Eighty years of formation, construction and development of the country is also the 80-year journey of the forestry industry persistently protecting, nurturing, preserving and developing the "green lungs" of the country.
Since the first years of the revolutionary government, overcoming countless difficulties of war, natural disasters and poverty, the forestry sector has gradually taken shape and grown into an economic and technical sector with an increasingly important role, making practical contributions to the process of socio-economic development, protecting the ecological environment, maintaining national defense and security and gradually enhancing the country's role and position in the international arena.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri (right) plants trees at the 2024 Tree Planting Festival in Tuyen Quang . Photo: Bao Thang.
Special historical role in building and defending the country
Immediately after independence, President Ho Chi Minh and the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam soon recognized the vital role of forest resources in the country's development. On December 1, 1945, Decree 69, which merged the agriculture, forestry and fishery agencies, laid the foundation for the forest management organization of the new Vietnam. From then on, forestry became a field of continuous concern, linking the tasks of resistance, national construction with national construction.
During the two long resistance wars, the forest was a strategic space - a place to shelter revolutionary forces, provide raw materials, protect transportation routes, maintain and supply energy and materials to serve the battlefield.
The forestry sector at that time built the first policy system, organized forest protection, timber exploitation, production, and supply of forest products for the resistance war, and at the same time launched a widespread tree planting movement among the people. The spirit of "Forests cover the army, forests surround the enemy" affirmed the great role of forests, and at the same time, they are symbols of the strength of great national unity.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri inspects raw material forests. Photo: Department of Forestry and Fisheries.
From forest degradation to the miracle of reforesting barren land and hills - a remarkable milestone in 80 years of development
Vietnam's forest development history has experienced a period of serious decline, from 14.42 million hectares of forest in 1943 to 8.97 million hectares in 1990; the coverage rate dropped sharply to 27.2% - the lowest level in history. This is a major challenge that requires strong political determination, synchronous policies and the participation and joint efforts of the whole society to restore forests.
With unprecedented efforts, from 1991 to present, Vietnam has continuously increased forest area and forest coverage rate through major programs such as: Greening program for bare hills and mountains (Program 327), Planting 5 million hectares of new forests program (Program 661), Sustainable forestry development program (Program 886 and 809).
According to the data announced on the national forest status in 2024: forest area reached 14.87 million hectares, an increase of 5.41 million hectares compared to 1995; forest cover rate reached 42.03%, completing the target set by the 13th National Congress Resolution, and ensuring the stability of the national ecological safety threshold.
From its success in forest restoration, Vietnam has been recognized by international friends, ranked as the 5th country in the group with the fastest growth rate of forest area and coverage in the world, and among the leading countries in Asia in developing planted forests ( Report on Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 - FAO). This is not only an environmental achievement, but also a strong demonstration of the effectiveness of perfecting the legal system and implementing mechanisms and policies to develop a modern, sustainable forestry industry and gradually integrate into the international community.
At the same time, the system of special-use forests and protective forests has been gradually established. To date, there have been 167 special-use forests with an area of over 2.23 million hectares, including 35 national parks; conserving nearly 16,500 plant species and about 10,500 animal species. Protective forests with an area of 4.689 million hectares play a key role in protecting watershed areas, preventing natural disasters, preventing erosion and landslides, and mitigating the impact of climate change.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri visits a wood processing facility in Quang Tri. Photo: Department of Forestry and Fisheries.
Important driving force of national economic growth
Forestry is not only a “green shield” but is also increasingly asserting itself as an important economic sector. In the period 2021-2024, the average growth rate of forestry production value reached over 4.7%/year; it is estimated that in the period 2021-2025 it will reach about 5.0%/year, achieving the goal of the Sustainable Forestry Development Program.
The wood processing industry has become a strategic production and export industry in a sustainable and effective manner along the value chain from afforestation, exploitation, processing and product consumption. The export value of wood and forest products in the period 2021-2024 is expected to average 16.2 billion USD/year, of which 2024 will reach a record high of 17.35 billion USD.
In 2025, continuing the success, the estimated export value is over 18 billion USD. For many years, Vietnam's forestry export has always maintained the 5th position in the world, 2nd in Asia, 1st in Southeast Asia; Vietnamese wood products have been present in the markets of more than 170 countries and territories.
This achievement, in addition to the talented minds and hands of the workers and the courage, intelligence, innovative spirit, creativity, daring to think and dare to do of the entrepreneurs, an important and decisive factor is the increasingly proactive domestic supply of raw materials from forest growers who work hard day and night.
