Clearing undergrowth vegetation, surveying high-risk wildfire zones, inspecting specialized equipment, reinforcing on-site response units, and reminding residents to exercise extreme caution when handling open flames... These proactive measures arranged early establish the initial defense barrier ensuring that the forests of Điện Biên enter the dry season safely.

Following months of rain, vegetative undergrowth beneath forest canopies has flourished vigorously. As dry sunny spells prolong, layers of grass, fallen foliage, and dry branches progressively desiccate, turning into highly combustible fuel. Given Điện Biên’s expansive and dissected mountainous topography where extensive forest tracts are situated far from residential hubs, once a wildfire spreads, mobilizing task forces and motorized equipment to access the scene encounters tremendous hurdles. Consequently, forest fire prevention and firefighting work must be deployed proactively from an early stage, putting all necessary conditions in place before entering the peak dry spell.

In Bua village, Mường Phăng commune, clearing vegetative cover and creating firebreak corridors have evolved into standard practices for local villagers and communities residing near forests ahead of the dry season. Bua village is assigned the stewardship of nearly 80ha of forest, including more than 40ha of special-use forest. Sectors with dense, highly flammable brush are prioritized for clearing by the community; the village forest protection team maintains routine patrols to detect latent hazards promptly that could endanger the forest area placed under its management.

Lường Văn Toàn, a member of the Bua village Forest Protection Team, shared that constructing firebreak belts aims to compartmentalize areas with thick undergrowth, containing wildfire spread if an incident occurs while creating favorable access for emergency forces to reach the scene. The village forest protection team conducts regular patrols across designated sectors, particularly during prolonged spells of severe heat.

The practices observed in Bua village show that forest protection begins foremost with the communities living adjacent to the woodlands. Local residents understand tracks, ravines, streams, water sources, and sectors that routinely accumulate thick brush. When forest protection accountability is concretized down to each village and patrol team, identifying an abnormal plume of smoke or intercepting reckless flame handling can be executed much earlier.

Mường Phăng currently encompasses over 7,584ha of forested land. Following administrative restructuring, the commune comprises 50 villages, 48 of which encompass forest areas. The wide geographical expanse and fragmented forest distribution demand that forest rangers regularly stay close to the grassroots, coordinating with local authorities, forest owners, and community residents to control fire risks. Signage networks, fire danger warning boards, firebreak corridors, and observation watchposts need to be reviewed thoroughly before the weather shifts entirely into arid conditions.

Bạc Quốc Thành, the forest ranger in charge of Mường Phăng commune, stated: “Ahead of the dry season, our core focus involves surveying high-risk fire zones, coordinating with villages to inspect firebreak lines, reviewing on-site personnel and equipment, and stepping up public awareness campaigns to remind residents to control flame sources when burning field brush and engaging in agricultural production near forests. Across an extensive territory, staying close to the grassroots and detecting hazards early to intervene right from the outset is vital to prevent fire from encroaching into deep forests.”

Over the first 8 months of 2026, the entire province recorded 15 forest fires, damaging 16.52ha. The fires occurred predominantly during the dry months early in the year, whereas from mid-July through August, the province recorded zero forest fires. Functional forces determined that burning vegetative slash to prepare swidden plots served as a primary cause driving up fire incidents.

In reality, forest fire risks frequently stem from livelihood-related activities of local inhabitants. Clearing and burning brush to prepare cultivation plots without choosing suitable times, constructing firebreak corridors, or assigning watchful attendants can allow flames to leap beyond designated boundaries and engulf forests. When strong gusts sweep through dry grass and dead foliage, fire spread accelerates rapidly, while steep slopes hinder access and containment efforts. Therefore, alongside communication campaigns, managing fire sources right at their point of origin remains an imperative requirement. When residents require burning brush, issuing notifications, stationing watch personnel, selecting suitable weather intervals, and preparing extinguishing equipment must be strictly enforced. On days when forest fire warning levels peak, activities harboring fire hazards must be monitored even more stringently.

To date, the province holds over 436 thousand hectares of forest, achieving a coverage rate of 45.7%. Along with patrols and forest supervision, the provincial Forest Protection Sub-department requires subordinate units to maintain round-the-clock fire prevention duty, promptly inspecting, verifying, and extinguishing ignition points immediately as they arise; thousands of attendances have been mobilized to combat fires across impacted areas. This reality demonstrates that once a fire breaks out, the required resources are immense; hence, effective prevention remains the ultimate viable solution.

Lò Thị Thi, Deputy Head of the provincial Forest Protection Sub-department under the Department of Agriculture and Environment, affirmed that the forest protection sector defines forest fire prevention and firefighting as a central mission and has directed units to maintain close grassroots monitoring, partnering with local authorities and forest owners to deploy preventive solutions. The guiding principle is proactive, early, and remote prevention to avert major blazes and minimize damage to forest resources to the lowest possible level.

Ahead of the approaching dry season, the requirement for proactive forest fire prevention must be concretized across every locality. Key priority zones must be accurately identified. Personnel and equipment must be allocated appropriately; firebreak strips must be cleared before brush dries out; and open flame usage within and near forests must be governed directly from the community level. While early warning technology aids in the rapid detection of suspicious hotspots, villagers living near forests and field forces maintaining regular grassroots contact remain the indispensable links verifying information and enabling timely intervention.

Proactively preventing and fighting forest fires ahead of the dry season represents the collective responsibility of the political system, forest owners, and every residential community. When action plans are prepared early, forces maintain close ground oversight, ignition sources are strictly managed, and civic consciousness regarding forest protection is elevated, every forest will gain an enduring layer of defense. This serves as the foundation to safeguard forest assets, protect the ecological environment, and sustainably maintain the green lungs of Điện Biên.