State President kicks off New Year tree planting festival

State President Tran Dai Quang joins tree planting festival in Quan Binh Communue, Bach Thong District, Bac Kan Province on February 21, 2018. Photo: VNA

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that in 2017, 235,000 hectares of concentrated forests and over 60 million scattered trees were planted nationwide. Meanwhile, 6.1 million ha of forests were protected and 335,000ha were zoned off for forest regeneration. 

Forest management and protection progressed positively. The number of violations in forest management and protection dropped 23%. Total area of damaged forests decreased by 68% and forestry export revenue valued US$ 8 billion. The rate of forest coverage increased to 41.45%, making contributions to the common growth of the agricultural sector. 

Besides the significant achievements, the forestry sector, however, still copes with difficulties and challenges including slow coastal plantation, slow application of science and technology, low productivity, and lack of close coordination from forest plantation as well as production processing and consumption.

Addressing the launching ceremony, State President Quang stressed that forest plantation and protection is of increasingly important and strategic meaning in the context of global warming and climate change.

He called upon all levels, sectors, localities, people to engage in the festival and raise public awareness of forest protection and prevent illegal logging./.

By Kim Anh