Protect and care for newly planted forests

Timely care

His family has had a tradition of planting forests and being attached to the forest for decades, so Mr. Ninh Van Lin, Gia village, Tien Bo commune (Yen Son) understands the value of this profession better than anyone. The proof is that Mr. Lin's large acacia forests are nearly ten years old and worth hundreds of millions of VND. Mr. Lin said that planting forests is not as simple as people think. Planting forests must ensure the recommended density, fertilization, post-planting care, thinning, etc. If the process is not ensured, the economic efficiency will not be high.

Currently, he has 2 hectares of forest planted over 1 year old, in addition to adding fertilizer, weeding, clearing, he also has to adjust the leaning trees to ensure the trees grow well. With over 15 hectares of forest belonging to his family, Mr. Lin takes care of it according to FSC process, so the quality of wood as well as economic value is much higher, on average 1 hectare of Mr. Lin's forest reaches from 120 - 135 million VND.

Nearby, Mr. Nguyen Duc Binh’s family in Gia village maintains over 12 hectares of forest land, mainly hybrid acacia. Previously, people planted forests to let the trees grow on their own, but since the forests have become valuable, they are cared for like fruit trees, with fertilization, weeding, replanting, pruning, pest control, and even changing the variety structure.

Officers of Yen Son Forest Protection Department guide people in Na Vo village, Kien Thiet commune to take care of the acacia forest in its second year.

Mr. Binh said: “The first three years are very important in afforestation. If we do not weed or fertilize, the trees will not grow. Moreover, this is the stage when the trees are young and pests can easily invade, so growers must regularly check to detect them promptly and take preventive measures.”

With proper care, the survival rate of Mr. Binh's family's planted forests is always over 90%, which is a condition for him to develop large timber forests. Currently, the family has 4.2 hectares of 8-year-old forest. If harvested now, it will only be used as wood chips with a value of 107 million VND/ha. If left for another 4-5 years at the current market price, it will bring in an income of about 200 million VND/ha. Another benefit is that large forests do not require investment in seeds or care, they only need to be looked after and protected.

Comrade Tran Van Su, Vice Chairman of Tien Bo Commune People's Committee affirmed: Forest economy has helped change the local appearance significantly. With more than 4,600 hectares of natural forest, the annual income of many families has reached several hundred million VND, even some families earn billions of VND. Therefore, people have focused on taking care of the forest right from the time of planting, fertilizing and preventing pests and diseases. The situation of sparse dead forests or neglected "self-growth" is no longer. Forest growers in Tien Bo are also applying silvicultural techniques, selecting high-quality varieties to develop large timber forests, for higher economic value.

Kien Thiet Commune (Yen Son) is one of the particularly difficult communes, with the population mainly Mong, Dao, Tay people with the habit of farming, but since the province, district, and commune mobilized to plant production forests and implemented the province's policies, people have changed their perception of the forest economy. The corn fields, cassava fields, and rice fields of the past are now lush green forests. Mr. Vuong Van Lem, a Nung person from Na Vo village, is taking care of the acacia forest that was planted 3 months ago and boasts: "Last year, 2 hectares of forest were sold for nearly 160 million VND, the largest amount of money for his family ever. Now the forest is a valuable asset! After planting, we take care of it, fertilize it, and weed it, not neglect it like before."

Comrade Le The Hung, Vice Chairman of Kien Thiet Commune People's Committee, said: The commune has a total of over 8,489 hectares of forest land, of which 7,300 hectares of production forest have been planted, and over 1,000 hectares of protective forest have been protected. Up to now, there is no village with bare land or bare hills in the whole commune. The economy of planted forests brings about 10 billion VND/year to the people in the commune. The commune government has coordinated with the district forest rangers to guide people in planting and caring for planted forests, especially in the first years of the planting cycle to form forests.

Anti-collapse

Dong Tho Commune (Son Duong) has over 2,800 hectares of forest, including over 146 hectares of natural forest and over 2,700 hectares of planted forest. Currently, nearly 1,000 hectares of production forest are certified with FSC sustainable forest management. On average, the whole commune plants over 100 hectares of forest each year, with over 1,800 households participating. Average revenue from the forest is 80 - 100 million VND/ha/cycle of 6-7 years.

Dong Ninh village, Dong Tho commune has 200 hectares of forest, the largest in the commune with 160 households having forests. Mr. Tran Kim Cuong's family is a typical household that escaped poverty and got rich from the forest. Mr. Cuong planted 3.5 hectares of forest, after exploiting it, he immediately replanted it. Mr. Cuong said, "The entire area of his family is planted with tissue culture acacia from the support policy of the Provincial People's Council, planted with a density of about 1,400 trees/ha, each row is 3m apart, the distance between trees is at least 2m. In the first 3 years, he had to take meticulous care, weed, fertilize, prune branches, straighten crooked trees and thin them. In the 3rd year, he only kept the acacia density of about 1,100 trees/ha. The trees grow faster, limiting falling, sliding, and breaking during storms."

In the rains and winds of early May 2024, Chiem Hoa Forestry Company suffered damage to over 100 hectares of forest. Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Director of Chiem Hoa Forestry Company, said: From the two storms from the beginning of the month until now, the company has suffered damage to over 100 hectares of forest from 2-3-4 years old, worth nearly 1 billion VND. The cause was due to strong local winds that made the young forest unable to withstand. Currently, the unit is reviewing, for areas with 70% or more of broken trees/ha, replanting will be carried out. Any areas with bent trees will be repaired. However, through this period, the company will also find more forestry varieties that are more suitable for areas exposed to strong winds to reduce damage.

Since the beginning of 2024, the province has experienced heavy rains and strong storms that have damaged more than 200 hectares of broken and eroded forests. In addition to the cause of storms, many households have planted trees at a higher density than recommended and have not paid attention to thinning and pruning to reduce the burden on trees when there are strong winds and storms.

By May 25, the whole province had planted 6,343 hectares of new forest out of 10,500 hectares. In order for the forest to take root and not be damaged by storms, pests and diseases, the forestry sector and local authorities continue to guide forest planters on protection and care measures, focusing on maintaining a reasonable grass density and not leaving the soil bare when it rains, causing erosion that causes trees to uproot and a very high death rate.

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