Hot weather withers protective forests along central coast

In the second half of August a large swathe of trees​​ in the 220-ha coastal acacia melaleuca protective forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province started to lose their leaves and gradually wither out due to prolonged hot weather.

A few dozen years ago locals in Hai Duong Commune, Hue City, planted the first casuarina trees on barren lands along the coast and sand dunes to prevent sand from blowing in and protect their homes from strong winds from the sea.

In recent years the Thua Thien Hue Province Forest Protection Department has planted more acacia melaleuca trees on sand dunes, creating a protective forest along the coast.

But they have been perishing as Thua Thien-Hue experienced extreme heat since May.

Casuarina trees planted 40 years ago along with dried acacia trees.

Vo Chi Cong Street runs through a protective forest in Quang Nam Province next to Thua Thien-Hue. A large portion of the forest has died.

The forest spreads 2,875 ha in three districts and a town in Quang Nam and is seasonally flooded.

It has mostly acacia and casuarina trees. They were planted since the 1990s under a government afforestation project in the coastal sandy area in southern central Vietnam funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

In late June, wildfires triggered by the weather destroyed part of the forest in Thang Binh District.

Some four hectares of forests in Binh Nam Commune burned down. Almost two months after the wildfire new green shoots have appeared.

In Binh Duong Commune, the forest was completely destroyed.

A melaleuca tree more than 20 years old in Binh Duong Commune burned down in the wildfire.

Many trees that died in the wildfire in Thang Binh District were cut down by locals for firewood.

According to the Quang Nam Forest Protection Department, there have been 17 fires in coastal protective forests this year that damaged 46 ha.

Summer in the northern and central regions began with a three-day heat wave from March 22 to 24 and new highs being recorded in 18 places. The average temperatures were 0.5-1 degree Celsius higher than normal.

In May there were five heat waves that affected large swathes of the two regions. On 16 days temperatures topped 35 degrees, averaging 38-40 degrees.

The central Nghe An Province recorded Vietnam’s highest temperature ever, 44.2 degrees, during this period.

The National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting said Monday that central provinces from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen will remain hot for the next two-three days with temperature of 35-37 degrees, and over 37 degrees in some places.