Timber supply and demand and growth potential of
fast growing tree species in the northwest region of
Vietnam
AFLI Technical Report No. 6
Summary
The northwest region of Vietnam has a very environmentally important role for development of
northern Vietnam. However, the alarming deforestation due to illegal logging, and land use
change to agricultural crops on steeply sloping sites in the northwest has subsequently resulted in
critically environmental threats such as floods, land slides and soil erosion. Plantation forestry
and farm woodlots are options to increase forest coverage for environmental protection and
minimizing effect of soil erosion. The objectives of this study were to: (i) understand local
demand and wood supply in the northwest; (ii) examine possibilities of fast growing tree species
or planted tree species as alternatives to timber from natural forest; (iii) evaluate growth and
adaptability of fast growing tree species in the northwest and recommend suitable planting
species for different altitudes and regions in the northwest. The study was conducted in 3
provinces in the northwest: Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau. In each province: (i) 5-6 sawmills
in 3 different size capacities (large, medium and small) were investigated; (ii) 4-6 villages from
2 main ethnic groups were selected for investigations; (iii) 7-12 sites at 3 altitudes (<400 m, 400
– 700 m, above 700 m) where available plantations were selected for evaluation. Results from
the study showed that: (i) There were strong round wood and fuel wood demands in the
northwest. The difference in timber demand between groups of people or provinces was not
statistically significant; (ii) Sawmills in the northwest were mostly privately owned with log
input capacity ranged from 15 to 500 m3 of wood per year in all 3 provinces. Most sawmills
mainly used wood from natural forest either from local sources or imported from Laos; (iii) The
trend of switching from highly valuable wood to lower grade wood from natural forest or
plantations was recorded in all provinces for sawmills and/or households; (iv) For elevations
below 700 m, Acacia mangium, acacia hybrid and tropical/subtropical eucalypt species were best
performing with MAI of successful plantations ranging from 11 to 23 m3/ha/year at age 4-5 years
followed by Melia azedarach and teak with mean annual volume increment (MAI) ranging from
15 to 17 m3/ha/year at age 15 years old. Other native species Manglietia glauca, Vernicia
montana and Betula alnoides also grew well at the elevations from 550 to 700 m in Lai Chau
province; (v) For elevations from 800 m to 1000 m, Eucalyptus grandis showed good growth
with MAI reaching 16 m3/ha/year followed by B. alnoides and Pinus massoniana with MAI
ranging from 9 – 11 m3/ha/year. Recommendations for sustainable development of forest
plantations in the northwest are discussed.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my sincere thanks to ICRAF-ACIAR project “Agroforestry for
Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in North-West Vietnam” for giving me an opportunity to
conduct this intensive study. My personal thanks to Dr. Delia Catacuntan and Dr. Hoang Thi Lua
at ICRAF Ha Noi for supporting me during this study. My sincere thanks to Mr. Ha Van Tiep at
North West Forestry Science and Production Centre of Forest Science Institute of Vietnam for
supporting me during the survey. I would like to thank my colleagues in Institute of Forest Tree
Improvement and Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Forest Science for helping during data
collection, analysis and commenting during the work. Finally, my special thanks to Dr. Chris
Harwood at CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Australia for his valuable comments and
suggestions over successive drafts of the report.
ABBREVIATION OF SCIENTIFIC NAME OF TREE SPECIES
A. auriculiformis
A. mangium
A. nepalensis
B. alnoides
B. ceiba
B. hsienmu
C. axillaris
C. indica
C. nigrum
C. tabularis
D. duperreanum
D. grandiflora
D. retusus
E. camaldulensis
E. fordii
E. grandis
E. urophylla
F. hodginsii
L. fissus
M. azedarach
M. fordiana
M. glauca
M. mediocris
M. pasquieri
M. stipulata
M. thunbergii
P. chinensis
P. macrocarpus
P. massoniana
P. persica
P. pinata
S. aromaticum
S. wallichii
Teak
V. montana
Acacia auriculiformis A.Cunn. ex Benth.
Acacia mangium Willd
Alnus nepalensis D.Don
Betula alnoides Buch-Ham
Bombax ceiba L.
