At about 8:20 am on September 9, in the area in front of house number 295, Provincial Road 511, in Hien Tay village, Quang Binh commune, Thanh Hoa province, a regrettable accident occurred when a mahogany tree being sawn suddenly fell onto the road. At this time, Mr. Le Dinh Th (born in 1958, residing in Mau Xuong village, Quang Binh commune) driving a motorbike through the area was hit by a falling tree and died afterwards.
Functional agencies are verifying the cause and related details. However, from this case, one issue can be seen that needs to be seriously considered: Tree cutting and branches lowering is not only a technical work but also an activity that poses a high risk to the community if not organized safely.
Green trees are the asset of the city, providing shade, improving the living environment and creating landscapes for each road. But in the process of caring for, pruning or removing trees at risk of falling, the first factor to be prioritized is human safety.
A large tree trunk can weigh hundreds of kilograms, even tons. When cut down, the direction of fall of the tree depends on many factors such as the inclination of the tree trunk, root structure, branch weight, wind impact, cutting position and handling technique. Even a small mistake in calculating the direction of fall can cause serious consequences.
It is worth mentioning that many incidents occur not in remote forests, but right on the streets, where thousands of people pass by every day. Road users often do not know that there is a tree felling activity taking place in front, and do not have enough information to proactively stay away from dangerous areas. Therefore, the responsibility to ensure safety cannot be placed on the shoulders of traffic participants, but primarily on units and individuals performing tree pruning and felling.
Before felling a large tree, it is necessary to determine the danger range according to the height, expected fall direction of the tree and the possibility of branches flying and bouncing during cutting. This area must be zoned, with guards, warning signs or measures to prevent people and vehicles from entering.
In particular, for trees located close to traffic roads, lowering trees needs to calculate the appropriate time, minimizing the impact on people. In some cases, it is necessary to temporarily divert traffic or arrange traffic control forces to ensure that there is no situation where pedestrians suddenly fall into dangerous areas.
Green trees are part of the city, but protecting trees cannot be separated from protecting people. The ultimate goal of caring for and maintaining green trees is not only to preserve the green color for the city but also to ensure that every citizen can travel safely.
