China's Yunnan implements closed-off management on forests

The southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan implemented closed-off management on local forests, banning unauthorized entries, amid mounting pressure on forest fire prevention, local authorities said Friday.

The management will be implemented from April 3 to May 10 and includes a ban on using fire in the forests across the province, according to a notice issued by the provincial forest and grassland fire control command office.

Forest areas in the province will set up checkpoints to prevent fire sources and inflammable and explosive materials from entering the forests, according to the notice.

Organizing forest tours, burning incense and joss paper, and setting off firecrackers during tomb-sweeping activities are also banned.

The traditional Tomb-sweeping holiday, which falls on Saturday this year, is a time for Chinese people to mourn the dead and worship their ancestors by visiting tombs and making offerings. The tributes involve burning incense and joss paper.

From 2010 to 2019, over 97 percent of fires were triggered by human activities, with a large share linked to sacrificial and agricultural activities, field smoking and mountain cover burning for afforestation, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

Yunnan saw 30 forest fires from March 1 to April 1. The national forest and grassland fire control command office issued a red alert for forest fire risks, the highest, to the province on Wednesday.

Editor: John Li