Sustainable benefits from the VFCS System
Timber and non-timber forest products harvested from forests certified under VFCS/PEFC will basically meet the requirements of the European Union (EUDR). This is also the source of raw materials recommended by many experts to meet the strict requirements of EUDR when the deadline for applying EUDR is approaching (January 1, 2025).
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tiep, Deputy Director of the Office of Sustainable Forest Management Certification
In early 2023, a group of households planting forests in Cam Xuyen district, Ha Tinh province was granted a sustainable forest management certificate by Bureau Veritas Certification Vietnam for 1,058.97 hectares of acacia plantations according to VFCS/PEFC management standards (The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is the world's largest forest certification system).
The household group has 339 members, who are households with acacia plantation areas in 38 villages of 7 communes of Cam Xuyen district. Since 2022, Thua Thien Hue Forestry Cooperative - the representative unit for certification - has coordinated with households in Cam Xuyen district to organize sustainable forest management by household group.
Activities include supporting group building, training to improve group management capacity and capacity building for households on sustainable forest management, organizing and implementing sustainable forest management activities according to VFCS/PEFC system standards and conducting monitoring and evaluation.
Along with that, the Linkage Model has also been established when Thua Thien Hue Forestry Cooperative committed to consuming acacia wood products with VFCS/PEFC certification at a higher price than acacia wood without forest certification at the same time. In addition, sustainable forest management according to the VFCS/PEFC system also brings many other benefits to forest owners such as improving productivity, forest quality, and enhancing the environmental and social values of the forest.
The organization of sustainable forest management by household groups in Cam Xuyen district has been opening up opportunities for sustainable forest management development in Ha Tinh province. This locality aims to have about 37,000 hectares of forest certified by VFCS by 2030, with the expectation that it will bring many opportunities for forest owners in the area to manage forests sustainably, issue forest certificates and improve the socio-economic and environmental efficiency of forests.
Contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development
According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tiep, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Forestry Certification Office (VFCO), the VFCS/PEFC system not only brings economic benefits but also contributes to environmental protection and sustainable development. From improving forest quality and productivity, ensuring legality and transparency, to promoting local community development, this certificate is becoming an important standard for the Vietnamese forestry industry.
Forest areas with VFCS/PEFC certification will help improve forest quality and productivity through scientific and standard production. The application of these standards helps forest owners fully comply with Vietnamese and international laws, including land and forest management and use.
According to Mr. Tran Cao Bang - a forest owner in Nghe An province, forests that do not burn the ground cover will have good humidity, helping trees grow quickly. In addition to not burning the ground cover, the standards also guide planting trees in rows, maintaining distance between trees. This not only helps trees grow better but also reduces the risk of uncertainty when dealing with traders.
“In fact, after more than 1 year of applying VFCS/PEFC standards, my family's acacia trees are 4-5m tall, with straight trunks, large bases, and diameters up to 10cm,” said Mr. Bang.
It can be affirmed that afforestation according to VFCS/PEFC standards not only brings economic benefits but also protects the environment. These standards help maintain and enhance ecosystems, mitigate impacts and adapt to climate change. This also contributes to promoting local community development. At the same time, it helps Vietnamese forest products easily access international markets. VFCS/PEFC standards help ensure the legality and traceability of forest products, meeting the strict technical requirements of international importers with high environmental and social standards.
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tiep affirmed: Timber and non-timber forest products harvested from forests certified under VFCS/PEFC will basically meet the requirements of the European Union (EUDR). This is also the source of raw materials recommended by many experts to meet the strict requirements of EUDR when the deadline for applying EUDR is approaching (January 1, 2025). In particular, while many other forest owners are not yet ready, forest owners with VFCS sustainable forest management certificates will have a great opportunity to expand their market.
The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is the world’s largest forest certification system, certifying 320 million hectares of forest, accounting for 75% of the world’s total certified forest area. PEFC currently has 55 member countries. More than 20,000 companies in 83 countries have chosen PEFC to prove that their timber and wood products come from legally and sustainably managed forests.
Binh Dinh: Allocating more than 36 billion VND to implement replacement forest planting
Comment (0)