Greening Vietnam: One billion trees to be planted by 2025

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the launch of the tree planting campaign in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang on February 23

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 23 launched a tree planting campaign in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang. In his remarks, Phuc highlighted Tuyen Quang’s advantages for forestry development, hailing the province’s performance in forestation, forest protection and forestry-based economic development in tandem with new-style rural area building.

Environmental protection is the responsibility of all people, he said, adding that tree planting and preservation is a practical activity to ensure sustainable development.

Tuyen Quang planted more than 10,000 hectares of forest annually, reaching a forest coverage rate of over 65 percent (ranking third among provinces nationwide). The province has planted timber to cater for the wood production industry, including almost 40,000ha of planted forests with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification (becoming the biggest province in Vietnam in terms of FSC certification). Wood products made from the province's planted timber meet strict standards of the US and European markets. In particular, the income of forest planters has significantly improved. The annual output of timber exploited from planted forests has tripled to reach over 800,000 cubic meters per year, meeting the demand of eight wood processing factories in the area.

The government has joined hands with localities nationwide to maintain forest coverage at 42 percent, and raise the export revenue of timber and forestry products to at least US$14 billion this year, and over US$20 billion in 2025, gradually making Vietnam a leading producer of planted forest-based wood products for domestic and foreign markets, the prime minister said.

The prime minister said Tuyen Quang Province should combine afforestation and forest protection with the development of forest environmental services and eco-tourism, preserve traditional cultures, build new-style rural areas, and increase provincial residents’ incomes.