather conditions and forest fire warnings to provide relevant information for residents across the districts via media outlets.

He added the core issue in forest fire prevention and fighting in mountainous districts is to strictly manage hill farming.

Therefore, in localities with widespread practice of hill farming, authorities need to increase communication activities, plan agricultural production well, fine-tune regulations on forest fire prevention and control in hill farming, boost the application of cultivation measures without using fire, and conduct regular examination and supervision. These will help reduce forest fire risks considerably, according to him.