Rise up thanks to the forest

The cinnamon area of Mr. Trieu Huu Quan's family in Bac Kan ward is about to be exploited.

Cinnamon acreage of Mr. Trieu Huu Quan's family, in Bac Kan ward, is about to be exploited.

Introducing to us the tallow hill that has been planted for more than 10 years and is entering the exploitation period, Ms. Hoang Thi Yen, in Nghia Ta commune, excitedly shared: When I first started planting the forest, due to lack of experience, I encountered many difficulties in taking care of it. Not discouraged, I worked and learned from the experiences of previous forest growers.

By the third year, when the trees began to close their canopy, the care work became simpler. Thanks to that, the family gradually expanded the area, planted many crops, and now has more than 10 hectares of tallow forest. With the current market price, each hectare of tallow wood brings in an income of nearly 100 million VND, a significant source of income for the average family in the mountainous farmers.

Not only Ms. Yen’s family, many other households in Thai Nguyen have also persistently stuck with the forestry profession and risen to become rich thanks to promoting the economic efficiency of the forest hills. Understanding the meaning of the saying “Golden forests, silver seas”, as soon as the locality launched the afforestation movement, Mr. Truong Quoc Bui in Yen Phong commune boldly received 20 hectares of forest land to plant tallow trees.

After more than 10 years of diligent care, his family has now reaped the “sweet fruit” from their own forest. The lush, straight green forests after exploitation have brought economic value up to billions of dong, helping the family stabilize their lives and get rich. Mr. Truong Quoc Bui has become one of the typical examples in developing the forest economy, creating motivation for local people to be more attached to and rise up from the forestry profession.

If in the past, tallow was the main crop that brought in large income, now, along with the change in market demand, the people's direction is also increasingly diverse and flexible. From the orientation of local authorities and professional agencies, people have begun to switch to planting forestry species with higher economic value, in order to maximize the advantages of the forest.

The cinnamon hill of more than 2 hectares of Mr. Trieu Huu Quan's family in Bac Kan ward has been planted for more than 5 years and is preparing to enter the exploitation period. Mr. Trieu Huu Quan shared: When the market began to favor cinnamon trees, I boldly switched to trial planting and found that the trees grew very well. This tree species can be purchased in its entirety from the trunk, bark to leaves, so it brings high economic efficiency. With the newly planted areas, I also intercropped with turmeric to get short-term benefits for long-term use, initially showing positive results.

In the northern communes of Thai Nguyen province, the agricultural and forestry economy still plays a key role. The whole province currently has more than 100,000 hectares of planted forests, of which about 50,000 hectares are at the age of exploitation. The main tree species include acacia, fat, cinnamon, anise, eucalyptus and linden.

Each year, the area of newly planted forests reaches over 5,000 hectares, exceeding the plan, with the timber exploitation output from planted forests reaching over 370,000 m3. To help people increase the economic value of forests, in recent years, the forestry road system has been focused on investment, creating a breakthrough for the development of the forest economy.

The expansion of the forestry road network has created a breakthrough in the development of the forest economy, helping to reduce production and exploitation costs, increase the value of planted forests and encourage the afforestation movement, thereby improving people's lives. Thanks to that, the forest economy has become an important driving force in poverty reduction in the northern communes. In the period 2021-2025, the rate of multidimensional poor and near-poor households in this area will decrease by an average of 2.7%/year, while the rate of poor ethnic minority households will decrease by an average of 3%/year.

Many mountain villages are changing their appearance, people's lives are increasingly improving thanks to the development of the forest economy.

Mr. Nong Dinh Thang, Chairman of Nghia Ta Commune People's Committee, said: The locality always identifies the forest economy as a key economic sector. Currently, in addition to promoting afforestation, the commune is guiding people to register and build planted forests that meet FSC certification (international standards on sustainable forest management) to meet the requirements for exported wood and create conditions for people to get rich from the forest.

It can be affirmed that forest economy has become an important direction to help people escape poverty and become rich sustainably in their homeland. Forests that are properly cared for and protected contribute to maintaining the ecosystem, protecting the environment and preserving the “green lungs” for life.

The potential of exploiting carbon credits is also opening up new opportunities, increasing the economic value of forests and promoting green and sustainable development. When each person considers protecting forests as protecting their own lives, the forests will respond with prosperity, peace and a bright future for each village.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202509/vuon-len-nho-rung-67977ce/