Hai Duong speeds up reforestation

Hurried

Visiting Hoang Hoa Tham commune (Chi Linh) these days, we met many forest owners who are replanting acacia and eucalyptus trees to replace the exploited forest areas that were knocked down by storm No. 3 in September 2024. The broken and ragged forest patches are gradually being replaced by new green shoots.

On an area of ​​more than 1 hectare of his family's production forest, Mr. Nguyen Cong Chu in Ho Giai village and several seasonal workers are busy planting 1,200 acacia trees. They dig holes, carefully place the seedlings, then slowly pile up the soil and water to keep the soil moist. "The weather has been favorable these past few days, so I hired 5 more workers from Lao Cai and some locals to help the forest planting go quickly. Only when the rain comes after the planted forest trees will they have the strength to grow well," said Mr. Chu.

This year’s spring is in the drizzle and humid phase. Taking advantage of the favorable weather, many forest owners in Bac An commune (in the same city as Chi Linh) are also rushing to plant eucalyptus and acacia on the production forest area damaged by storm No. 3 last year.

Mr. Ngo Van Ba's family in Bai Thao village has 3 hectares of production forest. On this area, he invested 30 million VND to rent excavators, laborers... to cover thousands of high-yielding eucalyptus trees.

He chose eucalyptus because this plant grows well, is drought resistant, and can be harvested after only about 3 years. He plans to keep the roots after the first harvest to grow sprouts. When they are tall enough, he will leave 2 sprouts to continue caring for them. After 3 years, he will be able to harvest the second harvest.

"After the historic storm last year, many households kept the eucalyptus roots and now the trees are growing well. Eucalyptus is now valuable, each tree can be sold for 70,000 - 100,000 VND, so I have high expectations," Mr. Ba shared.

Hai Duong has over 3,500 hectares of production forest, 1,500 hectares of special-use forest, and over 4,000 hectares of protective forest in 31 communes and wards of Chi Linh City and Kinh Mon Town. After storm No. 3, the whole province had about 1,250 hectares of forest damaged, mainly acacia, eucalyptus, and pine trees.

After the storm, relevant agencies, units, localities and forest owners mobilized to clean up and sanitize the forest area damaged by storm No. 3, both to prevent forest fires and to identify locations for reforestation this year.

According to the plan, this year the whole province strives to plant 163.4 hectares of post-harvest forests (production forests) with 260,000 trees and more than 255 hectares of replacement forests (special-use forests, protective forests) with 148,000 trees. Never before has Hai Duong carried out such a large replacement forest planting campaign.

For production forests, the area is mainly concentrated in Chi Linh City. Many forest owners here are actively planting forests on areas damaged by the storm. Forest owners in Kinh Mon have also basically completed forest sanitation, preparing conditions for planting in the coming days.

As for protective forests and special-use forests, relevant agencies and units have prepared explanatory documents and estimates to submit to competent authorities for approval and implementation according to regulations. Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment Luong Thi Kiem informed: "The planting locations and tree species for replacement forest planting have also been calculated in accordance with the list issued by the Provincial People's Committee, striving to implement planting by the end of the second quarter of this year at the latest".

Rich in seedlings

According to the reporter's investigation, the demand for forestry seedlings is increasing but there is no shortage. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen, owner of a nursery in Cong Hoa ward (Chi Linh), since the end of 2024, tens of thousands of high-yielding eucalyptus, pine, and acacia trees have been propagated by her family to supply the market on this occasion.

Ms. Huyen said: "Current forestry prices are basically the same as last year. Besides my family, there are many gardeners in Chi Linh, Kinh Mon and even outside the province who also grow large quantities."

Engineer Trieu Van Huan, owner of a forestry nursery in Bac Giang, has proactively linked up with a number of nurseries in Chi Linh City to produce eucalyptus and acacia seedlings to supply to organizations, units and individuals in need. "The association not only creates healthy, high-quality seedlings, but also helps stabilize prices so that customers can confidently invest in reforestation. I am willing to support households with planting techniques," said Mr. Huan.

Mr. Huan said that the weather is currently very favorable for reforestation, especially on rainy days with high humidity. Chi Linh and Kinh Mon are both places with good soil quality. The important thing is that forest planters need to choose sturdy seedlings. Before planting, weeds and weeds need to be cleared so that the trees can grow well.

For forestry trees, the roots need to be planted deep to prevent them from falling over. In the early stages after planting, pay attention to preventing crickets from biting the trees. After 2-3 months of planting, fertilize, apply base fertilizer, and topdress to create momentum for the trees to grow quickly and healthily...