Burretiodendron hsienmu Ching et Hu
Choerospondias axiliaris (Roxb.) Burtt et Hill.
Castanopsis indica (Roxb. ex Lindl.) A.DC.
Canarium nigrum (Lour.) Engler
Chukrasia tabularis A. Juss.
Dracontomelon duperreanum Pierre
Duabanga grandiflora (Roxb. ex DC.) Walpers
Dipterocarpus retusus Bl.
Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnhardt
Erythrophloeum fordii Oliver
Eucalyptus grandis W.Hill
Eucalyptus urophylla S.T.Blake
Fokienia hodginsii Henry and Thomas
Lithocarpus fissus Champ. ex benth
Melia azedarach L.
Manglietia fordiana Hu.
Manglietia glauca Dandy
Michelia mediocris Dandy
Madhuca pasquieri H.Lec.
Markhamia stipulate (Wall.) Seem. ex K. Schum
Machilus thunbergii Sieb. Et Zucc.
Parashorea chinensis Wang Hsie.
Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kurz.
Pinus massoniana Lamb.
Prunus persica (L.) Batsch
Pometia pinata Frost.
Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merrill & Perry
Schima wallichii Choisy
Tectona grandis L. f.
Vernicia montana Lour.
Introduction
The Northwest region of Vietnam includes four provinces: Hoa Binh, Son La, Dien Bien and Lai
Chau. The total area of the region is nearly 4,000,000 ha with total population about 4,000,000
people. There are 2,100,000 ha of forest land (52%) in which only 1,500,000 ha have forest
cover equating to 39% forest coverage (FIPI, 2011). The northwest region has a very
environmentally important role for development of northern Vietnam because it incorporates the
catchments of the two main rivers in northern Vietnam, the Da and Hong Rivers. There are two
big hydro-power plants on the Da River in Hoa Binh and Son La provinces which contribute
20% of the total electricity production of Vietnam. Because of its environmental importance,
about 60% of total natural forest area (882,000 ha) in the northwest was allocated to protective
and special use forest. According to FIPI (2011), most of forest land areas in the northwest are
located on steep slope sites with 65% of total area having slopes above 26%. In the period 2006
– 2010, about 18,000 ha of natural forest in the northwest was lost mainly because of logging,
land use change to agriculture and hydro-power plants. In addition to decreasing total area of
natural forests, standing wood volumes of existing natural forests have decreased by 10 – 30% in
different forest types (FIPI, 2011). The loss of natural forest and agricultural cultivation on steep
slope sites has caused serious flooding and soil erosion in the northwest. On the steep slope sites
in the northwest above >20%, about 0.8 cm of top soil was lost after 1 rotation of maize
cultivation under current cultivation scheme, equivalent to 120-130 tons of top soil loss per
hectare (Vietnam Soil Association, 1996). The loss of top soil through erosion involves major
loss of soil nutrients, soil degradation and subsequently decreasing crop yields as well as
reduction in the life of hydro-power plants because of siltation of storage dams.
Forest covered land has been proved to reduce the surface water flow significantly and therefore
minimize effect of flood and soil erosion (Vietnam Soil Association, 1996). Therefore, one of the
sustainable solutions to minimize severity of flood and soil erosion in the northwest is to increase
forest coverage in the region, especially on the steeply sloping sites.
Plantation forest can be an alternative to natural forest to increase forest coverage for
environmental protection and minimizing effect of soil erosion provided that all activities from
planting to harvesting are carefully managed to minimize negative effects to soil. Correct
selection of tree species for planting is essential for the success of any planting programs.
Selected species for plantations in the northwest should meet important criteria: (i) suitable for
the need of local people and bringing good benefit to plantation growers; and (ii) fast growing to
increase returns to growers as well as quickly fulfill environmentally protective functions of the
plantation through foliar coverage and litter return.
The success of any planting programs will depend on adaptability of planting species and
profitability of plantation to growers. Fast growing plantations for pulp and woodchip in the
northwest region especially provinces Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau and part of Yen Bai may
not be economically viable as the region is far from main markets for pulp and woodchip.
Plantation development for high value products such as high quality timber and veneer that can
be used locally or transported economically to main markets may be a more economically viable
alternative.
