Large-timber forests pave the way for low-carbon economy

Expanding large-timber forest areas

Gia Lai has developed a 2026-2030 plan for large-timber forest development, with the area expected to reach nearly 20,200ha. This is identified as a key task for forestry companies operating in the province.

In recent years, Song Kon Forestry Company Limited in Vinh Thanh Commune, Gia Lai, has focused on shifting from short-rotation plantations to long-rotation large-timber forests with cycles of 10-12 years. By 2025, the company had nearly 826ha of concentrated large-timber plantations, with average annual growth exceeding 25m³/ha.

According to Ho Van He, Director of Song Kon Forestry Company Limited, the company’s large-timber forests are managed in accordance with technical procedures meeting sustainable forest certification standards, with appropriate planting densities, one to two thinning operations per rotation, and pruning to produce straight, long tree trunks suitable for high-quality large timber.

In particular, the company uses high-quality planting materials, applies intensive cultivation techniques, and carries out thinning in accordance with prescribed procedures. It is also gradually mechanizing land preparation and forest management to reduce costs and improve labor productivity. As a result, the company’s large-timber plantations meet the requirements for raw materials used in deep processing and export-oriented production.

“According to recommendations from relevant authorities, large-timber forests should generally be planted at a density of around 1,300 trees/ha. However, in eastern Gia Lai, the initial density needs to be around 2,000 trees/ha due to losses over time, leaving only 1,300-1,600 trees/ha at harvest.

For our company’s forests, when the trees reached six years of age, our technical staff measured their growth and recorded a productivity of 120 tonnes/ha. By the seventh year, this had risen to 155 tonnes/ha, an increase of 35 tonnes in just one year. At eight years, productivity increased by another 25 tonnes/ha, reaching 180 tonnes/ha. The effectiveness of large-timber forests is very clear,” said Nguyen Ngoc Dao, Chairman of Song Kon Forestry Company Limited.

Large-timber forests increase carbon stocks

In recent years, surveys, verification and assessments of emission reductions in Gia Lai have been carried out with the participation of various international organizations, consulting firms and specialized agencies. At the same time, a number of domestic companies, including Asean and Ecotree, have proposed carbon credit projects, conducting surveys, collecting data and preparing project documentation. This indicates that the carbon credit market is gradually taking shape and attracting strong interest from investors, creating significant opportunities for Gia Lai to develop a multi-value forest economy.

Meanwhile, growing market demand for sustainably certified timber and environmentally friendly forestry products is opening up opportunities to increase the value of forestry production.

Mr. Hoan further emphasized that advances in science and technology, particularly digital technologies for forest resource management, are also creating favorable conditions for the development and implementation of carbon credit projects.

Nguyen Van Tinh, Director of Quy Nhon Forestry Company Limited, said that with support from the project “Scaling Up Sustainable Forest Management and Forest Certification in Viet Nam,” funded by the German Government through GIZ, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Quy Nhon Forestry Company, together with Song Kon Forestry Company, has assessed the potential for increasing carbon sequestration and storage when shifting from biomass-oriented production plantations to large-timber forests.

Carbon stocks in acacia plantations of different ages were measured using the “Improved Forest Management” (IFM) methodology under Verra’s VM0003 standard, one of the internationally recognized standards for the voluntary carbon market (VCS).

Nguyen Ngoc Dao, Chairman of Song Kon Forestry Company Limited, said the methodology assesses the potential to increase carbon sequestration by extending harvesting cycles. Specifically, it was used to assess the impact of extending the rotation of short-cycle, five-year acacia plantations to 11 years for large-timber production. The results showed significant emission reduction potential for the model when applied to large, homogeneous forest areas.

“Silvicultural measures combined with longer rotations can increase carbon stocks to 221 tonnes of CO₂/ha in an 11-year rotation, while five-year plantations have carbon stocks of only 78 tonnes of CO₂/ha,” Dao said.