Nghe An is a province with a large forest cover, up to 58.5% in 2020. Possessing the largest forest area in the country, the new forest planting movement has developed strongly, in recent years Nghe An has been strongly aiming at the goal of planting large timber forests. According to the results of forest inventory, the timber reserves in the province are currently 91,003,287 m3, (including natural forest wood 81,349,105 m3; planted forest wood 9,654,183 m3.
Not only creating high value in forestry production, large timber plantation also has important significance in protecting the environment, land and water resources, contributing to limiting the negative impacts of global climate change.
The 22-hectare acacia hill of Mr. Nguyen Van Ve's family in Thanh Thuy commune, Thanh Chuong district has entered its 8th year, some areas have entered their 13th year, and are acacia hills planted under the large timber afforestation program. Mr. Nguyen Van Ve said: "From the 5th year onwards, acacia grows very quickly, its canopy covers the light, and grass grows less. If I sell wood planted for 5 years, I will only earn about 1.1 billion VND/ha, but after 12 years, the amount of money I earn will be tripled, and it will save on planting and care; many acacia trees can also be used to make solid wood, calculated by m3, very high value".
In 2018, Thanh Thuy Commune Forestry and General Services Cooperative was supported by the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association to develop two large-scale timber forest planting models of 10 hectares each. In addition to increasing economic income for the people, these models were built for replication, also aiming to develop sustainable forests and protect the soil and water environment. Up to now, in the forest area managed by the Cooperative, there are 150 hectares of large timber forest, developed from the forest gardens of 17 member households.
According to Mr. Nguyen Sy Binh - Director of the Cooperative, if a 5-year-old planted forest brings an income of 50-60 million VND/ha, then acacia forests planted for over 10 years can be worth up to 180-200 million VND/ha. The time is twice as long, but people do not have to spend more on seedlings, the initial investment is added once more, and acacia trees from the 6th year onwards almost do not need to be cared for. Up to now, most households with large forest areas and stable economic conditions have registered to plant large timber forests, with an area of about 500 hectares. "The Cooperative is trying to find and balance resources to support from 500,000 - 600,000 VND/ha of planted forest from the 6th year onwards, supporting seedlings for households registering to plant large timber forests" - Mr. Nguyen Sy Binh said. In December 2021, Thanh Thuy commune also had nearly 1,600 hectares of forest certified as sustainable forest. Certified wood is purchased by the factory, including the bark, at a price 10-20% higher.
Quy Chau district has many advantages in implementing large-scale timber plantation. Currently, there are 21,600 hectares of planted forests, mainly raw acacia, with a forest coverage rate of 77.06%. Land allocation associated with forest allocation, up to now, in the district, 9,216 households have been granted certificates of forestry land use rights with an area of 40,665 hectares; 2,886 hectares of forest in Chau Binh commune have been granted sustainable forest management certificates according to FSC standards. Quy Chau has set a target that by 2025, the area of raw material forest plantation will reach over 23,000 hectares, of which intensive large-scale timber plantation will be promoted with an area of 7,000 - 8,000 hectares. The district advocates building and expanding large-scale timber plantation models combined with medicinal plant planting under the forest canopy and ecotourism to improve land use efficiency. According to Mr. Luong Anh Tuan - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in 2022, FSC certification will be granted to 2,000 hectares of forest in Chau Hanh, Chau Hoi and Chau Phong communes, striving to reach 8,000 hectares in the whole district by 2025.
Managing over 9,000 hectares of planted forests, of which nearly 6,200 hectares are production forests, not only now, but for many years, developing large timber forests has always been a policy that Con Cuong Forestry Company has implemented well. Up to now, the area of large timber forests from 8 to 10 years is 500 hectares, of which 200 hectares are contracted land for retired employees of the company; in addition, most of the other areas are also in the process of developing into large timber forests. According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Lam - Director of the Company, each year the unit exploits 30 - 40 hectares, rotating in cycles. “Although there are risks due to natural disasters, collapse due to whirlwinds, and it is quite difficult to ensure the source of seedlings, the economic benefits are huge. From the 6th year onwards, the only cost is protection, the productivity and quality of the forest increase rapidly, and the selling price is high. If the forest is planted for 5-6 years, the average yield is 70-80 tons/ha, then if the trees are kept for another 3-5 years, 130-150 tons/ha can be harvested; the price of young wood planted for 5 years is 800,000 to 1 million VND/ton, while old forest wood is purchased for 1.5-1.7 million VND/ton, and the bark is not peeled but sold as is,” Mr. Lam added.
As one of the localities with the largest forests in the province, currently, the forest and forestry land area of Con Cuong is up to nearly 164,600 hectares, accounting for nearly 90% of the total natural land area, the highest forest coverage in the province with 84.35% and currently, each year, the whole district plants 1,500-1,800 hectares of concentrated forests. In recent years, production forests and native large timber plantations are being invested in and expanded by many units and households. Talking about the development of large timber forests, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hung - Secretary of Con Cuong District Party Committee said: We have directed the development of a plan to gradually shift from raw material forests to developing large timber forests in areas and households with sufficient conditions; focusing on developing large timber forest planting models and building a number of sustainable forestry development models according to FSC-CoC standards associated with the development of eco-tourism, experiential tourism with indigenous cultural identity, enhancing the value of planted forest production. Con Cuong is a district-level locality with the largest forest cover in the country, so planting large timber forests will promote this great value.
Along with protective forests and special-use forests, production forests, if developed into large timber forests, also play a very important role in environmental protection, contributing to limiting the negative impacts of climate change. As a mountainous district, Quy Chau district is prone to flash floods and landslides during the rainy season. Mr. Le Hai Ly - Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee said: "In the area, many areas have high slopes, some are high hills, with a slope of 20-30m above sea level, and are non-cohesive gravel hills, so after clear-cutting, people burn and clear the ground cover, if they replant after only 4-5 years of harvesting, there is not enough time to regenerate the soil layer, and when there are storms and rains, it is very easy to erode and landslide. Thanks to the development of large timber plantation areas, these phenomena have been significantly reduced; many upstream areas have well-protected protective forests, production forests have developed into large timber forests, and in recent years, flash floods and landslides have rarely occurred like before".
Not only is it an opportunity to improve economic efficiency, planting large timber forests also contributes to protecting the ecological environment, responding to and minimizing the harmful effects of climate change, weather, storms and floods that are increasingly complex and unpredictable. According to Mr. Bach Quoc Dung - Head of Nghe An Provincial Forest Protection Department, after 3 years of planting and caring, new trees will become forests; and if the tree retention time is long, it will ensure the function of covering, protecting the environment in the long term, and preventing soil erosion better than short-cycle business forest areas; especially in mountainous districts, this effect is even more obvious.
“Planting large timber forests helps develop biodiversity, ensures a green environment, retains and replenishes nutrients, protects land and water resources, limits rural environmental pollution, and contributes to preventing landslides and flash floods during the rainy and stormy season. We will continue to promote propaganda and encourage people and forest owners to continue developing large timber forests, aiming at the goal of sustainable forest development, contributing to preventing erosion and creating a “green shield” in natural disaster prevention,” said Mr. Bach Quoc Dung.
Up to now, Nghe An province has had over 10,000 hectares of large timber forests that play an important role, but development still faces many difficulties. However, according to Mr. Nguyen Van De - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: "Along with FSC certification, processing development, intensive cultivation to improve the quality and quantity of wood meeting standards by developing large timber forests is an important content, mandatory to be able to develop Nghe An's forest economy. Currently, our province has set a goal that by 2025, the area of large timber forests and intensive plantation forests will account for 30% of the total forest area of the province".
(To be continued)