In order to develop sustainable plantation in the northwest, it is important to understand local
wood demand and its supply as well as acceptability to local people of fast growing species and
adaptability of different fast growing species in different altitudes.
The objectives of this study were to: (i) understand local demand and wood supply in the
northwest; (ii) evaluate prospects of fast growing planted tree species as alternatives to timber
from natural forest; and (iii) evaluate growth and adaptability of fast growing tree species in the
northwest and recommend suitable planting species for different altitude and regions in the
northwest.
Methodology
Survey of wood demand and processing in Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau
Information on total plantation areas and number of wood processing mills in the 3 provinces of
Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau as of 2011 were provided by provincial departments of forestry.
In each province, 5-6 mills were selected for survey on products produced, tree species used,
wood volume utilized, source of wood, trend in wood supply (volume, species) and plans for
future development. Details of sawmills surveyed are provided in Table 1.
Table 1: Name and location of surveyed sawmills
Company name or owner
Location
Province
Dien Bien Export Import Co.
Quoc Hoai Co.
Truong Anh Co.
Vu Van Huan
Dinh Van Tho
Son La JSC
Xuyen Tuoi Co.
Dinh Van Hac
Quan Diep Co.
Thuy Doanh Co.
Vu Van Thang
Hoang Van Dai
Khong Van Dao
Hoang Van Nghiem
Tran Van Hoan
Dao Van Quan
Dien Bien Phu city
Dien Bien Phu city
Thanh Luong, Dien Bien district
Thanh Luong, Dien Bien district
Thanh Yen, Dien Bien district
Son La city
Phu Yen town, Phu Yen district
Huy Ha commune, Phu Yen
Thuan Chau town, Thuan Chau district
Thuan Chau town, Thuan Chau district
Lai Chau town
Lai Chau town
Lai Chau town
Lai Chau town
Ban Bo commune, Phong Tho district
Dao San commune, Tam Duong district
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Son La
Son La
Son La
Son La
Son La
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
In these 3 provinces, 4-6 villages from 2 main ethnic groups were selected for investigations. In
each village, 3-4 households were randomly selected for survey about wood demand and
product, preferred wood species, acceptability of fast growing tree species as alternative to
natural timber, reason of planting fast growing species if any. Details of village investigated are
provided in Table 2.
Table 2: Name and location of villages investigated
Village
Long Hong
Quang Vinh
Xa Nhu
Hong Lenh
Thanh Binh
Ha Luong
Noong Pung
Huoi Pu
Ban Nhop
Hung Phong
Coc Phat
La Li
Hoi Han
Den Thang
Phuong Danh
District
Tuan Giao
Tuan Giao
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Phu Yen
Phu Yen
Thuan Chau
Thuan Chau
Tam Duong
Tam Duong
Tam Duong
Phong Tho
Phong Tho
Phong Tho
Province
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Son La
Son La
Son La
Son La
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Longitude
(0)
103.4410
103.4313
103.0225
102.9951
102.9909
104.6892
104.6557
103.6338
103.6507
103.6816
103.3105
103.6692
103.4086
103.3610
103.3321
Latitude
(0)
21.6432
21.6794
21.4752
21.4315
21.4288
21.1166
21.1959
21.3849
21.3850
22.2779
22.5434
22.2683
22.5132
22.6613
22.5144
Elevation
(m)
541
536
482
476
450
131
230
1192
1133
673
722
584
373
1413
395
Survey of adaptability and productivity of fast growing trees
In each province Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, we investigated 7-12 sites in 3 altitudinal zones
(<400 m, 400 – 700 m, above 700 m) where available plantations were selected for evaluation. In
each site, the following information was then collected: tree species, year of planting, ownership,
source of funding, germplasm sources. For productivity survey, depending on size of area, 1-3
plots of 1000 m2 were randomly selected and diameter at breast height (DBH), total tree height
(HT), pest and disease if any and survival percentage were measured. To avoid edge effects
hence biased productivity evaluation, sampling plots were located inside the plantation.
