Bac Giang (VNA) – The northern province of Bac Giang is set to develop more large-timber forest with a view to helping improve the local forestry sector’s production value, said Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le O Pich.
Bac Giang targets at least 16,000ha of large-timber forest by 2025, equivalent to 20% of its total concentrated planted forest.
In 2024 and 2025, it will cultivate about 3,317ha of large-timber forest while converting some 5,783ha of small-timber forest into large one, mainly in Son Dong, Luc Ngan, Luc Nam, and Yen The districts, Pich noted.
The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will step up communications to raise public awareness of benefits from large-timber forest such as raising income and protecting the environment, and coordinate with local authorities to persuade forest owners to develop this type of forest.
From now to 2025, the sector will boost the application of high technology to forestry production. In particular, it will increase transferring new varieties produced by advanced techniques and maintain the use of intensive afforestation techniques to improve forest quality.
In addition, Bac Giang will build effective intensive afforestation and forest conversion models so that local people can visit and learn experience from, according to the Vice Chairman.
Ha Minh Quy, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said large-timber forest generates profit nearly 50% higher than the small one. This type of forest has less impact on land as it doesn’t require as many much hoeing and turning over soil during cultivation as the planting of small-timber forest, thus reducing risk of soil erosion caused by rain and flooding.
Vietnam already signed the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT) with the EU, he noted, considering this as a great opportunity for wood processing businesses to expand export markets, further access technology to improve product quality, and bring about higher profit for both businesses and forest growers.
Of Bac Giang’s total area of 389,559ha, 161,177ha is zoned for forestry, accounting for 41.4%. It consists of over 13,600ha of special-use forest, 18,509ha of protection forest, and 129,066ha of production forest.
There is about 80,000ha of timber forest supplying material for processing in the province, concentrating in four mountainous districts – Son Dong 27,000ha, Luc Ngan 25,000ha, Luc Nam 15,000ha, and Yen The 13,000ha. The majority of the area is “keo” (Acacia) with 61,000ha while “bach dan” (Eucalyptus) makes up 17,000ha.
Nearly 20,000ha of the planted forest has been granted the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate, mainly in Son Dong, Luc Ngan, and Yen The districts, statistics show.
Bac Giang logged 1.12 million cub.m. of timber from planted forest last year and another 103,129 cub.m. in the first two months of 2024. The volume is set to reach some 1.1 million cub.m. this year.
By the end of 2023, the province had planted more than 12,662ha of large-timber forest. About 1,619ha is expected to be planted this year, when 2,802ha of small-timber forest will also be converted into large one.
Across the province, there are 64 establishments processing timber for export at present, including 16 directly exporting wood products. Businesses’ data show that wood export value approximated 2 trillion VND (78.5 million USD) in 2023./.
