Large timber forests create new momentum for exports

Dual benefits from certified large timber forests

Starting from the first natural forests to obtain international certification, Quang Tri province has risen to become a pioneering locality in developing large timber forests, FSC-certified forests, and linkage chains of wood planting, processing, and consumption.

The development of certified forests is bringing dual economic benefits, increasing export value while expanding opportunities in carbon trading. For growers, forest planting is no longer a side occupation but a sustainable livelihood, allowing them to make a living. For processing enterprises, securing domestic raw material areas is a vital factor in maintaining export momentum and avoiding dependence on imported timber, especially when traceability requirements become increasingly stringent.

As of now, Quang Tri province has more than 30,000 hectares of planted large timber forests achieving FSC certification, mainly concentrated in forestry companies. Notably, since late 2023, over 2,000 hectares of natural forests in Huong Phung and Huong Lap communes have obtained international certification. This milestone affirms the locality's capacity for sustainable forest management.

This is also the first area in Vietnam where natural forests have been recognized as meeting international standards for biodiversity and carbon absorption and storage. This certified area alone enables Quang Tri to store approximately 350,000 tons of CO₂ and absorb an additional 7,000 tons each year.

Expanding certified forest areas enhances timber's value and generates income from forest environmental services and carbon credits. Thousands of upland households have been granted sustainable forest management certificates, allowing them to supply legal raw materials to processing and export enterprises.

Mechanisms such as payments for forest environmental services, technical assistance, green credit, and product consumption linkage have helped many forest growers stabilize their livelihoods, proactively reinvest, and shift toward planting large timber forests instead of premature harvesting as before.

Not only Quang Tri but also Hue is accelerating the development of large-timber raw material areas for export. Localities such as Phong Dien, A Luoi, Nam Dong, and Huong Thuy have established linkage chains of wood production, processing, and consumption with the participation of enterprises, cooperatives, and households.

Expanding large timber forests

According to Mr. Vu Thanh Nam, Head of the Forest Utilization and Timber Trade Division under the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection, the Government is synchronously implementing many policies, including forest environmental services, newly planting 5 million hectares of forests, and the Sustainable Forestry Development program.

These policies help accelerate the pace of large timber forest planting, ensuring a supply of raw materials to meet the demand for deep processing domestically and for export to the U.S., the EU, and Japanese markets with strict requirements on timber origin and legal certification.

Statistics from the Department show that Vietnam currently has about 14.8 million hectares of forests, including more than 4.5 million hectares of planted forests. Each year, approximately 20 million m³ of wood are harvested, meeting 80% of the demand for export-oriented processing. However, most of the wood volume still comes from small-diameter trees harvested prematurely and without sustainable certification.

Only FSC-certified large timber meets the standards to enter demanding markets, increasing product value by 15–20% compared to ordinary wood. Leveraging this advantage, Quang Tri has identified the large timber development strategy as a focus for the 2023–2030 period, both serving the processing industry and supplying carbon credits, which are regarded as a “green foreign currency channel” in the future.

Alongside production development, Quang Tri and Hue are the two provinces implementing the Pilot Project on Developing Standardized Agroforestry Material Zones for Domestic Consumption and Export (2022–2025). These localities are the centers of piloting the forest carbon credit trading mechanism. Commercializing carbon credits is expected to create a new economic driver for forested provinces, encourage local communities to maintain their connection with forests, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to fulfilling Vietnam's Net Zero commitment.

At the national level, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has set a target of developing 1 million hectares of large timber forests by 2030, including 230,000 hectares to be newly planted between 2021 and 2025. To date, more than 500,000 hectares nationwide have been certified under the FSC or VFCS standards.

Planted large timber forests in Quang Tri, Hue, and the North Central region today are not only the starting point of the export timber value chain but also the foundation of an emerging green economy. From the forest, local communities gain additional livelihoods; from carbon credits, provinces generate new revenue; and through sustainable forest management, Vietnam affirms its position as a responsible timber-producing nation.