FIPI (1995) divided Vietnamese tree species into 4 groups of form factors in which the group of
lowest form factor have the mean of 0.45 and many tree species in northern Vietnam fall in this
group e.g. M. mediocris, M. glauca, V. montana and B. alnoides. It also has been shown to be
appropriate for A. mangium (Harwood, C. personal communication). Therefore, individual tree
volume (Vol) was calculated using formula:
The use of form factor 0.45 in general would minimize the risk of over-estimation of tree volume
hence MAI.
Results
General information on plantations and wood processing in the northwest
By 2011, there was a total of 46,512 ha of plantation in the provinces Lai Chau, Dien Bien and
Son La (Table 3), accounting for only 3.6% of total forest area in all 3 provinces. Dien Bien had
largest area of plantation compared to the other 2 provinces and plantations accounted for 5.6%
of total forest area in this province. Planted species were mostly fast growing species including
A. mangium and acacia hybrid (A. mangium x A. auriculiformis), E. urophylla and E.
camaldulensis, teak, M. glauca, M. azedarach, B. alnoides and P. massoniana. There were a
total of 192 wood processing entities in these 3 provinces that may include sawmills, furniture
makers and veneer mills.
Table 3: Total forest area, natural forest, plantation and number of wood processing
entities in Lai Chau, Dien Bien and Son La as of 2011
Province
Lai Chau
Dien Bien
Son La
Total
Total forest
area (ha)
353,688
328,857
607,145
1,289,690
Natural forest
(ha)
339,873
310,355
592,950
1,243,178
Plantation
(ha)
13,815
18,502
14,195
46,512
Number of wood
processing entities
43
62
87
192
Timber demand and supply
House hold timber demand
Timber and fuel wood demand of households is presented in Table 4. The average sawn timber
demand per household was about 0.3 m3/year and ranged between 0.2 to 0.4 m3 per household
per year. The timber demand in a Kinh or Mong household was 0.2 m3/year whereas it was
slightly higher in Thai household at 0.3 m3/year. In Dien Bien province, the timber demand per
household was 0.3 m3/year, followed by Son La and Lai Chau with timber demand per
household of 0.3 and 0.2 m3/year, respectively. However, the difference between groups or
province was not statistically significant, which was unsurprising given the very small sample
size of 3-4 households per village. In all households investigated, people needed wood mainly
for repairing their houses and making furniture.
Fuel wood demand is also strong in the northwest, with average fuel wood consumption per
household of 26 stere per year1. There is no clear difference between groups of people with fuel
wood consumption were 12 – 30 stere per year in each group. The clear difference was found
1
A stere is a stacked cubic metre of wood, equivalent to approximately 0.6 solid cubic metres
between provinces, people in Lai Chau province used more fuel wood (31 stere/year) than those
in Son La and Dien Bien (12 – 28 stere per year).
An old Thai house in Chieng Den commune, Son La province
Table 4: Timber demand in households in the North West
(Sawn timber demand per household is annual need for minor activities e.g repairing house and making furniture
not for major activities e.g building new house)
Province
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Son La
Son La
Son La
Son La
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
District
Tuan Giao
Tuan Giao
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Phu Yen
Phu Yen
Thuan Chau
Thuan Chau
Tam Duong
Tam Duong
Tam Duong
Phong Tho
Phong Tho
Phong Tho
Village
Long Hong
Quang Vinh
Xa Nhu
Hong Lenh
Thanh Binh
Ha Luong
Noong Pung
Huoi Pu
Ban Nhop
Hung Phong
Coc Phat
La Li
Hoi Han
Den Thang
Phuong Danh
Group
Thai
Mong
Mong
Thai
Kinh
Thai
Muong
Mong
Thai
Kinh
Mong
Thai
Thai
Mong
Kinh
Number of
household
surveyed
3
4
3
3
3
3
3
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Sawn timber
demand per
household (m3/yr)
0.4
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
Fuel wood
demand
(stere/yr)
25
30
12
12
12
30
27
30
25
30
30
30
32
35
30
Fuel wood selling on the road side in Son La
Timber demand by sawmills
In Son La and Dien Bien provinces, sawmills capacity ranged from 30-40 m3 of round wood
consumption in small, family run sawmills to 500 m3 round wood consumption in big
commercial companies. In Lai Chau province, most sawmills were family run and small scale at
less than 15 m3 round wood consumption annually (Table 5).
