The project “Informed Forestry Decision-Making, Sustainable Forest Management, and Forest Certification for Small-Scale Forest Owners in Vietnam (AIN 8748 Project)” collaborated with Quynh Tam Cooperative to organize a training session on an overview of sustainable forest management and forest certification, introducing the FSC standards to the village secretaries, village heads, and some prominent forest owners in Quynh Tam commune.
Leadership of Quynh Tam Cooperative introduced the overall plan and the general situation of forest management and use in Quynh Tam commune.
According to statistics, the forest and forestry land resources in Quynh Tam commune in 2023 amounted to 726 hectares, accounting for 31.3% of the commune’s natural land area. Of this, concentrated plantation forest area is 544 hectares, with an average annual harvesting area of 135 hectares, yielding an average of 14,000 m³ of timber per year (with an average yield of 20 m³/ha/year). However, the harvested plantation timber is only sold to local traders at a limited price, with no opportunity for export to the global market, meaning that the timber products do not reach their full value. To increase the value of plantation forests, the timber products must expand to the global market, and a key condition for the export of plantation timber is that the forests must be certified for sustainable forest management (FSC, PEFC, or VFCS). Recognizing the value of certified forests and the necessity of obtaining sustainable forest management certification, Quynh Tam Cooperative proposed to the Party Committee and the People’s Committee of Quynh Tam commune to allow the cooperative to lead a partnership with local member households to develop a plan for obtaining sustainable forest certification, with support from the AIN 8748 Project.
As the first step in this initiative, on September 18, 2024, Quynh Tam Cooperative, in coordination with the AIN 8748 Project, organized a training conference on promoting sustainable forest management and forest certification, as well as the principles and criteria for joining the forest certification group.
At the conference, the AIN 8748 project officers presented information on sustainable forest management and FSC certification, as well as the principles and criteria for participating in the forest certification group. Village secretaries and heads also shared and discussed issues related to sustainable forest management and common situations encountered in the forest production and business process.
The conference was attended by leaders of the commune People’s Committee, commune forestry officers, forest rangers from Quynh Luu – Hoang Mai, and officers from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Luu district. Through the conference, the district agriculture officers and the commune People’s Committee leadership encouraged cooperative member households to collaborate in obtaining sustainable forest certification. They also provided guidance on investment, product purchasing, and market development, aiming to create stable links and harmonize the interests of all parties involved.
Image: Quynh Luu district agriculture officer speaking at the conference
The conference equipped participants with basic knowledge of sustainable forest management and an understanding of the principles and criteria for joining the forest certification group. This, in turn, motivated forest owners to actively participate in the cooperative’s forest certification group development efforts.
SOME IMAGES FROM THE TRAINING CONFERENCE
