Lang Son records breakthrough in forest development

Lang Son (VNA) – The northern mountainous province of Lang Son has raised the forest coverage to 60 percent thanks to its efforts in calling for the engagement  of businesses and residents in forest development.

Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Thi Thanh Nhan said that in the first six months of 2017, the province focused on forest planting with survival ratio of over 90 percent.

The forestry sector has attracted many enterprises and individuals. Forest area planted by businesses and locals increased to 47 percent of the total figure as of June this year from only 20 percent in 2014.

Since 2015, nearly 30,000 hectares of additional forest area have been planted, raising the ratio of forest coverage to over 60 percent.

Many households in Loc Binh and Dinh Lap districts have risen out of poverty thanks to pine tree planting, with many earning over 100 million VND (4,400 USD) per year.

A number of regions growing industrial forests have also been formed. Currently, the province is expanding a cinnamon tree area in Binh Gia, Bac Son and Trang Dinh districts.

Thanks to the forestry sector’s growth, many processing companies have been operating efficiently, including Lang Son hi-tech wood processing factory in Huu Lung district with capacity of 140,000 cubic metre per year, and a plant in Loc Binh district processing 4,000 tonnes of pine resin per year for export to Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Lang Son has merged the Forest Management Division and the Forestry Ranger Division for more effective operation, while handing over two forestry companies of Dinh Lap and Loc Binh to the Vietnam Forestry Corporation for reform.-VNA