A forest in Thua Thien - Hue

Moreover, achieving sustainable forest certification for one million hectares of large-sized timber forests is a move to completely reduce dependence on imported raw materials; thereby, it will further increase the trade surplus value.

According to statistics from the Department of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the country's current total forest area is about 14.74 million hectares. Of 14.74 million hectares, planted forests account for 31 percent while natural forests account for 69 percent.

In 2022, Vietnam earned US$15.67 billion from exporting forestry industry products. The country targets to achieve $18 billion-$20 billion from exporting forestry products by 2025, and $23 billion-$25 billion by 2030.

According to Mr. Vu Thanh Nam, Head of the Department of Forestry's Forest Use Division, the country currently has about 4 million hectares of production forests, providing about 20 million cubic meters of wood, planted mainly with acacia, eucalyptus, cinnamon, and pine. However, forestry experts advised that Vietnam should switch to investing in large-sized timber forests to further increase export value.

Statistically, of the existing four million hectares of production forests, the area of large timber plantations is currently about 440,000 hectares of over 10-year-old forest accounting for more than 10 percent. Currently, the State has a policy to support forest planters at VND8 million per hectare and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has submitted to the Government to promulgate a policy for forest planters to borrow capital to plant large timber forests.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is developing a project to plant large timber forests for the period 2023-2030, including mechanisms and policies on cooperation and association with the aim to have 1 million hectares of large-sized timber forests by the end of 2030.

Along with that, localities will promote the planting of large timber forests, according to Mr. Tran Lam Dong, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Academy of Forest Sciences, it is necessary to enhance cultivating trees in areas with sustainable tree-planting certification to make raw materials for exports.

Vietnam has two types of forest certifications including the national forest certification system (VFCS) of the Office of Sustainable Forest Management Certification and FSC forest management certification from the International Forest Stewardship Council. As of September 2023, Vietnam's total forest area that has achieved both VFCS and FSC certifications is nearly 500,000 hectares, reaching more than 90 percent of the target set for 2025.

Source: SGGP