Pomu is a very rare species of tree and many were burned to the ground in Hoang Lien National Park during the recent forest fires.
However, a leader of Lao Cai province believed that the fire affected only buffer forest such as ivory bamboo and reeds.
We walked into the forest and on the way we found a lot of trees that had been knocked down by illegal loggers. It seemed to us that they were unable to remove those trees before the fires. Next to them, there were some tree trunks burnt to black as well as many young, natural, regenerating trees burned to the ground.
On the other side of mountain, there was a huge amount of smoke coming up from Seo My Ty hamlet which may threaten Hoang Lien National Park again. After discovering the situation, fire fighters helped to extinguish the flames.
The deeper we walked into the jungle, the more burnt old trees we found.
Asking Pham Van Dang, Park Manager, about what we saw in the forest, he explained that these ancient Pomu trees might have been cut down by illegal loggers and left behind since the 1990s. The national park was only established in 2002.
When inquired about tree trunks that we found being sawn up right in the middle of the forest, Dang guessed that local people had been entering this area to exploit the already collapsed trees. However, he admitted that this activity is also illegal, and said that he would find and punish those who attempt to do so.
