Making forest carbon credits a marketable commodity.

On the morning of May 26th, the Center for Forestry Economics Research, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lao Cai province, organized a workshop titled "Developing Carbon Credits for Household-Scale Plantations in Vietnam: Opportunities, Challenges, and Technical Solutions".

The workshop was attended by leaders from the Vietnam Academy of Forestry Sciences, the Department of Agriculture and Environment; experts and representatives from several forest owners in the province.

The scene at the conference.

The workshop is part of the "Pilot Study on Building a Model for Preparing for Carbon Credit Development in Plantations" of the Forest and Farm Support Program (FFF), conducted in Lao Cai .

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, Lao Cai province currently has 860,495 hectares of forest, with a forest cover rate of over 61.5%. This represents a significant potential for Lao Cai to develop its forestry economy in line with green growth goals and participate in the carbon credit market in the future.

However, the development of household-scale forest carbon credits still faces many difficulties due to the small and scattered forest areas; and the high costs of surveying, reporting, and assessment according to national and international standards.

Lao Cai currently has 860,495 hectares of forest, with a forest cover rate of over 61.5%, which represents significant potential for the province to participate in the carbon credit market in the future.

Speaking at the workshop, the leader of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lao Cai province emphasized: The Government has issued many important mechanisms and policies such as Decree 29/2026/ND-CP on the domestic carbon exchange; Decree 180/2026/ND-CP detailing the carbon absorption and storage services of forests. This is an important legal basis to gradually turn forest carbon credits into a commodity, opening up new opportunities for the forestry industry.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lao Cai province, delivered the opening remarks at the workshop.

At the workshop, delegates focused on discussing various topics related to silvicultural technical solutions to improve the quality of planted forests towards meeting national standards for forest carbon credits; the role of planted forest codes; and the application of digital technology (iTFC) in managing, monitoring, and developing carbon credits for household-scale planted forests in Lao Cai.

The delegates discussed various issues related to participation in the development of forest carbon credits.

In addition, experts also shared experiences from the pilot project to build a model for preparing for the development of carbon credits for planted forests (referred to as the FCBMO project) in Lao Cai, and exchanged views on techniques, carbon markets, and solutions for organizing the implementation of forest carbon projects in the future.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/dua-tin-chi-rung-cac-bon-tro-thanh-hang-hoa-post900387.html