The area of ​​FSC certified forest in Yen Thanh district reached more than 3,200 hectares.

Going along National Highway 48E to Quang Thanh Commune, Yen Thanh District, you will see the vast green of the acacia forests on both sides of the mountain. It is known that this land used to be a wild hill range with reeds. People mainly grew low-value crops such as corn, cassava, etc., so life was difficult. However, in recent years, thanks to the development of raw material forest plantation, people here have boldly changed the crop structure, gradually bringing high economic efficiency.

Mr. Nguyen Dien in Quang Thanh commune - a household owner of a large acacia plantation said: "Being informed by the local government about the benefits of developing raw acacia trees, over the past 10 years, my family has focused on improving the land area, investing in buying seedlings to plant more than 40 hectares of raw acacia. Previously, my family mainly planted "freely", now we pay attention to the planting and care stages from treating the ground cover, digging holes, fertilizing, planting at the right density, to periodically weeding, fertilizing the trees, and selecting quality seedlings, so the acacia has a high yield, reaching over 100 tons/ha.

Up to now, every year, Mr. Nguyen Dien harvests 7-8 hectares of acacia, selling at a price of over 1.3 million/ton for a revenue of about 800-900 million VND/ha/year. In addition, there are many other households achieving large revenues of 200-300 million VND/year thanks to acacia planting.

Mr. Phan Duc Tien - Chairman of Quang Thanh Commune People's Committee said: Realizing the potential for economic development of the forest, the commune has strongly developed the planting of raw material forests. Up to now, Quang Thanh has over 800 hectares of raw material acacia forest (with about 500 households participating in planting forests), annually exploiting over 200 hectares, the commune propagates and mobilizes people to focus on intensive forest planting to increase productivity.

Thanks to the acacia plantation, the commune's annual revenue is over 200 billion VND. Not to mention the acacia exploitation, loading, afforestation, and acacia transport driving jobs for over 600 local workers...

According to Mr. Phan Duc Tien, the planting of raw material forests is still facing some difficulties, such as some people still using floating varieties with poor quality, leading to the situation where some newly planted acacia areas are underdeveloped or have to be replanted after losing leaves.

In addition, Tien Thanh commune is the "acacia granary" of Yen Thanh district, currently with over 1,300 hectares of acacia, annually exploiting 250-350 hectares of acacia. At this time, the price of acacia has increased to over 1.3 million VND/ton, making farmers very excited. Mr. Phan Van Mai, Tien Thanh commune, a household growing acacia over 10 hectares said: Due to planting according to the correct process and intensive techniques, the average yield is high at 80-100 tons of acacia/ha, planting according to the intercropping cycle, exploiting 2-3 hectares all year round, achieving a revenue of about 250-300 million VND/year. The advantage is that traders from everywhere come to buy right at the foot of the hill.

Mr. Phan Van Vu - Chairman of Tien Thanh Commune People's Committee said: In order to effectively plant forests, in recent years, the commune has coordinated with forest rangers and the district's agricultural service center to organize training courses on forest planting, care techniques, and pest control measures for acacia trees. It is recommended that people plant at an appropriate density of 1,600 to 2,000 trees/ha; to base fertilizer, annual top dressing includes both manure and NPK fertilizer; soil preparation must pay attention to improving the terrain to be favorable for water retention and infiltration.

Thanks to training and access to science and technology, people gradually change their old farming practices, choose disease-free seedlings, plant and care for acacia trees better, and the forest area in the commune ensures good growth. Annual revenue from acacia planting also brings Tien Thanh commune 250-300 billion VND.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Khanh - Head of Yen Thanh District Forestry Department added: With the local advantage of having a lot of mountainous areas, in recent years Yen Thanh district has actively encouraged people to promote the planting of raw material forests, gradually increasing income. People are also more interested in developing raw material acacia trees, always planting new and replanting forests promptly right after exploitation.

Thereby, it is possible to maintain forest cover, protect the environment, increase production cycles, and create regular jobs. Up to now, Yen Thanh district has over 18,000 hectares of raw acacia forest, with over 2,000 hectares newly planted every year. To ensure quality forest planting, the district recommends that people buy tree seedlings from reputable licensed establishments, such as the Yen Thanh Protective Forest Management Board and forestry companies in the province.

In the long term, Yen Thanh district is continuing to promote FSC certification to gradually improve economic efficiency for forest growers, create a concentrated source of raw materials for factories producing and processing wood products for export, and bring economic efficiency, create jobs, stable income for rural workers, and protect the ecological environment.