To develop Timber maTerials from planTaTion foresTs

Which meet the basic demand of woodworking for domestic consumption and export On the successful implementation of the State’s afforestation programs and projects in the past time such as Greening the Barren Hills Program; 1993 – 1998 (Program 327), Five Million Hectares Reforestation Program; 1998 – 2010 (Project  661); The Forest Protection and Development Plan for the period 2011-2015, in addition to the management and protection of existing forest areas, to increase the forest cover to 41.45% by 2017, they made the materials sources from plantation forest be stable and legal for the woodworking industry; For the period 2007 – 2017, the domestic timber logging output grew steadily, an average of over 10% per year. In 2017, the total raw materials supplied to the woodworking industry about 31 million m3 of logs, of which 25 million m3 are from domestic timber (18 million m3 of planted forest, 3 million m3 of liquidated rubber and 3 million m3 of dispersal trees), accounting for 75% of demand. Thanks to the development of domestic raw materials, it has made favorable conditions step by step in order to help processing enterprises take the initiative in material sources, gradually reduce the import material sources, then it reduces the production costs and production costs. At the same time, it makes a competitive advantage for Vietnam’s wood products in domestic and international markets. Besides, the woodworking industry has developed, the increasing demand for raw materials has created a driving force and attracted the investment to develop the afforestation projects for the supply of raw materials, which has indirectly contributed to the stabilization of the people who are working in the forest industry, at the same time to limit the destruction of natural forests, to contribute to the protection of the ecological environment and the preservation of biodiversity. According to Mr Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the establishment of linking and cooperation models between processing enterprises and material forest growers have highly economic efficiency associated with environment protection, which has helped wood businesses proactive their raw materials. For example, the linking model of households is building the area of acacia materials with the FSC of Scansia Pacific Co., Ltd: the Company supports the costs to assess and maintain the FSC on an area of 5,000 ha in Thua Thien Hue. The commitment buy the FSC certified acacia with a diameter of over 13cm is higher than uncertified wood at the same time from 15-20% depending on the timber quality, and do not squeeze prices as having natural disasters and risks which have impact on the FSC acacia forest.

 For the households who have the FSC acacia forests, when they have to face with financial difficulties at the forest age of 4-5 years, they have to decide the thinning to extend the life expectancy by 2-3 years for growing larger trees, the company will support VND 4,000,000 per ha per year with lower interest rate than the interest rate of commercial banks at the time of borrowing of 2% per year. In particular, loans and interest rates will be returned to the company as timber is logged by the households. Or a linking model between the WOODSLAND JSC and afforestation households in Tuyen Quang or Nam Dinh Forest Products Joint Stock Company (Nafoco) builds a linking model with afforestation households in yen Bai etc with the total area of the FSC plantation forests about 20,000 ha. The way of cooperation with afforestation households through agro-forestry cooperatives in local to mobilize forest land owners to participate in afforestation with the FSC; the company will support and provide initial capital at the 0% interest for them to grow the FSC certified forests, it will commit to buy all products after logging; the price of certified wood is agreed by two parties, the purchasing price will be higher than the price of timber without forest certification of VND150,000 per m3, which help enterprise solve the problems of business and development. With the increasing demand for using originated and legal materials from some key markets which are importing wood products of Vietnam such as the United States, the EU, Australia, the export enterprises have proactively completed the production management system and cooperated with the afforestation households to supply and use qualified materials in accordance with international standards to adapt to the requirements of the markets. By the end of 2017, Vietnam had 732 certified CoC/ FSC, led the Southeast Asian. Of these, 49 enterprises are certified for sustainable forest management with a total area of 226,500 ha. In order to achieve this result, apart from the role of the State in promulgating the guidelines and policies on developing the plantation forests in association with processing, consent and being active in linking, cooperating to collect wood products from the FSC certified plantation forests. This is the result of a cooperative process between woodworking enterprises and forest owners who are households and household groups to establish the plantation forests to supply timber, help businesses be proactive in raw material sources and also create favorable conditions for forest growers to feel assured the output of their products, to assure stable price of timber, gradually stabilize and improve the living standards for forest grower.

TRẦN TOẢN – GV 104