Forestry law must be closely aligned with reality.

Rapid drafting of legal documents

Speaking at the forestry sector units' meeting on July 16, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Quoc Tri stated that Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long highly appreciated and acknowledged the efforts and contributions of the legal staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in promptly advising on the amendment of several provisions of Decree 156/2018/ND-CP. This provided a legal basis to temporarily open paths through forests, allowing the transportation of materials and workforce for the construction of the 500kV transmission line project from Quang Trach (Quang Binh) to Pho Noi (Hung Yen).

Typically, such a project would take about three years to build. However, due to the close direction of the Prime Minister, and the involvement of various ministries and sectors, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and local authorities, the project was completed within six months.

The task of drafting legal documents is always one of the regular and key duties that forestry sector units, directly the Forestry Department and the Forest Protection Department, perform. Including the recent Decree 27/2024/ND-CP on the temporary use of forests, the forestry sector has issued three new decrees. Among them is Decree 58/2024/ND-CP on forest protection, development, and wood processing, which has been well-received by many localities.

"Many local leaders told me that Decree 58 has helped remove many bottlenecks in forestry investment," Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri said, emphasizing that forestry law affects more than 20 million people nationwide. "If we don't keep up with the pulse of life, it's like tying ourselves up with rope."

In 2024, the Forestry Department and the Forest Protection Department were assigned to draft four decrees and five circulars out of a total of nine decrees and 26 circulars from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In the last six months of the year, these units must urgently complete the final steps to issue the National Forestry Plan, the amended Decree 156, and the amended Decree 01.

Notably, the amended Decree 01 on forest rangers and the specialized force for forest protection is extremely meaningful at this time, as it provides the basis to posthumously award the title to two forest rangers in Ha Giang who died while fighting forest fires.

Optimistic export value

Mr Tran Quang Bao, Director of the Forestry Department, reported that many forestry sector indicators grew in the first six months of 2024. For example, 125.5 thousand ha of concentrated forests were planted, an increase of 1.2% compared to the same period; about 44.6 million scattered trees were planted, an increase of 2.9% compared to the same period. The country recorded 3,873 forestry violations, a decrease of 583 cases (13%), with the affected forest area being 1,163.7 ha, a decrease of 4%. The exploitation of plantation timber is estimated at 9.93 million cubic meters, an increase of 6.3%.

In the first six months of the year, timber and forest product exports were estimated at $7.994 billion, an increase of 22.1% compared to the same period and 52.6% of the annual plan. Maintaining this momentum could bring the target of over $15 billion within reach.

The forestry sector and localities also coordinated to promote forest certification. After six months, about 47,700 ha of forest were certified, reaching 78.3% of the 2024 plan, bringing the total certified forest area nationwide to 506,934 ha. This includes 334,109 ha certified by FSC and the remainder by VFCS/PEFC.

In addition to forest certification, the Forestry Department advised the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to pilot the issuance of raw material forest plantation area codes in Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, Bac Giang, and Lang Son provinces under Decision No. 2260/QD-BNN-LN dated July 9. These localities will be provided with materials and guidance on the temporary issuance and management of raw material forest plantation area codes.

Combining policies encouraging large timber forest planting and multi-value extraction from forest ecosystems, Mr Bao assessed that the forestry sector has "a lot of potential" for sustainable development.

During the monthly review meeting, several units acknowledged that while the forestry sector has many opportunities, it also faces significant challenges. Mr Nguyen Dinh Hung, Deputy Director of the Institute of Forest Investigation and Planning, expressed concerns about the current workforce and the next generation working in the sector. Due to the remuneration policies and the unique operations in mountainous, remote areas, many staff members feel apprehensive about conducting forest status surveys.

To ensure the institute's activities can be carried out smoothly and continuously, Mr. Hung proposed that the Deputy Minister and the Departments under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development promptly approve the public service provision tasks for 2025. Additionally, he requested the approval of the workload and implementation funding for 2025 projects under Program 809 managed by the Institute.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has planned to conduct forest inventory in the Central Highlands provinces in 2024. Therefore, the Institute proposed to supplement the implementation budget for 2024 to prepare for photo interpretation and the reception of remote sensing images in this area.