FSC-certified planted forest timber sold at higher prices

The Xuan Loc Protection Forest Management Board is a pioneering unit in implementing sustainable forest management under FSC standards in Dong Nai province.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duy Cong, Deputy Director of the Xuan Loc Protection Forest Management Board, for many years, the Board has prepared and fulfilled all necessary conditions to obtain sustainable forest management and forest certification. This work follows the Sustainable Forest Management and Forest Certification Scheme under the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1288 (2018) and Circular No. 28 (2018) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), which provides regulations on sustainable forest management.

With the attention and introduction of the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, now the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Environment, since 2022, the Xuan Loc Protection Forest Management Board and Tan Vinh Cuu Company have partnered to carry out all necessary procedures and prepare documentation for obtaining FSC certification. After two years of implementation, by February 2024, the Management Board was officially granted FSC-FM certification for its planted forests.

As of now, in the forest area under the management of the Xuan Loc Protection Forest Management Board, 3,600 hectares of planted forests have been issued FSC certification. FSC certification brings numerous benefits, foremost enhancing the economic value of planted forests. Previously, timber from both the forests directly managed by the Board and areas contracted to local planting households was typically sold at lower prices due to the lack of FSC certification.

With FSC certification, the Board has attracted interest from many wood-processing enterprises within and outside the province with the demands of wood production for export to developed markets. Developed countries such as the EU, Japan, and the U.S. place emphasis on sustainable forest management. Businesses are now purchasing FSC-certified planted forest timber from the Xuan Loc Protection Forest Management Board at prices 5–10% higher than timber from non-certified forests.

FSC certification also increases forest value by creating opportunities for the Xuan Loc Protection Forest Management Board to prepare for participation in the carbon credit market.

In terms of sustainable forest management, thanks to implementing FSC standards, the Xuan Loc Protection Forest Management Board has enhanced the capacity of its officials and workers in management, strengthened their compliance with legal regulations, and ensured more sustainable practices in forest harvesting and plantation.

Implementing sustainable forest management under FSC standards has also improved the awareness of contracted households, especially ethnic minority households. Previously, although the Xuan Loc Protection Forest Management Board frequently disseminated information on forest management and development, emphasizing the need to comply with the law and follow sustainable forestry requirements, households still tended to rely on their traditional practices.

Through training sessions conducted to meet FSC certification requirements, contracted households have gained a better understanding of how to care for and protect forests in a way that meets sustainability standards. For example, they have learned how to use chemical medicines to ensure environmental sanitation, avoid pollution, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Cong, Deputy Director of the Xuan Loc Protection Forest Management Board, added that the Board is also planning to expand its production forest area. Implementing Decision 735 of the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee on the detailed review of the planning for special-use forests, protection forests, and production forests, and the development of the provincial forestry planning map, the Board will convert all protection forest areas to production forest planning. Based on this transition, the Management Board will continue to develop and expand the area of FSC-certified forests in the near future.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Long, Head of the Forest Development Division under the Dong Nai Forest Protection Sub-Department, following the merger with Binh Phuoc province, the new Dong Nai province has a total area of 370,000 hectares under forest planning, of which approximately 142,000 hectares are planted forests. With the great benefits from planted forests that achieve FSC certification and other sustainable certifications, this area will expand significantly in the coming period.