Effectiveness of the implementation of the Forestry Law

The Forestry Law, now in effect, has created a solid legal framework, promoting sustainable forest protection, bringing benefits in economic , social, and environmental aspects, and contributing to improving livelihoods and increasing income for people in the province.

Officers and soldiers of the Trung Ly Forest Ranger Station, under the Muong Lat Forest Ranger District, cooperate with the militia and local people to patrol and protect the forest.

When the Law permeates life

The Forestry Law was passed by the National Assembly on November 15, 2017, and came into effect on January 1, 2019. Immediately after the Law and its implementing guidelines came into effect, the Provincial People's Committee issued a complete system of documents to ensure the effective implementation of the Law throughout the province. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development was assigned to lead and coordinate with provincial departments, agencies, and the People's Committees of districts, towns, and cities to organize numerous campaigns to disseminate, explain, and publicize the content of the law, decrees, and guiding circulars to all levels, sectors, and segments of the population, especially ethnic minorities in remote, mountainous, and border areas, so that they understand and strictly comply with the provisions of the law.

During the period 2019-2023, the entire province organized over 28,800 conferences to disseminate the Forestry Law with more than 130,000 participants; broadcasted information via loudspeakers over 80,000 times; published over 500 news articles reflecting the activities of the forest ranger force on the Thanh Hoa Forest Ranger website; established and maintained 1,607 village (hamlet) propaganda teams; maintained 810 "3 No" residential area models in forest protection and forest fire prevention and control in 214 communes/27 districts, towns, and cities; organized over 120,000 households to sign commitments on forest protection and fire prevention and control; organized the "Forest Ranger Forum to listen to the people's opinions" on forest protection and development; brought nearly 250 individuals who violated forestry laws to public review. Revising and supplementing 1,805 village regulations to conform with community customs and traditions...

Through awareness campaigns, people have gained a better understanding and increased their awareness of the importance of forests. Simultaneously, this has contributed to reducing deforestation for slash-and-burn agriculture and illegal logging. Forest management, protection, and development have been ensured; violations of the Forestry Law have been detected and prevented promptly; and forest fire prevention and control have been effectively implemented. As a result, people and communities have actively participated with specialized forces in planting, caring for, and protecting forests.

Many households have become wealthy from the forest.

We visited the family of Mr. Vi Van Pien in Tam Lu commune (Quan Son district) during a business trip to the area. From a distance, the officials from Tam Lu commune pointed out the lush green bamboo groves on his family's hill and said: "Previously, this hill was just barren forest, but since the policy of allocating land and forests to households and individuals was implemented, Mr. Pien's family has pioneered the transformation of the barren forest into bamboo and rattan plantations, which has brought high economic value."

To substantiate the village leader's words, Mr. Pien took us to visit the bamboo hill with its straight-trunked bamboo trees, tens of meters high. "Bamboo trees yield harvests year-round and require almost no care. My family owns 6 hectares of forest, including 3 hectares of bamboo, 2 hectares of reeds, and we are currently protecting and cultivating 1 hectare of natural forest. Every year, my family earns about 100 million dong from the forest," Mr. Pien said.

According to officials in Tam Lu commune, the entire commune has over 5,000 hectares of forest trees, including more than 4,000 hectares of bamboo. Since the government implemented the policy of allocating land and forests to households and individuals, people in the commune have boldly borrowed capital and invested in planting bamboo, bringing in tens of billions of dong in income per year. Currently, the average per capita income in the commune is 40 million dong per year. Forestry is contributing to poverty reduction and gradually enriching many households in the commune.

Like Mr. Pien, Mr. Pham Dinh Ba's family in Giao An commune (Lang Chanh district) has escaped poverty thanks to forest planting. Mr. Ba said: When they started planting trees, his family received support from the commune People's Committee in the form of fertilizers and the transfer of scientific and technical knowledge for planting acacia and other trees. To date, his family has 5 hectares of acacia trees and 4 hectares of bamboo forest that are being harvested, bringing in an income of 120 million VND per year...

Contributing to increasing forest cover.

In accordance with forestry laws and regulations, as of December 31, 2023, the entire province had allocated 617,496.59 hectares out of 647,437.26 hectares of forest and forest land, reaching 95.37% (of which, 372,278.82 hectares were allocated to households and individuals/65,975 households and groups of households (an average of 5.64 hectares/household/group of households); 30,651.09 hectares were allocated to communities/651 communities; and 214,566.68 hectares were allocated to organizations/53 organizations); the remaining 29,940.67 hectares of forest are temporarily allocated to commune People's Committees, accounting for 4.63%.

Land and forest allocation is a major policy of the Party and State aimed at effectively mobilizing all sectors of society to participate in the management, protection, and utilization of forests. When allocated land and forests, households and individuals have the right to legally exploit and develop forest resources. They can plant economic forests, harvest non-timber forest products, develop fruit trees, or participate in ecotourism... Income from these activities helps forest planters improve their living standards and stabilize their economy. Furthermore, with the right to manage and exploit, people consider the forest as their own asset, thus proactively participating in planting, caring for, and protecting forests. This helps increase forest cover, improve forest quality, and enhance the ecological value of forest ecosystems. Forest cover in the province increased from 53.40% in 2019 to 53.75% in 2023.

During the period 2019-2023, the entire province planted 60,321 hectares of concentrated forest plantations of various types and over 21 million scattered trees of various types; the average productivity of planted forests increased from 15 m3/ha/year to 17 m3/ha/year; the average timber harvest was approximately 759,000 m3/year.

The province has also focused on developing large-timber forest plantations to enhance the value of forests; on average, the province plants over 10,000 hectares of concentrated forest plantations annually; and effectively implements FSC forest certification in accordance with regulations. In particular, the province has issued a separate policy to support the development of concentrated forest plantations and the development of infrastructure serving forestry production according to Resolution No. 185/2021/NQ-HĐND dated December 10, 2021, of the Provincial People's Council (support for planting production forests using tissue-cultured seedlings; support for intensive cultivation of bamboo, reed, and rattan plantations; support for building forestry roads in concentrated production forest areas; support for granting sustainable forest management certification...).

The specific solutions and results achieved demonstrate that the 2017 Forestry Law has helped Thanh Hoa province build a solid foundation for managing and developing forest resources, raising community awareness of forest protection, creating livelihoods for people, and contributing to environmental protection and sustainable development. These effects not only help the province boost the exploitation of its forest economic potential but also ensure the sustainable conservation of forest resources and ecosystems.

Text and photos: Ngan Ha

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/hieu-qua-thi-hanh-luat-lam-nghiep-230281.htm