Table 5: Ownership, wood consumption and source of wood in surveyed sawmills
Company/owner name
Dien Bien Export Import
Co.
Quoc Hoai Co.
Truong Anh Co.
Vu Van Huan
Dinh Van Tho
Son La JSC
Xuyen Tuoi Co.
Dinh Van Hac
Quan Diep Co.
Thuy Doanh Co.
Vu Van Thang
Hoang Van Dai
Khong Van Dao
Hoang Van Nghiem
Tran Van Hoan
Dao Van Quan
Province
Ownership
Wood
consumption
(m3/year)
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Dien Bien
Son La
Son La
Son La
Son La
Son La
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Jointstock
Private
Private
Private
Private
Jointstock
Private
Private
Private
Private
Private
Private
Private
Private
Private
Private
500
80
360
40
30
300
400
150
200
250
<10
>10
<15
<15
<10
<15
Source of wood
Natural forest & imported
Natural forest & imported
Natural forest
Natural forest
Natural forest
Natural forest & imported
Natural forest & plantation
Natural forest & plantation
Natural forest
Natural forest
Natural forest
Natural forest
Natural forest
Natural forest
Natural forest
Natural forest
Saw mill and furniture making workshop in Dien Bien
Most sawmills were privately owned and their main wood source was wood from natural forest
either from local sources or imported from Laos. Some sawmills in Son La also used acacia and
teak from local plantations. Sawmills also reported that they accept native tree species such as M.
azedarach and C. tabularis grown in family gardens. They produced furniture for local people,
big sawmills produced furniture on their own design and sell to people while small sawmills
produced furniture on order. In some cases, local people brought wood to sawmills to order
furniture.
Wood supply and changes in wood supply
In all households and sawmills investigated, we were advised of shortfalls or difficulties in the
supply of timber to meet their demands. Some farmers in Son La and Dien Bien reported that
wood supply had decreased by 50% over the last 20 years and it is getting difficult to access
wood resources. The lack of wood also cause changes in species used, from expensive to lower
price timber species. Table 6 demonstrated the changes in timber species in the past and at
present. Some high value timber species such as B. hsienmu, P. pinata, S. wallichii, M.
mediocris, F. hodginsii and D. duperreanum which had been commonly used in the past were
limited and not used commonly at present. People had changed to using planted species such as
eucalypts, acacia, teak, M. azedarach and other lower valued timber species from natural forest
(collectively named go tap).
Table 6: Number of opinions about the use of species in the past and present in households
Dien Bien
Species
Before Now
eucalypts
0
3
Castanea
0
2
M. mediocris
1
1
go tap
0
2
acacia
0
4
C. tabularis
3
1
M. glauca
6
6
B. hsienmua
12
0
P. pinata
9
0
D. duperreanum
4
0
C. nigrum
0
1
V. montana
0
1
M. fordiana
1
0
S. wallischii
10
1
Lai Chau
Species
Before Now
P. chinensis
1
1
P. persica
2
0
B. ceiba
0
3
M. mediocris
12
3
go tap
0
11
M. thunbergii
2
1
C. tabularis
6
0
M. glauca
2
1
B. hsienmua
7
1
F. hodginsii
6
0
C. obtusifolium
1
0
P. pinata
15
1
D. duperreanum
8
2
M. pasquieri
3
0
P. massoniana
3
2
A. nepalensis
12
10
V. montana
0
2
S. wallischii
0
4
Son La
Species
Before Now
P. chinensis
9
0
M. mediocris
8
2
go tap
4
8
C. tabularis
1
0
A. mangium
0
6
B. hsienmua
6
0
P. pinata
5
0
D. duperreanum
1
0
M. pasquieri
1
0
L. fissus
2
0
teak
0
8
P. massoniana
0
2
S. wallischii
9
4
M. azedarach
6
9
C. axillaris
1
2
Change in species used was also recorded in sawmills (Table 7). Similar trends were also
recorded with high valued species such as B. hsienmu, F. hodginsii and P. pinata no longer used
or limited in their use because of availability and wood price are not affordable. In contrast, some
lower value timber species such as B. ceiba and C. obtusifolium which were not used in the past
are accepted. Sawmills also accepted planted timber species such as teak, acacia and M.
