Nghe An Forest Protection Department: 50 years - historical milestones

Forest rangers coordinate with local people to patrol the forest. Photo: Van Truong

Changes in the apparatus

On September 11, 1972, President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam Ton Duc Thang signed Decree No. 14/LCT promulgating the Ordinance regulating forest protection, approved by the National Assembly Standing Committee on September 6, 1972. Articles 16 and 17 of the Ordinance stipulate: "The organization of a specialized force for forest protection is called the People's Forest Ranger". On May 21, 1973, the Government Council issued Decree No. 101/CP regulating the system of organization, tasks and powers of the People's Forest Ranger force; from there, the Vietnam Forest Ranger force was born and developed.

Nghe An Forestry Departmentwas established on February 3, 1974. From the beginning, there were 535 cadres and employees. By the time of the province's incorporation in 1976, the number had increased to 820 cadres and employees. After the complete liberation of the South, Nghe Tinh Forest Rangers selected 109 of the best cadres and forest rangers to support the southern provinces to build the Forest Ranger force.

Forest rangers risk their lives to put out a forest fire in Dien Chau district. Photo: Van Truong

In 2008, the Department handed over 3 affiliated units: Pu Mat National Park to the Provincial People's Committee, Pu Huong Nature Reserve to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Center for Forest Resources and Environment Protection to the Plant Protection Department.

In early 2001, to meet the urgent requirements of forest management and protection in the new period, Nghe An Forest Rangers developed the Project "Innovation in organization and bringing forest rangers to commune areas".

In 2016, implementing the project to streamline the organizational structure of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 04/2016/QD-UBND dated January 5, 2016, on the establishment of the Forestry Sub-Department, on the basis of reorganizing the Forestry Sub-Department and the Forestry Sub-Department, the organizational structure of the Forestry Sub-Department includes: The Sub-Department's leadership; 5 professional departments; 3 Mobile Forestry Teams and Forest Fire Prevention and Fighting Teams; 21 District-level Forestry Sub-Departments.

By 2021, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 24/2021/QD-UBND dated August 13, 2021 on amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decision No. 04/2016/QD-UBND dated January 5, 2016. In particular, merging and establishing inter-district Forest Protection Sub-Departments, reducing the number of district-level Forest Protection Sub-Departments from 21 to 17. From here, the tasks of the Forest Protection Sub-Department are combined with the tasks of the old Forestry Sub-Department, such as tasks on converting forest use purposes, appraising forestry works, plans, programs, projects, forestry projects, forestry policies and mechanisms, etc.

Currently, Nghe An Forest Ranger force has 328 officers and employees, including 27 officers with master's degrees, 197 officers with university degrees, with majors: Silviculture, Forest protection management, Law, Economics, Information Technology, Foreign languages. Organized into 17 working units in districts, towns, and cities with district-level Forest Ranger Divisions, 3 Mobile Forest Ranger Teams and Forest Fire Prevention and Fighting Teams, tasked with advising local authorities on forest protection management.

Facilities and working equipment are quite fully equipped, gradually meeting the requirements of forest management and protection. Thanks to the good implementation of forest management and protection, forest coverage increased from 42% in 2001 to 58.36% in 2022.

Nghe An Forest Rangers coordinate with other sectors to allocate land and forests. Photo: Van Truong

In recent years, the forestry sector has effectively implemented land and forest allocation, thereby limiting deforestation for farming and forest fires. It has created conditions for forest owners and household owners to have facilities, capital, and labor to invest in building effective forest garden farm economic models.

Keep the forests green

Nghe An Forest Protection Department is assigned to manage and protect more than 962,000 hectares of forest land. To preserve the forest, the Forest Protection force has to face many difficulties and challenges. The Forest Protection force has increased checkpoints in key areas to protect the forest. Regardless of deep forests, high mountains, hardships and dangers, the Forest Protection force has been present in complex areas to protect the forest.

