However, there are some hot spots related to deforestation for cultivation in the Northwest, Central Highlands and Central provinces.
Regarding forest development, the whole country has prepared 859 seedlings of all kinds serving for the 2022 afforestation, equaling 130.4 percent over the same period last year.
In the first six months, the Vietnam Administration of Forestry recognized nine forest tree varieties with high production and quality. The forest planting areas reached 119,400 hectares, reaching 49 percent of the plan and equaling 103.1 percent over the same period.
Around 50 million trees were planted in the first half of the year, gaining 41 percent of the plan and equaling to 141 percent over the same period last year.
Concerning forest product exploitation, timber output from concentrated planted forests reached around 8.5 million cubic meters, achieving 46 percent of the plan and surging 5.9 percent compared to the first six months of 2021.
The total export value of forest products in the first six months of 2022 reached US$9.1 billion, surging three percent over the same period and gaining 56 percent of the plan. The trade surplus was calculated to reach US$7.508 billion, increasing three percent over the same period of 2021. The main importers of timber and forest products accounting for over 90 percent of the total export turnover are the United States, Japan, China, the European Union and the Republic of Korea.
Regarding payment for forest environmental services, the total revenue from the activity in the first half of the year reached VND1,502 billion (US$64.3 million), equaling to 106 percent over the same period and gaining 54 percent over the plan.
The Vietnam Administration of Forestry also informed the key missions in the second half of the year, including the Program of Sustainable Forestry Development from 2021 through 2025; the Forestry Development Strategy in the period of 2021-2030 with vision to 2050 and programs, projects approved by the Prime Minister; strengthening the management and protection of forests and prevent and fight forest fires, completing the 2022 target to ensure forest coverage rate of 42.02 percent.
