Van Linh: Nurturing "golden wood" village earns billions

Mr. Vu Viet Nghia, Mo Ro village, Van Linh commune checks the quality of Huu Lien royal sandalwood seedlings

The family of Mr. Ho Van Thoi, Lung Na village, Van Linh commune is one of the pioneers in implementing the Huu Lien Hoang Dan seedlings nursery model. Mr. Thoi shared: Since 2015, my family has started to nurse Hoang Dan seedlings, but at that time I only nursed a few hundred trees on a trial basis. Now my family has expanded the nursery to an area of 2 sao; on average, 2,000 seedlings are sold each year, with prices ranging from 1 - 1.2 million VND/tree (depending on size), bringing in an income of 1.2 billion VND after deducting expenses.

Similarly, Mr. Vu Viet Nghia, Mo Ro village, Van Linh commune is also successfully developing a model of cultivating Huu Lien Hoang Dan seedlings. Mr. Nghia said: Stemming from the desire to preserve the local endemic tree species, since 2019, I have learned the technique of cultivating this tree species. While working, I have researched and learned from successful tree cultivation models in the commune. By 2024, I have successfully cultivated Huu Lien Hoang Dan seedlings, with a germination rate of 50%. From 2024 to now, I have sold 1,000 seedlings to the market, with prices ranging from 200,000 - 500,000 VND/tree (depending on size), bringing in an income of over 300 million VND. Currently, my nursery has about 5,000 seedlings for sale. Besides nurturing trees, I also research on shaping bonsai trees of cypress, which are 10 - 20 times more valuable than normal cypress trees.

The whole Van Linh commune has 7 households that grow Huu Lien royal sandalwood seedlings with a relatively large quantity. On average, each household sells from 500 to 1,000 seedlings to the market each year, with some households selling over 2,000 seedlings per year. With high value, some households earn over 1 billion VND per year from selling this type of tree.

Not only the above 2 households, in recent years, many households in Van Linh commune have learned and developed the Huu Lien Hoang Dan tree nursery model. Currently, the whole commune has 7 households that nurse Huu Lien Hoang Dan seedlings with a relatively large quantity. On average, each year, households sell from 500 to 1,000 seedlings to the market, with some households selling over 2,000 trees/year.

The Huu Lien Royal Sandalwood is a rare tree species that only appears in nature in Lang Son province. This is a tree with high economic value, the wood has a sweet fragrance, is popular for making high-class handicrafts, the essential oil is used for medicine and perfume. Because of its multi-value, the royal sandalwood has been exploited to the point of exhaustion, facing the risk of extinction in the wild. Therefore, the successful incubation of Huu Lien Royal Sandalwood seedlings in Van Linh commune has contributed significantly to the "revival" of this rare endemic tree species.

Currently, households in the commune mainly use the method of sowing seeds to grow huang dan seedlings. Seeds are soaked in water for about a session, then incubated for two weeks before being placed in trays of soil mixed with manure. However, the incubation process requires high techniques because the germination rate and survival rate of seedlings after being placed in the pot are low, so care must be taken very carefully.

To manage seed quality and ensure legal origin, recently, Van Linh commune authorities have coordinated with Chi Lang Regional Forest Protection Department to promote propaganda and guide households to register and issue codes for nurseries according to regulations.

Ms. Duong Thi Ut Nham, Deputy Head of the Chi Lang Regional Forest Protection Department, said: Recently, a number of households in Van Linh commune have developed an effective Huu Lien yellow sandalwood nursery model, contributing to increasing income and preserving local endemic and rare tree species. Up to now, the whole commune has 7 Huu Lien yellow sandalwood nursery facilities that have been granted codes for growing endangered, precious and rare forest plants by the Provincial Forest Protection Department. In the coming time, we will continue to do a good job of inspection, supervision, and guidance for facilities to comply with regulations, ensure quality and technical processes, contributing to facilitating management and improving economic efficiency for people.

It can be seen that the Huu Lien huang dan tree nursery model in Van Linh commune not only opens up a new direction for economic development, helping people have a stable income but also plays an important role in preserving endemic and rare tree species of Lang Son province.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/van-linh-trien-vong-tu-uom-cay-hoang-dan-huu-lien-5066915.html