Sustainable and effective forest protection at Thach Thanh Protective Forest Management Board

Clearing vegetation and limiting combustible materials under pine forest canopy in the area managed and protected by Thach Thanh Protective Forest Management Board.

To improve the effectiveness of forest protection and development (FPD), Thach Thanh Protection Forest Management Board has developed a sustainable forest management plan for the 2021-2030 period, which has been approved by the Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 4249/QD-UBND dated October 27, 2021. The Board has had new initiatives in forest management and protection (FPD) to help contracted households do a good job in forest protection, fire prevention and fighting (PFD) such as: allocating forests and forest land to local people according to Decree No. 168/2016/ND-CP of the Government; organizing combined agro-forestry production, strengthening forest management and use, creating more jobs, increasing income for contracted households so that people can feel secure in their attachment to the forest, contributing to sustainable forest protection and development.

Currently, the Thach Thanh Forest Protection Management Board has contracted the entire forest area to 580 households to take care of, protect and organize forestry production. The contracted households have built 55 farms and combined agro-forestry farms, bringing stable income to the contracted households every year; creating jobs on the spot and improving income for hundreds of local workers. Notable examples include the model of BVR farms, forest development combined with fruit tree planting and livestock and poultry farming of Mr. Trinh Dinh Nghi's family (Thanh Vinh commune), Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung, Mr. Nguyen Van Duc (Van Du commune)...

The unit's forest protection stations have implemented management and forest protection work at the root. Staff regularly stay at the grassroots to propagate to households receiving land and forests to understand their responsibilities and benefits when participating in management, forest protection and forest fire prevention activities; provide high - value production forest seedlings; provide guidance on planting and caring for forests associated with developing large timber plantations and planting forests using tissue cultured trees; provide guidance on exploiting forest resources and non-timber forest products in accordance with regulations; organize livestock and poultry farming under the forest canopy... The stations have regularly coordinated with communes and local forest rangers to proactively inspect, monitor and strictly handle violators of the Forestry Law. Villages with forests have coordinated with the Management Board to mobilize households living near forests and on the forest edge to sign a commitment not to violate forest security and actively participate in forest fire prevention and control work.

“Recently, the Thach Thanh Protective Forest Management Board has proactively developed plans and established maps of the current forest status of the management unit in conjunction with the planning of 3 types of forests. Land types and forest types are managed and used for the right purposes, in accordance with the prescribed criteria. The land area planned for production forests has been adjusted, creating conditions for economic sectors to mobilize all resources to proactively manage, protect and develop forests. Proactively develop coordination regulations with Party committees, authorities of communes and functional agencies in implementing Directive No. 13-CT/TW of the Secretariat on strengthening the leadership of the Party in the management, protection and development of forests. Focus on coordinating with local authorities with forests to determine the boundaries of management owners, organize temporary markers at key locations to clearly demarcate" - Comrade Trinh Quoc Dan, Head of the Administration Department of Protection and Development (Thach Thanh Protective Forest Management Board) shared.

Thach Thanh Protective Forest Management Board has proactively implemented fire prevention and control solutions such as building and repairing 30km of firebreaks; clearing vegetation to reduce flammable materials under the pine forest canopy on an area of 600ha; coordinating with local authorities and Ha Trung Forest Protection Department to handle and burn flammable materials under control in cemeteries bordering the unit's pine forest, an area of 12.2ha; purchasing fire prevention and control tools such as blowers, knives, and fire extinguishers. Strengthening propaganda, patrolling, inspection, and forest fire watchkeeping on hot and dry days; areas with potential risks of forest insecurity and forest fires...

In 2024 and 10 months of 2025, the Thach Thanh Protective Forest Management Board provided technical guidance and trees to contracted households to plant 160 hectares of forest, including more than 20 hectares of large timber forest, planted with tissue-cultured acacia trees. The households contracted to use forestry land have proactively protected the forest and organized effective production.

Currently, the entire forest area managed by the Thach Thanh Protective Forest Management Board has not had any fires. Forest security in the area is basically maintained. The forest cover managed by the Thach Thanh Protective Forest Management Board is currently about 94.5%. Through the implementation of programs, projects and forestry work, the board has contributed to changing the economic structure in a number of communes, changing awareness and improving the technical level of planting, caring and forest protection for people, initially forming raw material areas for industrial production, forming models of forest economic development, farms and integrated agricultural and forestry farms. Party committees, authorities and people in the area have realized that forests play an important role in protecting life, bringing economic and environmental benefits to ethnic minorities, and the management, protection and development of forests have been socialized. Forest resources in the area are managed and protected in a sustainable and effective manner.

Article and photos: Nguyen Quan

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/giu-rung-ben-vung-hieu-qua-tai-ban-quan-ly-rung-phong-ho-thach-thanh-266821.htm