Timely care
Ninh Van Lin, from Gia village, Tien Bo commune (Yen Son district), comes from a family with a long tradition of forest planting and has been involved with forests for several decades. He understands the value of this profession better than anyone. Proof of this is his nearly ten-year-old acacia plantation, valued at hundreds of millions of dong. Lin explains that forest planting is not as simple as people think. It requires adherence to recommended planting densities, proper fertilization, post-planting care, thinning, etc. Failure to follow these procedures will result in low economic returns.
He currently has 2 hectares of forest plantations over a year old. Besides fertilizing, weeding, and clearing the undergrowth, he also has to straighten leaning trees to ensure good growth. With over 15 hectares of family forest, Mr. Lin cares for it according to FSC standards, resulting in significantly higher wood quality and economic value. On average, one hectare of his forest yields between 120 and 135 million VND.
Nearby, the family of Mr. Nguyen Duc Binh in Gia village maintains over 12 hectares of forest land, mainly planted with hybrid acacia. Previously, people planted forests and let the trees grow naturally, but since the forests have become valuable, they are cared for like fruit trees, with fertilization, weeding, replanting, pruning, pest and disease control, and even a change in tree species structure.
Forestry officials from Yen Son District are guiding residents of Na Vo village, Kien Thiet commune, on how to care for their acacia forest, which is now in its second year.
Mr. Binh said: "The first three years are very important in reforestation. If weeding and fertilization are not done, the trees will not grow. Moreover, this is the stage when the trees are young and vulnerable to pests and diseases, so planters must regularly check to detect problems promptly and take preventive measures."
Thanks to proper care techniques, Mr. Binh's family's planted forest always achieves a survival rate of over 90%, creating favorable conditions for developing large-scale timber forests. Currently, the family owns 4.2 hectares of 8-year-old forest. If harvested now, it would only yield wood chips worth 107 million VND/hectare, but if left for another 4-5 years at current market prices, it would generate an income of approximately 200 million VND/hectare. Another advantage is that large-scale forests require no investment in seedlings or care; only supervision and protection are needed.
Comrade Tran Van Su, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tien Bo commune, affirmed: Forestry has significantly changed the local landscape. With over 4,600 hectares of natural forest, many families earn hundreds of millions of dong annually, and some even earn billions of dong. Therefore, people have focused on caring for the forest from the very beginning, fertilizing and preventing pests and diseases. The situation of forests dying or being neglected and left to grow on their own no longer exists. Forest planters in Tien Bo are also applying silvicultural techniques and selecting high-quality seedlings to develop large timber forests, yielding higher economic value.
Kien Thiet commune (Yen Son district) is one of the particularly disadvantaged communes, with a population mainly consisting of Mong, Dao, and Tay people who traditionally practice slash-and-burn agriculture. However, since the province, district, and commune encouraged the planting of production forests and implemented provincial policies, the people have changed their perception of forest economics. The fields of corn, cassava, and rice that were once there have now become lush green forests. Mr. Vuong Van Lem, a Nung man from Na Vo village, proudly shows off his newly planted acacia forest, saying: “Last year, we sold 2 hectares of forest for nearly 160 million dong, the largest amount of money my family has ever earned. Now, the forest is a valuable asset! After planting, we take care of it, fertilize, and weed, not neglect it like before.”
Comrade Le The Hung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Kien Thiet commune, said: The commune has a total of over 8,489 hectares of forest land, of which 7,300 hectares have been planted as production forests and over 1,000 hectares as protection forests. To date, there are no villages in the commune with barren land or deforested hills. The planted forest economy brings the people in the commune about 10 billion VND per year. The commune government has coordinated with the district's forest rangers to guide people in planting and caring for planted forests, especially in the early years of the planting cycle to establish forests.
Preventing collapse
Dong Tho commune (Son Duong district) has over 2,800 hectares of forest, including over 146 hectares of natural forest and over 2,700 hectares of planted forest. Currently, nearly 1,000 hectares of production forest have been certified under the FSC sustainable forest management system. On average, the entire commune plants over 100 hectares of forest annually, with over 1,800 households participating. The average income from the forest reaches 80-100 million VND/hectare/cycle of 6-7 years.
Dong Ninh village in Dong Tho commune has 200 hectares of forest, the largest in the commune, with 160 households owning forest land. Mr. Tran Kim Cuong's family is a prime example of escaping poverty and becoming wealthy from forestry. Mr. Cuong planted 3.5 hectares of forest, and after harvesting, he immediately replanted. Mr. Cuong said, “The entire area of my family's land is planted with acacia seedlings from the provincial People's Council's support policy, planted at a density of about 1,400 trees/hectare, with each row spaced 3 meters apart and trees spaced at least 2 meters apart. For the first three years, meticulous care is required, including weeding, fertilizing, pruning, straightening crooked trees, and thinning. In the third year, I only keep the acacia trees at a density of about 1,100 trees/hectare. The trees grow faster and are less prone to falling, breaking, or being swept away during storms.”
The storms and strong winds in early May 2024 caused damage to over 100 hectares of forest at Chiem Hoa Forestry Company. Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Director of Chiem Hoa Forestry Company, stated: "Two storms from the beginning of the month have damaged over 100 hectares of forest, aged 2-3-4 years, worth nearly 1 billion VND. The cause was localized strong winds that the young forest couldn't withstand. Currently, the company is reviewing the damage; for areas with 70% or more of trees broken or fallen, replanting will be carried out. Areas with bent or crooked trees will be addressed. However, after this incident, the company will also look for more suitable forestry tree species for areas exposed to strong winds to reduce damage."
From the beginning of 2024 until now, the province has experienced heavy rains accompanied by strong winds, causing damage to over 200 hectares of forest, with trees being broken or blown down. Besides the storms, many households have planted trees at a density higher than recommended, and have not paid attention to thinning and pruning to reduce the burden on the trees during strong winds and storms.
By May 25th, the entire province had planted 6,343 hectares out of 10,500 hectares of forest. To ensure the forest takes root and is not damaged by storms, pests, and diseases, the Forestry sector and local authorities continue to guide forest planters on protection and care measures, focusing on maintaining a reasonable grass density and preventing bare land from being eroded by rain, which can uproot trees and lead to a very high mortality rate.
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