Nghe An province exceeds its reforestation target by more than 1,000 hectares.

(Baonghean) - Thanks to the efforts of all levels, sectors, and people, in 2016, localities in the province exceeded the target for concentrated forest planting by more than 1,000 hectares. Many districts with large forest planting areas such as Con Cuong, Quy Hop, Quy Chau, Tan Ky, and Tuong Duong also exceeded their assigned targets.

Mr. Nguyen Nhu Thao's family in Bai Xa village, Tam Quang commune (Tuong Duong district), planted over 20 hectares of timber forest this year. This is one of the leading households in Tuong Duong district, primarily mobilizing their own capital for forest planting. Leading us on a tour of the newly planted forest, Mr. Thao said: "My family boldly planted a large area of ​​forest because the commune and district announced to each household that the Nghia Dan MDF Wood Processing Factory would guarantee the purchase of our products."

Reportedly, this year the district assigned 125 hectares for reforestation, but Tam Quang commune has already planted over 408 hectares, exceeding the target by more than 300%. Of this, 113 hectares were planted with funding from Program 30a, while the rest was planted by local people using their own capital. The reason for the sudden increase in reforestation for raw materials is that this year the district successfully invited the Nghia Dan MDF Wood Processing Factory to sign a commitment to purchase the products from the people, thus encouraging them to actively plant trees. The commune also encourages households to plant trees in areas of unproductive farmland and along hillsides near streams...

Newly planted forest in Tam Quang commune, Tuong Duong district. Photo: Huu Nghia

During the discussion, Mr. Lo Kham Kha, Head of the Agriculture Department of Tuong Duong District, added: This year, the district was assigned to plant 1,000 hectares, but the entire district has planted 1,470 hectares, exceeding the target by 47%. The reason for exceeding the target this year is that it is the first year of implementing the 25th District Party Congress, in which the district has developed a reforestation plan. The district has also issued several support mechanisms and policies for farmers, such as support for design, fertilizer, and seedlings for forest planters from the district budget for 1,000 hectares with a support budget of over 2 billion VND. At the same time, to strengthen the confidence of forest planters and to ensure the sustainable development of the forestry industry in Tuong Duong, Tuong Duong District has invited Thang Nam Forestry Joint Stock Company to discuss solutions for coordinating the development of the raw material area.

Based on that, several agreements have been reached, and the company will implement several investment policies for raw material areas and sign product purchase contracts with local people. Alongside reforestation, the district is focusing on directing efforts to improve forest protection; integrating policies to better protect forests by contracting forest protection to local people, increasing their income from forest environmental service fees.

Take care of the forest trees.

In Quy Chau district, the movement to plant raw material forests has also developed strongly. In 2016, Quy Chau district planned to plant 1,600 hectares of raw material forests, but the entire district planted more than 1,800 hectares (exceeding the target by 200 hectares). The district started planting forests in early April 2016 and completed it in August 2016. In fact, over the years, the district has paid great attention to forest conservation, protection, and reforestation, so the forest cover has reached 78%. Many families, thanks to the State's reforestation policy and reforestation projects, have planted tens of hectares of acacia forests, bringing in a considerable income each year.

Before the reforestation season began, the District Department of Agriculture conducted a review and inspection of the production forest areas owned by the people and assigned planning targets to each locality. Simultaneously, it directed seedling production facilities in the district to proactively cultivate high-quality seedlings to serve the reforestation efforts. The above achievements, besides the efforts of various sectors, are largely due to the increased awareness among the local people regarding the economic benefits of planting, protecting, and caring for forests.

People in Chau Hanh commune, Quy Chau district, are planting trees.

According to the 2015 forest inventory, Quy Chau district still has 13,000 hectares of barren land. Based on this, the district is developing a reforestation and forest protection plan in accordance with Decree No. 75/2015/ND-CP "on mechanisms and policies for forest protection and development, linked with policies for rapid and sustainable poverty reduction and support for ethnic minorities in the period 2015 - 2020". The presence of a large-scale plywood factory in the area is a crucial factor for the district to develop a suitable forest development strategy, aiming for sustainability and making it a key economic sector.

Mr. Dang Xuan Minh, Deputy Head of the Provincial Forest Protection Department, added: To achieve high results in reforestation, the Forest Protection Department has advised the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to issue guiding documents on crop structure for different regions, suitable to local climatic conditions. The Department has assigned staff to closely monitor the areas, identify difficulties and advantages to resolve issues at the grassroots level; and advised the People's Committees of districts and towns to direct localities to take advantage of favorable weather conditions and accelerate the reforestation process within the best planting season. In 2016, the target for concentrated reforestation assigned by the Provincial People's Committee was 16,030 hectares. By the end of the reforestation season, the entire province had planted more than 17,000 hectares (exceeding the target by more than 1,000 hectares). Of this, 3,800 hectares of forest were supported by the State with seedlings and fertilizers, while the rest were planted by the people themselves using their own capital.

Van Truong