Authorities, forest owners and community patrol teams have increased inspections, reinforced 24/7 monitoring and targeted high-risk areas, according to provincial forest protection units.
The Bắc Biển Hồ Protection Forest Management Board, which oversees more than 8,887 hectares of mainly three-needle pine forest across nine communes and wards, has intensified fire prevention and control (FPC) efforts due to difficult terrain and historically high fire risk.
Director Nguyễn Tất Thành said the board began implementing FPC projects and readiness plans as early as November 2025. Measures include reinforcing grassroots FPC commands, mobilising protection forces and contracted households to clear undergrowth, building 80 km of firebreaks, and conducting controlled burns over 71 km beneath the forest canopy.
Five guard posts have also been established at forest gateways in Ia Khươl, Chư Păh, Biển Hồ, Gào communes and Hội Phú ward, staffed around the clock.
Thành said the unit continues public education campaigns in 10 forest-adjacent villages, maintains coordination agreements with nine communes and wards, and applies early warning software such as Hotspot GLA and Gia Lai FFW after a fire-free 2024–2025 dry season.
The Nam Phú Nhơn Protection Forest Management Board has also launched early FPC actions for the 2025-2026 dry season. The board identified key fire-prone areas spanning 2,359 hectares of planted and natural forests in Ia Ko and Ia Le communes.
Deputy Director Nguyễn Đức Trọng said the unit has long adhered to the “four on-the-spot” principle, leadership, manpower, materials and logistics available locally, which has contributed to effective fire prevention. Current priorities include clearing and burning undergrowth, building firebreaks, maintaining 24/7 surveillance, and tailoring FPC plans to real-time weather conditions.
Gia Lai currently has more than 987,828 hectares of forest land, 692,722 hectares natural and 295,105 hectares planted, following recent administrative mergers. While eastern districts continue to experience rain, the west has entered the peak dry period with heightened wildfire risk.
Forest owners across the province have strengthened grassroots FPC commands, cleared undergrowth, constructed firebreaks, and reviewed firefighting equipment. Authorities report 286 high-risk fire zones in the western region, covering more than 124,025 hectares.
According to Đinh Ích Hiệp, Head of the Ia Grai Regional Forest Protection Unit, prevention-first strategies are being enforced in coordination with local governments and forest owners. High-risk areas have been mapped, and FPC plans prepared for zones not yet allocated or leased.
Acting Director Trương Thanh Hà of the Gia Lai Provincial Forest Protection Department warned that the period before, during and after Lunar New Year carries elevated risks of fires and forest resource encroachment. The department has advised provincial authorities to issue directives on intensified forest management and FPC during the holiday period.
Hà said regional forest protection units and mobile FPC teams are increasing patrols in critical zones, coordinating with local administrations, maintaining 24/7 monitoring, and promoting early warning software to ensure rapid detection and response.