Quang Ninh to invest in expanding large timber forest area

Quang Ninh province currently houses over 434,000 hectares of forests and forestry planning land, which account for 70% of the local natural land area. Notably, the province is managing 175,000 hectares of planted and production forests; with a forest coverage rate of 55%.

Quang Ninh province has promoted the cultivation of large timber forests since 2019. Accordingly, this initiative is in compliance with Resolution No. 19-NQ/TU, issued by by the Provincial Party Standing Committee on November 28, 2019, on sustainable forestry development; and Resolution No. 337/2021/NQ-HDND, issued by the Provincial People's Council on March 24, 2021, on special policies to promote sustainable forestry development.

After over two years of implementing Resolution No. 337/2021/NQ-HDND, by the end of 2023, 918 local households and residents have received financial support for participating in the policy to cultivate large timber and indigenous trees on nearly 1,430 hectares. Namely, 172 households in Ha Long city received support for a total forestation area of 280 hectares; 746 households and residents in Ba Che district received support for a total forestation area of 1,150 hectares.

The total financial support for the policy implementation amounted to nearly 30 billion VND. Accordingly, direct financial support for 918 local households and residents amounted to nearly 18 billion VND, including 17 billion VND for seedling procurement, and 690 million VND for management costs.

An additional 11 billion VND has been disbursed in loans through policy banks to 276 local households and residents at preferential interest rates (households and residents repay principal and interest according to the loan contract). Among them, 52 local households and residents in Ha Long city received preferential loans totaling 2.2 billion VND; 224 local households and residents in Ba Che district received preferential loans totaling nearly 9 billion VND.

Large timber forests offer a a multitude of economic and environmental benefits. Economically, they generate high revenue and profits due to the high yield and quality, favorable market prices, and reduced costs in seedling procurement, planting, maintenance, and pest control.

Large timber forests yield between 120 and 150 cubic meters of wood per hectare on average, which is a stable supply of raw material for furniture production. Furthermore, the purchase price for large timber is approximately 2.4 million VND per cubic meter, which is double that of small timber. In addition to economic benefits, large timber forests also prevent soil degradation, conserve water sources, and supply oxygen to sustain human lives.

Trieu Tien Loc, a resident of Tan Dan commune in Ha Long city, is a prominent figure in preserving and expanding the decades-old ironwood forest in Quang Ninh province. At present, Loc’s family manages nearly 10 hectares of large timber forest, including 500 decades-old and several hundred small ironwood trees.

"To maintain a stable income for my family, I plant multiple valuable medicinal herbs such as ba kich, khoi tia, and yellow tea under the forest canopy. Additionally, I am making renovations to turn this precious forest into an attractive ecotourism destination for visitors in the near future," Loc shared.

In addition to developing his own forest, Loc actively promotes and encourages the local community to cultivate and protect forests, with a focus on large timber trees. With regards to Resolution 08 NQ/TU, issued by the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee on November 25, 2021, which set a target of 5,000 hectares of large timber forests (ironwood, magnolia, mahogany), Quang Ninh province has planted 3,755 hectares to date (2,288 hectares in 2022, 1,078 hectares in 2023, and 650 hectares in 2024), achieving 75% of the resolution’s target.

On April 4, 2024, Quang Ninh Provincial Chairman Cao Tuong Huy signed Document No. 784 to register for the cultivation of ironwood, magnolia, and mahogany forests in 2024. Accordingly, the document requested local governments, agencies, and businesses to contribute to cultivating over 1,400 hectares of the aforementioned trees in 2024, with the aim of achieving the 5,000-hectare target for large timber forests.

Quang Ninh province boasts an extensive forested area, ranking 18th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide, with nearly 423,000 hectares of land designated for forestry. This land area accounts for 68.4% of the province's natural land area, including over 370,000 hectares of forested land.