VietNamNet Bridge – The Lao Cai provincial authorities have decided to eliminate the wood processing workshops in the forests, or near the forests, in an effort to protect the local forests from illegal lumberjacks.

The decision on shutting down the wood workshops near the natural forests was made in mid-October, amid the increased illegal wood exploitation in the Hoang Lien National Park in Van Ban district.

There are at least 50 wood workshops in Van Ban district, including the two on the foot of Liem Phu and Nam Tha mounts which have the capacity of hundreds of cubic meters a month.

The wood workshops reportedly collect illegally exploited wood in big quantity from illegal lumberjacks, thus encouraging lumberjacks’ deforestation. A lot of old trees have been chopped down by them who then sold precious wood for money. Local people and authorities have many times alarmed that the deforestation has made the protective forests and the national precious wood sources exhausted.

Most recently, in late July 2013, the Lao Cai provincial police arrested the chair of the Ngoc Loi Cooperative, headquartered in Liem Phu commune of Van Ban district for his behaviors of violating the regulations on forest protection and exploitation.

Nguyen Van Xuyen, under the name of Ngoc Loi cooperative, has been found as trading and carrying precious wood many times.

The Lao Cai provincial police have found from the investigation that the amount of seized wood, declared by Xuyen as “liquidated wood”, about hundreds of cubic meters, were illegally exploited in the natural forests of Van Ban district. The wood was on the way to cities for consumption.

After the arrest of Nguyen Van Xuyen, the police have found other big amounts of illegally exploited wood in some localities on the mountain foot in Hoang Lien Natural Park area, including Nam Xay, Nam Xe and Minh Luong.

Doan Van Huong, Deputy Chair of the Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee, said the local authorities have been determined to punish the forestry law violators, promising to put the Ngoc Loi Cooperative case into trial soon.

However, Doi song & Phap luat newspaper has reported that the wood illegal exploitation in the national park has been even more serious after the “precious wood tycoon” Nguyen Van Xuyen was arrested.

After a heavy rain, a lot of precious wood sheets reportedly ran along the current stream to the lower course of Nam Mu. People rushed to collect the wood, which they said “the gift from the God.” The wood was believed to be exploited by illegal lumberjacks who planned to carry the wood away in some days.

While vowing to take the drastic measures to stop the illegal wood exploitation and transportation, Lao Cai provincial authorities refuse to grant business licenses to the wood workshops which cannot prove the legitimate sources of the materials, or the workshops which do not fit the local wood workshop development program.

The local authorities have been giving support to the forestry product processing workshops which relocate to industrial zones.

Huong also emphasized the necessity of removing the wood workshops in the forests or near forests, considering this an important solution to cut the demand sources that encourage the illegal exploitation.

Compiled by C. V