The output of concentrated plantation timber (excluding rubber wood and wood from scattered trees) in the 2021-2024 period will reach an average of 20.5 million m³/year, meeting about 80% of the demand for processed raw materials. Thanks to that, the industry's trade surplus is always high, demonstrating the progress and important role of forestry in the structure of the agricultural sector, as well as ensuring the trade balance of the entire economy.
In addition to revenue from timber exploitation, other sources of income from forests are also increasingly expanding. Notably, revenue from forest environmental services - a pioneering model in mobilizing green financial resources. In the period 2011-2024, total revenue from forest environmental services nationwide reached 31,086 billion VND. Revenue from forest environmental services has contributed to the management and protection of more than 7.45 million hectares of forest, accounting for 53.5% of the total forest area nationwide; contributing to increasing income and stabilizing livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of households.
In particular, revenue from the pilot forest carbon absorption and storage service under the Agreement on payment for greenhouse gas emission reduction in the North Central region with 56.5 million USD (equivalent to 1,400 billion VND), initially laid the foundation for the formation, institutionalization and development of this revenue source in the future.
These mechanisms are an important "push" for the socialization of forestry, mobilizing private, community and business resources for forest management and protection. By the end of 2024, 11.62 million hectares of forest had been allocated to forest owners, reaching 78.1% with more than 1.1 million households and communities being legal forest owners. About 500,000 workers work in the wood processing industry and 25 million people (including about 12 million ethnic minorities) directly or indirectly benefit from forests.
Forestry has become an important driving force contributing to hunger eradication, poverty reduction, new rural construction, formation of concentrated raw material areas, promotion of eco-tourism development, development of combined agriculture - forestry - fishery models and medicinal herbs under the forest canopy.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri at the wood and wood products exhibition space, within the framework of event A80. Photo: Bao Thang.
New vision - Aspiration to make forestry a modern, green and sustainable economic sector in the era of development
Entering a new development stage, an era of national growth, the Vietnamese forestry industry orients its development based on three strategic pillars:
Firstly , continue to protect and promote the value of national forest resources. Maintain a stable forest cover rate of 42-43%; increase forest productivity and quality; strongly develop large timber forests and concentrated production forests; expand the forest area with planting area codes and the area with sustainable forest management certification.
Second , raise the level of forestry economy. Strive to achieve 23-25 billion USD in forest product export value by 2030. Form high-tech forestry zones and regional wood processing centers. Develop forest environmental services, diversify and expand revenue sources, especially carbon absorption and storage services; promote the exchange and transfer of emission reduction results and forest carbon credits. Ensure that revenue from forest environmental services increases by an average of 5% per year.
Third , strengthen the role of forests in adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change; improve the effectiveness of nature conservation, biodiversity and forest protection capacity; strengthen research and application of advances in science and technology such as biotechnology in research to improve the quality of crop varieties, digital technology, AI, remote sensing, sensors... in forest resource management.
During the past 80 years, the forestry sector has been proud to have made a great contribution to the cause of building and defending the country. From the years of resistance war to the period of renovation and integration, from the efforts to protect and restore forests to the construction and development of a large-scale wood processing industry with global status, Vietnam's forestry has affirmed its irreplaceable role in the country's development process.
With great faith and aspiration, the forestry sector is determined to contribute more strongly to the cause of building a green - prosperous - sustainable country, making worthy contributions to the development journey of an independent Vietnam.
On November 28, 1959, in the atmosphere of everywhere competing to achieve achievements to celebrate the Party's 30th anniversary, President Ho Chi Minh wrote the article "Tet tree planting" published in Nhan Dan Newspaper. "In that competition, we proposed to organize a Tet tree planting day. This work costs little but has many benefits," he wrote.
His call and launch was the beginning of the tree planting and afforestation movement in our country from 1960 onwards. The "Tree Planting Festival" initiated by Uncle Ho was well received by all classes of people and has become a fine tradition of the nation.
To encourage all people, cadres, workers and forestry workers; agencies, schools, armed forces... to promote the nation's fine cultural traditions, and to properly implement President Ho Chi Minh's sacred teachings on "Tree Planting Festival", in 1995, the Prime Minister issued a Decision to designate November 28 every year as "Vietnam Forestry Day".
Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/lam-nghiep-viet-nam-80-nam-giu-la-phoi-xanh-va-tao-dung-thinh-vuong-d786179.html
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