In the forest protection strategy, Nghe An Forest Rangers pay great attention to building special-use forests and protective forests, both ensuring the preservation of forest capital and contributing to socio-economic development through activities: Scientific research, biodiversity conservation, eco-tourism and environmental protection.

In addition, the Forest Protection Department also actively participates in managing and directing the implementation of many projects on forest protection and management, afforestation to green bare hills and mountains, and socio-economic development such as: PAM Project 2780, 4126, 4304, Program 327, EU Forestry Project, DANIDA River Basin and Forest Protection Project, Program 661, 135, Viet Duc Forest Plantation... And ongoing projects and programs such as: Forest planting project to replace slash-and-burn cultivation, land allocation and forest leasing project to improve the efficiency of resource and forest land use, VFBC project...

Nghe An Forest Rangers on a patrol in Ky Son, Photo: Van Truong

Every year, Nghe An Forest Rangers advise the People's Committees at all levels, issue documents, organize conferences, seminars, and develop fire prevention and control plans. Develop a 10-year overview project on fire prevention and control, research and apply advanced science, technology, means and tools in fire prevention and control. Direct localities and forest owners to organize forces, implement plans, build fire prevention and control works in managed forest areas, mobilize support forces and respond when forest fires occur.

In carrying out tasks and organizing force building, Nghe An Forest Rangers continue to carry out administrative reforms well, focusing on applying science and technology, researching scientific topics. Such as researching, producing, using biological products BT, red-eyed bees... in preventing pine caterpillars; Applying high-tech GIS in monitoring forest changes, managing forest resources and forestry land; Reading remote sensing images to determine damaged forest areas; Applying digital signatures, administrative procedures according to TCVN ISO 9001:2015.

In the work of inspecting, controlling and managing forest products, the Forest Protection Department has coordinated well with the police, military, sectors in the internal affairs sector, local authorities and people, achieving high efficiency. Over the past 50 years, Nghe An Forest Protection has detected and handled more than 173,000 cases of forestry law violations, proposed criminal prosecution of more than 500 cases, with hundreds of defendants; Confiscated more than 140,000m3 of various types of wood, thousands of tons of various types of specialty forest products. Collected fines and paid to the provincial budget more than 760 billion VND.

In particular, after more than 30 years of implementing the CITES Convention on wildlife protection, Nghe An Forest Rangers have seized more than 125 tons of various wild animals, releasing many rare and endangered animals back into the forest. Many hotspots of illegal logging, exploitation, trading, storing and processing of forest products have been attacked and destroyed. In the fight against illegal loggers, 2 Nghe An Forest Rangers were killed, and 19 other officers and soldiers were injured. The Party grassroots organizations of the Forest Rangers have always been classified as Clean and Strong and Typical Strong by their superiors.

During the 50 years of construction and development, Nghe An Forest Rangers have been honored to receive many noble titles from the Party and State. Hundreds of collective units, officers and soldiers have been awarded rotating flags, certificates of merit from the provincial to government levels, the title of Emulation Fighter, the badge "For the cause of forest management and protection"; Third-class Labor Medal (1998), Second-class Labor Medal (2005).

Large timber forest in Quy Hop district. Photo: Van Truong

Five grassroots units and six officers of Nghe An Forestry Force were awarded the Third Class Labor Medal; 16 units were recognized as Excellent Cultural Units. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development awarded Certificates of Merit for outstanding achievements in implementing the emulation movement "Striving to complete the targets and tasks of the Sustainable Forestry Development Target Program for the period 2016-2020 (2020).

In the coming time, Nghe An Forest Rangers will continue to strengthen the implementation of measures.protect the forest at the root; well protect existing natural forest areas; conserve biodiversity; effectively prevent deforestation, encroachment on forestry land and illegal forest exploitation; develop plans and strategies for forest protection and development, effective forest fire prevention; increase forest cover.

Nghe An Forest Rangers are determined to continue to maintain solidarity and unity in building the force into a clean and strong collective to successfully complete their tasks, worthy of the belief that "Soldiers guarding the green gold warehouse in the homeland of great Uncle Ho".