Forestry Industry: Towards sustainable, modern and multi-value development

Ngành Lâm nghiệp: Hướng tới phát triển bền vững, hiện đại và đa giá trị- Ảnh 1. — The forestry sector enters a new period 2026-2030 with a clear orientation: Improving forest quality and added value of forest products.

Maintain the "green lungs" of the country

According to the summary report of Program 809 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment , by 2025, the national forest coverage rate will reach 42.03%, maintaining the target set by the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. The average growth rate of the forestry industry's added value will reach 5%/year, the export turnover of wood and forest products will reach an average of 16.2 billion USD/year, making Vietnam one of the five largest wood exporting countries in the world.

Not only has the scale increased, the quality of forests has also been significantly improved. A series of large timber plantation models and FSC-certified forests have been deployed in localities such as Yen Bai , Quang Tri, Binh Dinh, Tuyen Quang, etc., contributing to creating jobs and stable income for millions of households.

Mr. Tran Quang Bao, Director of the Forestry Department, emphasized: "The forestry sector has achieved many outstanding results in the 2020-2025 term. The average growth rate of production value reached 4.5%/year; the concentrated forestation area reached an average of 258,000 hectares/year; the forest cover rate remained above 42%".

According to Mr. Bao, that achievement comes from the strong direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the participation of localities, and the sense of responsibility of the entire industry. "In the coming time, the entire industry will continue to promote its role as a political nucleus, perform well the task of forest management and development, contributing to the successful implementation of sustainable forestry development goals in the new period," he said.

If in the past, forestry mainly focused on forest area, now the focus has shifted to improving the quality and value of forests. According to the report of Program 809, 9/9 main targets of the program have met or exceeded the plan, including concentrated afforestation, regeneration, collection of forest environmental services and issuance of sustainable forest management certificates.

Notably, revenue from forest environmental services reaches thousands of billions of VND each year, contributing to improving the livelihoods of people in forest areas. Ecotourism and resort models in forests are expanding strongly, with more than 2.19 million visitors and revenue of more than 500 billion VND in 2024.

Mr. Vu Quang Sang, Head of the Kbang District Forest Protection Department (Gia Lai), shared: "From 2021 to now, the locality has not had any forest fires. The forest protection contract has helped people have more income, raised awareness of forest protection, contributed to poverty reduction and green economic development."

The policy of payment for forest environmental services has become a highlight, affirming the program's "people-centered" approach. According to many localities, this is the most effective solution to combine forest protection and sustainable livelihood development.

One of the highlights of Program 809 is to promote public-private partnership (PPP) in forest management, protection and development. The Forestry Department has signed many cooperation programs with international organizations, businesses, research institutes... to transfer technology, improve management capacity and expand the market for forest products.

According to Mr. Luong Trong Quynh, Vice Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee: "It is necessary to continue reviewing and effectively implementing support policies, expanding the area of forests certified for sustainability, linking forest management with the issuance of planting area codes, and promoting the forest product value chain."

Sharing the same view, experts from the Forestry Department said that in the coming period, it is necessary to pay attention to developing multi-value forestry economy, in which forests are not only timber, but also biological resources, environmental services, ecotourism and carbon credits.

In the 2021-2025 period, the forestry sector has completed a strong institutional framework with a series of new legal documents: Decree on investment in forestry, medicinal plant development, ecotourism, forestry seed management, etc.

The Forestry Department has advised on the issuance of 35 legal documents and implemented three key programs, of which Program 809 is the mainstay. Along with that, the work of inspecting, monitoring, and handling forest violations has been strengthened, helping to significantly reduce illegal logging and deforestation.

Experts say the new policy has created a favorable environment to attract private capital, FDI and international projects into the forestry sector. The total capital mobilized for Program 809 in the 2021-2025 period is about VND59,000 billion, of which state budget capital accounts for nearly 30%.

However, with the foundation achieved from Program 809, the forestry sector enters a new period of 2026-2030 with a clear orientation: Improving forest quality and added value of forest products; Developing large timber plantations and economic forests with FSC certification; Applying digital transformation, remote sensing technology, and artificial intelligence in forest monitoring; Developing forest carbon markets and ecosystem services; Promoting international cooperation, especially in the field of emission credits and sustainable trade.

Mr. Tran Quang Bao emphasized: "The forestry sector is transforming from traditional forest management to modern, multi-purpose forest management. This is an important step for forests to truly become economic, ecological, and social resources of the country." The major orientation in the coming period is to develop the forestry economy in a multi-value direction, in which perfecting the law, applying science and technology, and international integration will be the three key pillars.

After nearly 5 years of implementation, Program 809 has contributed to reshaping the thinking about forestry in Vietnam - from "protection" to "sustainable development"; from "resource exploitation" to "investment in ecological value". Many localities consider forests as "a resource for long-term development" and not just a state management task.

Based on the results achieved, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is building a Sustainable Forestry Development Program for the 2026-2030 period, aiming at the goals of green growth, transparent governance, high technology application and modern forestry economic development.

Do Huong

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/nganh-lam-nghiep-huong-toi-phat-trien-ben-vung-hien-dai-va-da-gia-tri-102251106095615537.htm