Granting forest production unit code for export

Yen Bai is among six provinces selected to pilot granting production unit code for forest plantations, and as of now, over 300 hectares of forest in Yen Binh district have been granted.

A code is a unique identifier granted to each forested area, designed to manage the origin, characteristics, and forestry practices involved in planting and managing forests. The iTwood system, a tool that supports real-time management of the timber supply chain, forms the foundation for issuing these codes.

The issuance of production unit code is a strategic step in the forestry sector to enhance transparency regarding forest locations and to meet traceability requirements for wood.

On July 9, 2024, MARD issued Decision No. 2260 to launch the pilot program for issuancing codes over 24 months in five Northern provinces, including Bac Giang, Lang Son, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, and Yen Bai.

Within four months of implementation, a database on forested areas in the five pilot provinces has been established, with initial codes assigned. The total forest area registered for codes exceeds 16,000 hectares, of which 3,350 hectares have been verified and granted codes.

As of the end of 2023, Yen Bai province has over 400,000 hectares of forest land, with a forest coverage rate of 63%. By 2030, the forest land area is projected to expand to 483,684 hectares, covering special-use forests (31,226 ha), protective forests (136,000 ha), and production forests (316,458 ha).

Mr. Kieu Tu Giang, Head of the Yen Bai Provincial Forest Protection Department, stated that in collaboration with the Forest Economics Research Center, his department has organized meetings to work with local authorities and forest owners to select the areas in Yen Binh and Luc Yen districts for the pilot. However, due to complex weather conditions, the pilot issuance of codes has only been carried out in four communes of Yen Binh district: Dai Dong, Phu Thinh, Thinh Hung, and Tan Huong.

Additionally, three training sessions on the iTwood system have been organized for officers at the Forest Protection Department, forest rangers, and local authorities in pilot areas. Forest owners have also been guided on registering accounts within the iTwood system.

As of now, over 600 hectares of forest have been registered for MSVT issuance, with 304 hectares verified and 321 codes assigned in Dai Dong, Phu Thinh, and Tan Huong communes. Codes have been issued for primary plantation species like cinnamon, acacia, eucalyptus, and tung oil trees.

Mr. Me Van Giao, a resident of Dai Dong commune, owns over 1.3 hectares of acacia forest, for which he recently received an MSVT code.

He explained that the code affirms ownership and management of his forest, enabling his family to access support programs and bank loans. The code also facilitates tracking production processes, improving forest product quality and market access.

Professor Vo Dai Hai, Director of the Vietnam Academy of Forest Sciences, emphasized that MSVT issuance supports voluntary partnerships such as the VPA/FLEGT Agreement between Vietnam and the EU.

This offers Vietnamese wood-processing businesses better market access, improved technology, and higher product quality, enhancing economic efficiency.

Furthermore, production unit code issuance supports the FCBMO project: "Pilot Research Project to build a Carbon Business Model from Planted Forests in Yen Binh, Yen Bai Province". This project, funded by the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) Phase II of the FAO partnership program, also aims to test digital technology applications for measuring and monitoring carbon sequestration in coded plantation areas.