Hoping that the limitations and obstacles in the work of reforestation will be resolved, we have repeatedly shared what we saw at the planting sites, and the thoughts of forestry units with a number of responsible officials of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Forestry Sub-Department in charge of forest development. The most recent time was on February 20, 2024, when we were informed that there is hope to proactively use native tree varieties for reforestation work.
Hopefully, on this day, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision 350/QD-UBND approving the "Project to improve the quality of forestry plant varieties for the period 2024-2030 to effectively implement the Forestry Development Strategy in Nghe An province". In the Project, the list of priority tree species in the locality includes groups of tree species for forest enrichment, supplementary planting in forest regeneration promotion zones and groups of tree species for special-use forests, protective forests, and flooded forests. Specifically, such as lat hoa, sao den, dau rai, lim xanh, pine resin, muong den, cho chi, rong rang..., and native tree species or imported tree species that have been planted for many years, growing and developing in accordance with the local ecosystem.
The project also specifically points out the construction of a forestry seed source system; the content of supporting research facilities, selecting and creating seed production; perfecting the material facilities serving seed production; determining to build about 10 new fixed nurseries, suitable to the scale, capacity and meeting the needs of seed production and supply in the area; consolidating, renovating and upgrading about 13 nurseries belonging to State forest owners currently operating in the production and trading of forestry plant varieties in the province; supporting about 12 million high-quality tissue culture seedlings with technology transfer for care and training to serve high-quality forest planting for protective forest management boards, special-use forest management boards, Forestry One Member Co., Ltd., etc.; Develop criteria for selecting and supporting non-state seed production facilities (cooperatives, enterprises, households, etc.) for original seed sources, parent plants, etc. At the same time, provide specific and detailed technical solutions, information, communication, etc. for the successful implementation of the Project.
According to Mr. Nguyen Danh Hung - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; Nguyen Khac Hai - Deputy Head of the Department of Planning and Finance, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Project on developing forestry varieties will soon be implemented by the Department. Having grown up from the grassroots level and been involved in forest development for many years, these two officials deeply understand the need to proactively use native tree varieties in the work of reforestation. They discussed that bringing native tree varieties from other localities from other provinces to reforestation is a "last resort". Because the seedlings after being transported through long and difficult journeys to the planting sites in remote areas have become "sick trees", the survival and development rate after planting is limited; not to mention the negative impacts of the extremely harsh weather and climate of the highlands and the free-range livestock of the highland people.
“The replacement forestation project is a silvicultural project, the project documents and procedures must ensure standards, from the origin of native tree varieties, from invoices, documents... Meanwhile, in the province there is no unit producing seedlings, so the owners of new replacement forestation projects must buy seedlings from remote northern localities such as Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Vinh Phuc... Obviously this is a very big problem. Therefore, the Forestry Seed Development Project will be an open direction with high feasibility in the future to be more proactive in replacement forestation work..." - Mr. Nguyen Danh Hung discussed.
Regarding the specific difficulties in reforestation work in mountainous, remote and isolated areas, such as: Lack of transportation routes; long and arduous routes; the livestock farming profession of the people is to graze buffaloes and cows... According to Mr. Nguyen Danh Hung and Mr. Nguyen Khac Hai, the industry has fully and comprehensively recognized and is aiming to propose to the superiors to allow the development of support policies. "It will not be possible to develop support policies overnight. But these are the contents that the industry is very interested in and is making efforts to implement to share the difficulties of forestry units that are carrying out the task of reforestation..." - Mr. Nguyen Khac Hai said.
