Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Hai Minh surveyed and inspected some native forest plantations and medicinal plant cultivation in Phong Dien.

Also accompanying them were leaders from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Phong Dien district.

According to the Bo River Protective Forest Management Board, in 2022 and 2023, using funds from reforestation investment, the unit's legitimate revenue, and sponsorships, the unit invested in planting 530 hectares of native forest, of which approximately 450 hectares were planted in Phong Xuan commune (Phong Dien district).

The committee chose to plant several native tree species already present in the area, including ginger re, chò chỉ, gáo vàng, huynh, and lim xanh. Although the newly planted forest is only 1-2 years old, it has yielded promising results. The trees are growing well, with a high survival rate. In many areas of the 2-year-old forest, the trees are already 2.5-3 meters tall. It is expected that the canopy will close after 3 years, and after 5 years of investment in planting and care, the survival rate will reach over 75%, with the average height of the forest trees reaching 4-5 meters, exceeding the standards for acceptance and use as stipulated.

Regarding medicinal plants, the unit has researched and identified the development of medicinal plants as one of its main production development directions for the period 2024-2030. The medicinal plant species the unit plans to develop include five-veined Melaleuca alternifolia, tea tree, Solanum torvum, Java lemongrass, and Amomum xanthioides...

The Bo River Protective Forest Management Board has planted 530 hectares of native forest.

In 2023, the unit tested planting 10 hectares of five-veined melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) seedlings from the Central Seed Institute, 1 hectare of tea tree, and 0.5 hectares of Solanum torvum. It is expected that in 2024, more areas of five-veined melaleuca, Solanum torvum, and Java lemongrass will be planted.

During the inspection, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Hai Minh highly appreciated the efforts of the Bo River Protective Forest Management Board in developing native forest plantations and cultivating medicinal plants in the area, noting that the initial results have shown promising outcomes for future expansion of the model.

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee affirmed that native trees contribute to mitigating many types of natural disasters caused by climate change in the area, and create a beautiful natural landscape. Therefore, in the coming time, the agricultural sector will continue to expand the model and encourage people to plant native trees to contribute to increasing forest cover in the province, as well as creating income and providing jobs for the people.

Regarding the development of medicinal plants, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Hai Minh stated that planting medicinal plants would bring in 4-5 times more revenue than planting acacia trees, would not be damaged by wind and storms, would have a very low risk of forest fires, and would optimize the use of forest resources.

Text and photos: Ngoc Nguyen