Acacia trees cannot be harvested due to special-use forests

Forests are ready for harvest but cannot be exploited

The production forest area that is ready for harvest but has not been allowed to be exploited belongs to 34 households in Hamlet 9, Nam Thanh Commune, Da Han - Khe Su area, located onDai Hue mountain rangeIn 2007, the local people were assigned land by the People's Committee of Nam Thanh commune to plant production forests. Since then, they have continuously planted acacia, harvested the first cycle, and are not allowed to exploit the second cycle.

Mr. Bui Huu Hieu - hamlet chief of hamlet 9 (Nam Thanh) said: The forest area of ​​hamlet 9 was previously assigned by the State for afforestation and economic development. 34 households were assigned land for afforestation, each household had an area of ​​about 3 hectares. After receiving the land, the people planted forests according to regulations. In 2014 - 2015, the first batch of acacia was harvested, now it is time to harvest the second batch of acacia, the people in the hamlet have repeatedly requested permission to exploit but so far have not been allowed.

Mr. Hieu's family was assigned more than 3 hectares of land, invested in planting forests for many years. Currently, the trees are 6-7 years old, ready to be harvested but have not been exploited, causing a lot of capital to be stuck in the forest.

Because it is planned to be a special-use forest, even though it is time to harvest, the acacia trees of the people in hamlet 9, Nam Thanh (Nam Dan) are still not harvested. Photo: Tien Dong

According to our research, in 2007, implementing the policy of land allocation and leasing of forestry land according toDecree 163/ND-CPOn November 16, 1999, the Government's People's Committee of Nam Dan district established a Steering Committee for forestry land allocation. In Nam Thanh commune alone, the local government allocated land to 376 households with a total area of ​​448 hectares, including 34 households with an area of ​​more than 40 hectares in the Da Han - Khe Su area, hamlet 10B (now hamlet 9).

After being allocated land, households have cultivated and planted forests and have gone through a tree planting cycle. Now they have entered the second exploitation cycle but are not allowed to proceed because the area allocated to these households is located in the area.Nam Dan Special Use Forest Management Boardmanage.

Currently, people's production forests have been planned as special-use forests managed by the Nam Dan Special-Use Forest Management Board. Photo: Tien Dong

Mr. Nguyen Chi Huong - a cadastral officer of Nam Thanh commune said: Previously, the forest land area that people in hamlet 9 were producing was not included in the special-use forest planning. It was not until 2014, according to the planning of 3 types of forests approved by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 48/2014/QD-UBND dated August 15, 2014, that this land area was included in the special-use forest planning and assigned to the Nam Dan Special-use Forest Management Board for management with an area of ​​35.88 hectares. After checking and re-measuring, there were still some areas outside the special-use forest planning. The commune is currently doing the procedures to separate this area so that people can exploit it.

Soon there will be a solution

The planning of special-use forests into the productive forest area of ​​the people of Hamlet 9, Nam Thanh Commune was proposed by the people many years ago. In 2018,Nam Dan District People's Committeeorganized many meetings to handle the determination of forest land boundaries for 34 households in hamlet 9, Nam Thanh. After measuring and verifying the boundaries (31 households measured, 2 households had handed over land to the national defense, 1 household did not), the overlapping land area was determined to be 41.13 hectares, of which 35.88 hectares belonged to the area previously assigned by the State to Dai Hue Forestry Enterprise, now managed by the Nam Dan Special-Use Forest Management Board but has not been granted a Land Use Rights Certificate; 2.42 hectares belonged to both the Nam Dan Special-Use Forest Management Board and the Nam Thanh Commune People's Committee, and 2.83 hectares of land was managed by the Nam Thanh Commune People's Committee.

The Black Rock area on the Dai Hue range has been covered with acacia forests by locals for many years. Photo: Tien Dong

Mr. Vo Van Son - Vice Chairman of Nam Thanh Commune People's Committee said that up to now, the commune has coordinated with relevant departments and offices of Nam Dan District People's Committee and the Forest Rangers, Nam Dan Special-use Forest Management Board, to measure and separate unrelated areas that can be assigned to people for use and exploitation. As for the forest area where people have planted trees but is within the special-use forest planning, the commune has also made a request for permission for people to exploit the acacia trees that are ready for harvest, but because the forest owners and the specific planning status for each forest plot registered for exploitation have not been clearly identified. At the same time, the situation of overlapping forestry land in the area has not been completely resolved, thereby establishing specific forest ownership status for each forest-growing household in the area, so the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has not agreed to allow exploitation.

Currently, the problems related to the planning of special-use forests and production forests of the people have not been completely resolved, which is why people are still not allowed to exploit acacia trees even though the harvest cycle has come. Photo: Tien Dong