Enterprises’ companionship

Achieving the FSC certification requires large investment to hire consultants and experts to organise surveys and make assessments for the certification, and maintaining this work periodically every year. However, realising its benefits, many enterprises have accompanied and provided funding and expertise for groups of households to implement activities to obtain and maintain such certification.

In 2023, sponsored by SMARTWOOD Vietnam Joint Stock Company, Luc Ngan district had more than 4,300 hectares of forest granted the FSC certification. The model was surveyed and evaluated in the six communes of Ho Dap, Kien Thanh, Dong Coc, Tan Moc, Tan Lap and Phu Nhuan with a total of 1,295 participating households.

Although the company was in the process of preparing to invest in a wood processing factory in the locality, to ensure that raw materials meet the quality and standards for export, SMARTWOOD Vietnam provided funding for household groups to earn the FSC certification and maintain it.

Similarly, in Luc Nam district, to prepare sustainable raw materials that meet the standards for export to high-end markets, Duong Linh Production Company Limited is coordinating with the district Forest Protection Department and the People's Committees of Nghia Phuong, Dong Hung, Vo Tranh, Dong Phu and Luc Son communes to develop groups of households with sustainable forest management to obtain the FSC certification.

Up to now, the surveying, dissemination and training to raise awareness of residents about sustainable forest development have been basically completed and nearly 2,000 households have registered to participate in the scheme.

It is expected that in 2024, about 4,500 hectares of forest in Luc Nam will be granted the FSC certification and the enterprise is mobilising and supporting people to prepare documents to have 8,000 hectares of forest granted the certification.

Promoting advantages from forests

Truong Duc Dang, deputy head of the provincial Forest Protection Department, said that the whole province currently has more than 16,900 hectares of forest granted the FSC certification in Son Dong, Luc Ngan and Yen The districts.

There are two institutional forest owners (Yen The and Luc Ngan Forestry Two-Member Limited Liability Companies) and three forest owners who are groups of households, reaching 99.98% of the project target.

To reach these results, first of all, enterprises and forest owners recognised the importance and benefits of being granted the FSC certification, so they joined hands to provide funding and professional training for groups of households and individuals.

The authorities regularly disseminated to raise public awareness, created favourable conditions in terms of procedures, and provided professional guidance to complete the survey, training, and application preparation.

However, although the area granted the FSC certification has increased rapidly over the years, it is still low compared to the total area of ​​concentrated raw material forests in the province (currently accounting for 21.25%).

In the coming time, the agricultural sector will continue to advise the provincial People's Committee to effectively implement the project. It will also provide funding for forest owners in developing sustainable forest management plans and preparing assessments and funding for maintaining assessments after being granted the FSC certification.

At the same time, it will promote linkages between groups of households to expand the area of ​​forests granted the FSC certification, attract investment in wood processing factories, especially those for deep processing, create favourable conditions for enterprises to support the establishment of groups of households and cooperatives in forestry production, thereby promoting the potential and advantages of the local forestry economy.

Nguyen Huong

 

 

Large-timber forest area to be expanded to 1 million ha by 2030

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) set a target of growing about 1 million ha of large-sized timber forests nationwide by 2030.

Nearly 3,900 hectares of forest granted with FSC certificate

(BGO) – GFA Organization has granted Forest Stewardship Council certificate (FSC certificate) to more than 3,400 hectares of planted forest and about 450 hectares of natural forest which is valid within 5 years ( 2023 – 2028) in Bac Giang province.

Newly planted forest area increases 4.7% in Q1

About 38,700ha of concentrated forest was planted nationwide in the first quarter of 2023, up 4.7% year on year, according to the Vietnam Administration of Forestry.

Joining hands for forest protection

Forests cover a third of the continent, providing essential services and making an important contribution to sustaining life on the planet. Currently, the livelihoods of more than 1.6 billion people on earth, depend on forests.

Bac Giang grows over 1,100 hectares of forest and thousands of trees

(BGO) – Bac Giang province grew more than 1,100 hectares of concentrated forest and hundreds of thousands of scattered trees on the Tree planting festival 2023, reported the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.