Making a fortune from the forest

With an area of ​​over 430,000 hectares, Quang Ninh's forests not only play a crucial role in protecting the landscape, environment, and regulating the climate, but also serve as a vast resource for creating livelihoods, jobs, and income, providing a path to prosperity for many households and businesses in the area.

Processing timber from planted forests at Ty Long Wood Trading Co., Ltd. (Viet Hung Ward).

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Khuong, Deputy Head of the Provincial Forest Protection Department, stated that revenue from forests comes from various activities, such as: logging of planted forests, harvesting of non-timber forest products, funding for forest care and protection, payments for forest environmental services, profits from economic development models under the forest canopy, and integrated forest-based economic activities…

Of the more than 430,000 hectares, production forests in Quang Ninh account for over 200,000 hectares, which is also the main area for increasing the economic value of forests. Over the years, forest owners in Quang Ninh have gradually changed their forest cultivation methods with the goal of both enriching the forest and enriching themselves from it. Mr. Le Van Dien, Director of Cam Pha Forestry Company Limited, said: "We plant forests using intensive farming methods, carefully selecting from the seed stage to the stages of land preparation, fertilization, location arrangement, planting density, and adhering to the forest care process after planting… The goal is to create the highest quality forests, with healthy trees, good timber, and high growth rates."

Cam Pha Forestry Company Limited manages the largest planted forest area among state-owned forestry units and enterprises in Quang Ninh province. Instead of relying on natural conditions for reforestation, the company has accepted high investment costs to proactively plant forests, incorporating advanced science , technology, and techniques. According to forestry research, even just considering seed selection, using high-quality seeds not only prevents genetic degradation and reduces pest and disease problems, but also ensures very high growth rates. In the initial stage, the trees develop tall, straight trunks before focusing on canopy formation, giving them an advantage in timber production and increasing wood yield. Furthermore, proper soil preparation, fertilization, and planting density result in a survival rate of over 95%, and the growth and development rate of planted trees can be 2-3 times higher than with conventional planting methods.

Currently, Quang Ninh province harvests approximately 10,000 hectares of planted forest annually, yielding nearly 1 million cubic meters of timber. This serves as a source of raw materials for Quang Ninh's timber industry, including the production of solid wood, lumber, plywood, wood pellets, and wood chips. In many areas, Quang Ninh's forest owners choose cinnamon, star anise, and other valuable forest products such as star anise, cinnamon bark, and essential oils to plant in their forests.

People in Ky Thuong commune are harvesting purple ginseng.

Each forest, depending on its specific type and soil characteristics, is suitable for developing various undergrowth species that meet market demands and have high economic value, such as medicinal plants, flowers, ornamental plants, industrial crops, and fruit trees.

Ky Thuong is a mountainous forest area where the local people know how to utilize the forest canopy to cultivate various medicinal plants such as *Ba Kich* (a type of ginseng), *Tra Tra Hoa Vang* (a type of tea), *Dang Sam* (a type of ginseng), and *Sa Nhan* (a type of cardamom) to increase the value of forest land. *Ba Kich* in Ky Thuong is currently a model that brings very high value to the people. Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Deputy Director of the Commune's Public Service Center, said: "The commune currently has 12 hectares of *Ba Kich*, a model of the Thanh Nam Hai Commercial and Service Cooperative linking with local people for production. The potential for developing *Ba Kich* in Ky Thuong is still very large. If the market demand is stable, Ky Thuong can completely become a concentrated production area for *Ba Kich* to supply the market."

Forest land can also be used to develop models for livestock and poultry farming, and the keeping of wild animals in accordance with the law, combined to create unique and novel forest tourism models that meet the needs of tourists. Forest tourism destinations such as Binh Lieu, Hoanh Mo, Huc Dong, Ky Thuong, Yen Tu, Bai Tu Long... have created a positive impression on tourists, contributing to a fresh look on Quang Ninh's tourism map. Recently, the province continued to approve the project for ecotourism in the eastern protective forest, opening up new opportunities for forest tourism in the area. To date, 19 investors have officially won bids for forest tourism in the eastern region. This is the basis and prerequisite for the province to have more forest tourism models in the future, contributing to increasing the economic value of forests and affirming Quang Ninh province's goal and determination to prosper from forests.

Minh Yen

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/lam-giau-tu-rung-3397285.html