At the same time, these officials said that Circular No. 22/2023/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 15, 2023 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has taken effect since February 1, 2024, amending and supplementing a number of provisions in Circular No. 25/2022/TT-BNNPTNT related to reforestation. The amendments and supplements have expanded the scope of subjects supported for reforestation when converting forest use to other purposes. “Previously, Circular No. 25/2022/TT-BNNPTNT stipulated that replacement forests must be planted on land without forests in the planning of protective forests, special-use forests and production forests managed by the Management Board of protective and special-use forests; reforestation on the area of planted special-use forests, planted protective forests that have not become forests and have completed the liquidation of planted forests according to the provisions of law. Now, according to Circular No. 22/2023/TT-BNNPTNT, households and individuals who plant production forests of large timber species (harvested after 10 years of age) on land planned for production forests will also be supported…” – Mr. Nguyen Khac Hai said about the new point of Circular No. 22/2023/TT-BNNPTNT.
“Environmental protection for natural regeneration and environmental protection for natural regeneration with additional planting” are measures to transform an area of forest land that has not met the criteria for forest into an area of forested land. And this measure is being aimed at by the province through the proposal to the Central Government to allow the development of a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Nghe An province in the coming time.
Specifically, on January 20, 2024, the Provincial People's Committee submitted a document to the Ministry of Planning and Investment proposing to develop a number of mechanisms and policies for the development of Nghe An province. Among the specific mechanisms and policies, there is a policy mechanism "Using the source of funds for afforestation when converting the purpose of forest use to another purpose". The full content is: "Nghe An province is allowed to retain and use the source of funds for afforestation when converting the purpose of forest use to another purpose collected from projects serving economic, social, defense and security development that do not have the conditions to plant afforestation themselves, and must pay the money for afforestation to the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund to implement silvicultural measures to protect and promote natural regeneration with additional planting, or protect and promote natural regeneration; develop forest tree varieties; develop infrastructure to serve forest protection and development".
The proposal of the Provincial People's Committee is analyzed from practical basis, and from scientific research in the forestry sector. That is, the vacant land without forest that meets the criteria and conditions prescribed for reforestation in Nghe An is very difficult. Because the vacant land area in the area is fragmented, mainly located in remote areas, construction conditions are extremely difficult. Some areas have terrain conditions that are mainly rocky mountains without trees, or a very large proportion of rocks mixed in, not meeting the criteria for forestation. Because of this difficulty, in the past time, it has greatly affected the progress of implementing projects serving economic, social development, national defense, security, important national projects, and urgent projects in the province. Meanwhile, according to the updated results and monitoring of forest developments, the whole province currently has about 72,113.8 hectares of unforested forest land that can apply silvicultural measures to promote natural regeneration with additional planting, or silvicultural measures to promote natural regeneration to ensure the criteria for forest formation without the need to implement silvicultural measures to plant new forests.
Therefore, using the budget for reforestation to implement silvicultural measures such as silvicultural measures of natural regeneration with additional planting, or silvicultural measures of natural regeneration instead of new forest planting is very effective. With these measures, the area of reforestation will ensure the natural succession of the forest, as well as the biodiversity values of the forest, solving the difficulties in reforestation in the province.
We have been to the reservoir areas of the province's major hydropower plants such as Ban Ve Hydropower Plant, Hua Na Hydropower Plant, etc. many times; and have also been to many areas with regenerated forests in the mountainous districts of Con Cuong, Quy Chau, etc., to clearly understand the mountainous areas that were previously deforested, but after many years of conservation and protection, the forests have regenerated, creating a very beautiful landscape. Specifically, in the Hua Na hydropower reservoir area, in the communes of Dong Van and Thong Thu, many hectares of naturally regenerated forests have been added; or similarly, in the Ban Ve hydropower reservoir area, natural forests have regenerated in the areas of Luong Minh, Huu Khuong, Mai Son, etc.
Realizing that, along with supporting solutions for reforestation, the application of measures to promote natural regeneration and reforestation with additional planting using funds from reforestation when converting forest use to other purposes is really a very positive direction.
We hope that the proposed mechanism and policy of the Provincial People's Committee will soon be considered and approved for practical application. At that time, it will certainly help to remove difficulties in reforestation work; help to speed up the implementation of projects serving economic, social, defense, security development, important national projects, urgent projects in the province; and reduce the pressure on the shoulders of those working in forestry!
