Hai Duong speeds up reforestation

Mr. Nguyen Cong Chu in Chi Linh and hired workers planting acacia trees on the production forest area damaged by storm No. 3

Hurried

Visiting Hoang Hoa Tham commune (Chi Linh) these days, we met many forest owners who are replanting acacia and eucalyptus trees to replace the exploited forest areas that were knocked down by storm No. 3 in September 2024. The broken and devastated forest patches are gradually being replaced by new green shoots.

On an area of more than 1 hectare of his family's production forest, Mr. Nguyen Cong Chu in Ho Giai village and some seasonal workers hurriedly planted 1,200 acacia trees. They dug holes, carefully placed the seedlings, then slowly filled the soil and watered to keep the soil moist. "The weather has been favorable these past few days, so I hired 5 more workers from Lao Cai and some locals to help the forest planting go quickly. Only when the rain comes after the planted forest trees will they have the strength to grow well," said Mr. Chu.

The seedlings will soon grow and cover the mountains and forests.

This year’s spring is in the drizzle and humid phase. Taking advantage of the favorable weather, many forest owners in Bac An commune (in the same city as Chi Linh) are also rushing to plant eucalyptus and acacia on the production forest area damaged by storm No. 3 last year.

Mr. Ngo Van Ba's family in Bai Thao village has 3 hectares of production forest. On this area, he invested 30 million VND to hire excavators, laborers... to plant thousands of high-yielding eucalyptus trees.

He chose eucalyptus because this plant grows well, is drought resistant, and can be harvested after only about 3 years. He plans to keep the roots after the first harvest to nurture them to sprout. When they are tall enough, he will leave 2 sprouts to continue caring for them. After 3 years, he can harvest the second crop.

"After last year's historic storm, many households kept the eucalyptus roots and now the saplings are growing well. Eucalyptus is now valuable, each tree can be sold for 70,000 - 100,000 VND, so I have high hopes," Mr. Ba shared.

Many forest owners kept the eucalyptus stumps that were broken by storm No. 3 and now the trees are growing well.

Hai Duong has over 3,500 hectares of production forest, 1,500 hectares of special-use forest, and over 4,000 hectares of protective forest in 31 communes and wards of Chi Linh city and Kinh Mon town. After storm No. 3, the whole province had about 1,250 hectares of forest damaged, mainly acacia, eucalyptus, and pine trees.

After the storm, relevant agencies, units, localities and forest owners mobilized to clean up and sanitize the forest area damaged by storm No. 3, both to prevent forest fires and to identify locations for reforestation this year.

According to the plan, this year the whole province strives to plant 163.4 hectares of post-exploitation forest (production forest) with 260,000 trees and more than 255 hectares of replacement forest (special-use forest, protective forest) with 148,000 trees. Never before has Hai Duong carried out such a large replacement forest planting campaign.

Many households carry out production forest sanitation under the guidance of forest rangers.

For production forests, the area is mainly concentrated in Chi Linh City. Many forest owners here are actively planting forests on areas damaged by the storm. Forest owners in Kinh Mon have also basically completed forest sanitation, preparing conditions for planting in the coming days.

As for protective forests and special-use forests, relevant agencies and units have prepared explanatory documents and estimates to submit to competent authorities for approval and implementation according to regulations. Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment Luong Thi Kiem informed: "The planting locations and tree species for replacement forests have also been calculated in accordance with the list issued by the Provincial People's Committee, striving to implement planting by the end of the second quarter of this year at the latest".

Rich in seedlings

According to the reporter's investigation, the demand for forestry seedlings is increasing but there is no shortage. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen, owner of a nursery in Cong Hoa ward (Chi Linh), since the end of 2024, tens of thousands of high-yielding eucalyptus, pine, and acacia trees have been propagated by her family to supply the market on this occasion.

Ms. Huyen said: "Current forestry prices are basically the same as last year. Besides my family, there are many gardeners in Chi Linh, Kinh Mon and even outside the province who also grow large quantities."

Engineer Trieu Van Huan, owner of a forestry nursery in Bac Giang, has proactively linked up with a number of nurseries in Chi Linh City to produce eucalyptus and acacia seedlings to supply to organizations, units and individuals in need. "The association not only creates healthy, high-quality seedlings, but also helps stabilize prices so that customers can confidently invest in reforestation. I am ready to support households with planting techniques," said Mr. Huan.

The price of forestry seedlings is only a few thousand VND/tree, stable as last year.

Mr. Huan commented that the weather is currently very favorable for reforestation, especially on rainy days with high humidity. Chi Linh and Kinh Mon are both places with good soil quality. It is important that forest planters choose sturdy seedlings. Before planting, weeds and vines need to be cleared so that the trees can grow well.

Engineer Trieu Van Huan from Bac Giang went to Chi Linh to provide forestry seedlings and support many forest owners with planting techniques.

Forestry trees need to be planted deep to prevent them from falling over. In the early stages after planting, pay attention to preventing crickets from biting the trees. After 2-3 months of planting, fertilize, apply base fertilizer, and topdress to create momentum for the trees to grow quickly and healthily...

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Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/hai-duong-tang-toc-trong-rung-thay-the-406173.html