A tree hill in downtown Ha Long City turned nearly barren following the onslaught of Typhoon Yagi. About 117,000 ha of forests, accounting for over 30% of existing forest areas, were damaged. About 50% of them were planted forests.
Along national highways 234, 279 and 18, spanning from Ha Long City to districts like Van Don, Tien Yen, Ba Che and Binh Lieu, dead trees fell to the ground.
A pine tree spanning 20 cm in diameter at the Tuan Chau tourism site was knocked down by gales.
Quang Ninh estimated over VND6.4 trillion in damage to its forestry, affecting 22,000 families, including those who were handed the task to manage and grow forests.
An employee of the Hoang Bo Forestry company harvested a felled acacia tree on Oct. 8. The company said over 4,000 ha of planted forests were 85% destroyed, resulting in an economic loss of VND300 billion.
In accordance with state regulations, planted forests by families and individuals which are at least 70% destroyed will receive compensations at VND4 million per ha. Forests destroyed by 30-70% will receive compensation at VND2 million per ha.
The forest protection department has also proposed to the provincial People's Committee to aid forest growers in dealing with losses post-Yagi from the budget of the provincial Fatherland's Front.
An officer in Co To District used a saw to cut fallen trees in a forest of the Hai Dang area for cleanup.
Destroyed trees cannot recover and slowly turn into dry wood, which harbor fire risks, especially in dry conditions. From Sept. 28, Quang Ninh has seen eight forest fires, with 57 ha of forests caught in flames.
At midnight on Oct. 4, tree hills in Ha Long's Hong Ha Ward caught fire, and the flames were extinguished at around 2 a.m.
Four days after the fire, Le Van Thien, a guard of Hong Ha Ward, and other people came to check whether there were embers left.
Thien poured water onto a burning tree trunk on a hill behind the Hong Ha Ward People's Committee on Tuesday.
Cao Tuong Huy, chairman of Quang Ninh, has requested local authorities to deploy forces to clean up felled trees to replant forests. The task is to be completed before Oct. 31.
Plants turned to ashes following the forest fire on Oct. 4. Dead trees as a result of Typhoon Yagi and fires have contaminated the environment of nearby neighborhoods.
