Vietnam is a mountainous country, with three-quarters of its land area covered by mountains and hills. However, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, forest cover was only 42.02% as of June 2022. Furthermore, more than two-thirds of Vietnam’s natural forests are considered degraded. The World Bank Group reports that “two-thirds of Vietnam’s natural forests are deemed in poor condition or regenerating, with only 5% remaining as rich, closed-canopy forest.” While planted forests account for about 35% of Vietnam’s total forest area (as of June 2022, with 14,790,075 hectares), those established in the past 15 years are primarily small wood plantations used for the low-value wood chip industry. Deforestation of natural forests for resource extraction and agriculture has resulted in a number of negative consequences, including increased instability of river and stream water sources, greater difficulty controlling natural disasters, and severe soil erosion. These factors contribute to a range of harmful economic, environmental, and social impacts. Vietnam’s planted forests: Growth and challenges According to official statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, between 2012 and 2022, Vietnam lost 289,762 hectares of natural forests. However, the area dedicated to small wood plantations for the wood chip industry has increased by 1,217,793 hectares. This rapid expansion highlights the potential for afforestation efforts to increase overall forest cover, but it raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of this approach. While these plantations contribute to rural development, particularly through job creation, they often consist of fast-growing, low-value tree species…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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