Developing the cultivation of tung trees in Muong Lat

Over the past period, the Muong Lat Protective Forest Management Board, together with the Party Committee, the government, and the people of Muong Lat district, have made efforts to protect and develop the forest. To date, the forest cover in the area has reached 77%. Many barren land and deforested hills have been reforested, opening up many new directions in the development of the forest economy for the people and contributing to environmental protection.

People in Pù Nhi commune are taking care of the tung trees.

Following the Mường Lát Forest Protection Management Board officials, we visited the production forest of Mr. Hà Văn Luần in Chiên Pục neighborhood, Mường Lát town. Mr. Luần said that in previous years, the trees planted on his family's production forest land did not yield high economic returns. However, since receiving tung tree seedlings from the Mường Lát District Forest Protection Management Board and guidance on how to care for them, his family has planted 2.65 hectares. The tung trees planted in previous years have already yielded a certain amount of fruit. Currently, the family is focusing on caring for the newly planted tung trees and hopes that this type of tree will bring a stable income to the family.

Speaking to us about the effectiveness of using the tung tree as a seed source for local people to plant, the Director of the Muong Lat Forest Protection Management Board, Nguyen Hoang Anh, said: The Muong Lat Forest Protection Management Board currently manages 3,476.69 hectares of forest and forest land in Muong Lat town and three communes: Tam Chung, Pu Nhi, and Nhi Son. To protect the forest sustainably and create livelihoods for people to develop the forest, the Muong Lat Forest Protection Management Board has implemented many research projects and supported local people in planting large timber trees and participating in reforestation programs. However, the most prominent and effective are the tung and teak trees.

Through practical experience and the implementation of planting, the management board and the people have found that this type of tree has many advantages such as being suitable for all soil types, easy to plant, requiring little investment, and bringing benefits to the people. Furthermore, tung trees quickly form forests; after 3 to 5 years of planting, the fruit can be harvested for seeds, and after 7 years, the wood can be harvested. Tung trees also have multiple uses: the wood is peeled and used as a surface coating in plywood processing technology; tung seeds are pressed into oil and used as an additive in the paint, varnish, ink, surface drying agent, and lubricant industries; as well as in the pharmaceutical, biofuel, plastics, and artificial leather industries.

To contribute to creating stable livelihoods and developing the economy for people along the border, in 2021, the Muong Lat Forest Protection Management Board began planting tung trees in Chien Puc neighborhood (Muong Lat town) and Can and Tan Huong villages (Tam Chung commune) with an area of ​​over 11 hectares, bringing the total area to 50 hectares planted on production forest land. In 2022, the Management Board continued to plant 50 hectares of tung trees on production forest land and 20 hectares of protection forest land in Suoi Long village (Tam Chung commune). In 2023, the Management Board intercropped tung and teak trees on 29.57 hectares. From the beginning of 2024 to the present, the Management Board has continued to expand and plant new tung trees on an area of ​​35 hectares of protection forest land and 70 hectares of production forest land. Currently, the tung tree is being grown by local people in their family's production forests, yielding up to 100kg of fruit per year per orchard. The selling price at the time the Management Board purchased the fruit for seeds was 10,000 VND/kg for fresh fruit and 12,000 to 15,000 VND/kg for dried fruit.

The tung tree is being identified as a tree of economic value, providing income for ethnic minority people in the highlands; it creates water sources, improves the environment, and provides effective protection. According to Tran Van Thang, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Muong Lat District: In 2023, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Agricultural Institute announced and handed over the results of research and the construction of a soil and agricultural chemistry map of Muong Lat District. Surveys in the locality show that many areas on high hills and mountains unsuitable for traditional crops can be converted to tung tree cultivation for oil extraction. Developing tung tree cultivation helps people have more stable jobs, increase income, and contribute to increasing forest cover.

Text and photos: Tien Dat

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/phat-trien-cay-trau-o-muong-lat-215673.htm