Widen the export gate for plantation forest timber

Le Thuy district (Quang Binh) currently has an area of nearly 43,000 ha of forest land. Afforestation has gradually brought economic benefits to the people. However, the plantation forests mainly have acacia and melaleuca for paper and woodchip production, so the economic value remains low.

To help farmers improve the economic value of planted forests, the Forest Owners Sustainable Development Association in Le Thuy district (Fosda-Le Thuy) was established. With the support of the Viet Nature Conservation Center (Viet Nature), the GFA Certification GmbH (GFA) has granted Fosda-Le Thuy a certificate of sustainable forest management according to FSC standards.

Through Fosda-Le Thuy, Viet Nature has provided financial and technical support in the granting of certificates of sustainable forest management according to FSC standards for people planting forests in the area.

To complete and obtain the FSC certificate, afforestation households are trained and develop technical documents for the household group according to the requirements of the sustainable forest management model.

Fosda-Le Thuy has received evaluation and issued a certificate of sustainable forest management for nearly 735 ha of planted forest for 102 households in 6 villages of Kim Thuy commune and Le Ninh Joint Stock Company.

According to Mr. Vo Vinh Hai, Chairman of Fosda-Le Thuy, all investment funds for FSC forest certification are supported by Viet Nature. “The cost of FSC assessment and certification for 1,000 hectares of planted forest is about VND 1 billion for the first year. Every year after that, a re-evaluation will be carried out to maintain the certificate at a cost of about VND 500 million".

Mr. Nguyen Huu Han, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Le Thuy district, said that this was the first certificate of sustainable forest management for a group of small-scale afforestation households in Quang Binh province. “The FSC certification not only helps develop a sustainable forest economy but is also considered a 'passport' for forest timber to go abroad."

In order to participate in SFC certification, forest growers are highly recommended to join Fosda-Le Thuy. Forest land must have a certificate of land use right without dispute. The households have well-performed the forest cleaning, absolutely refusing to throw plastic waste into forest land. Mr. Ho Tinh (Kim Thuy commune) said, "During the care process, if valuable native trees are found, they should be kept for restoration".

Fosda-Le Thuy was also guided to plan for forest plot management from planting, tending, protecting, thinning to exploiting each year accordingly. Members of Fosda-Le Thuy always check and monitor the forest to avoid negative impacts or potential damage.

Having the FSC certificate, the profit from plantation timber products of Fosda-Le Thuy members will be increased by 10-20% in value. The plantation wood of the local people also ensures the requirements for the supply of raw materials in association with wood processing enterprises wishing to export products to the world market.

After being granted the certificate, a wood processing and exporting enterprise in Quang Tri province signed a commitment with Fosda-Le Thuy to sell plantation timber on behalf of local people. “The forest here has an FSC certificate, ensuring the input criteria for raw materials. Consequently, our company's products from wood pellets and plywood can be exported to Japan and the EU market," said the business leader.

In the written commitment, the business side will buy raw wood from farmers at a price 10% higher than the market price. In case of a natural disaster, if the forest is damaged before harvest, businesses will maintain normal purchases.

In addition, the business will support farmers in plant varieties, assessment, and FSC certification. "On average, we will purchase 200,000 tons of wood yearly (equivalent to approximately 1,000 ha of certified plantation forest) for production," said the business leader.

Since getting the FSC certificate, the forests of Fosda-Le Thuy members have had many wood processing companies and businesses come to order at a higher price than the market price and many other preferential regimes.

According to development orientation, by 2025, Le Thuy will strive to have about 6,000 ha of certified forest. Mr. Nguyen Huu Han said: "During the process of planting and harvesting, people will be guided to thin the forest according to the process to improve wood quality and economic value."