azedarach. Sawmills also reported reducing their minimum acceptable timber diameter to get
more wood. In a sawmill in Son La, teak logs were accepted as low as 15 cm diameter, while
acacia and M. azedarach were accepted at small end diameter of 20 cm. In Dien Bien and Son
La, large quantities of big logs (>40 cm s.e.d) mostly of S. aromaticum, E. fordii and P.
macrocarpus were imported from Laos through local border ports.
Table 7: Use of wood species in the past and present in the sawmills
Dien Bien
Species
Before
M. mediocris
Yes
go tap
Yes
acacia
No
F. hodginsii
Yes
D. grandiflora
Yes
P. pinata
Yes
S. aromaticum
Yes
E. fordii
Yes
P. macrocarpus
Yes
Now
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Son La
Species
Before
B. ceiba
No
D. retusus
No
S. aromaticum
Yes
M. mediocris
Yes
go tap
No
acacia
No
C. tabularis
Yes
B. hsienmu
Yes
F. hodginsii
Yes
M. pasquieri
Yes
L. fissus
Yes
teak
No
P. massoniana
No
S. wallischii
Yes
M. azedarach
No
E. fordii
Yes
Now
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lai Chau
Species
Before
D. retusus
No
C. indica
Yes
B. ceiba
Yes
M. mediocris
Yes
M. thunbergii
Yes
M. glauca
No
B. hsienmu
Yes
D. grandiflora
Yes
F. hodginsii
Yes
C. obtusifolium
No
P. pinata
Yes
D. duperreanum
Yes
L. fissus
No
V. Montana
Yes
Now
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Table 8 presents wood prices of different timber species in the northwest. Generally, wood prices
were high for most species except some commercially planted species such as teak, acacia, M.
glauca and M. azedarach which ranged from 1.5M to 8M VND per round log m3. Some high
value species such as D. grandiflora, E. fordii, M. pasquieri, F. hodginsii, C. tabularis and M.
mediocris were expensive with price of sawn boards ranging from 16 to 25M VND per m3.
Rough timber from natural forest in Son La
Table 8. Mill gate wood price of different species in the northwest
Species
P. pinata
D. grandiflora
D. duperreanum
B. ceiba
M. thunbergii
F. hodginsii
V. montana
B. hsienmu
M. mediocris
C. obtusifolium
B. alnoides
S. aromaticum
E. fordii
M. pasquieri
C. tabularis
teak
L. fissus
M. azedarach
M. glauca
acacia
Price of round logs per m3
(VND)
6-8M
6-8M
6-8M
Price sawn boards per m3
(VND)
12-15M
12-15M
12-15M
7-8M
7-8M
23-25M
5-7M
12-15M
9-10M
8-10M
3-4M
16-18M
7-8M
14-16M
18-20M
15-18M
18-20M
18-20M
12-15M
7-8M
6-8M
2.5M
1.5-2M
Planted tree species as alternative to natural forest timber
During the investigation, we found sawmills and households used wood from plantations and
scattered planting in farmer gardens. Table 9 showed the list of planted tree species used in
sawmills and households and their end products. Generally, all species can be used either for
construction or furniture. Eucalypts and M. azedarach are favored for construction as round
wood posts and roof support structure because of their long and straight stems, and durability.
However, their green logs need to be soaked in water for 1-2 years to avoid shrinkage and
splitting. Schima wallichii and teak are most valuable among those species and are used for
heavy construction and high quality furniture. However, both species are relatively slow growing
(30 – 40 years rotation for production of 40-60 cm diameter sawlogs) and require deep, fertile
and well drained soil. Sawmills reported that it is difficult to get large-diameter logs of these
species and they accept the logs of minimum diameter of 15 cm. A sawmill in Son La used teak
logs of 15 cm diameter to make panels but recovery was reported to be low and they paid 3-4M
VND per m3 round log of 15 cm minimum small end diameter. Saw mills in Son La and Dien
Bien also accept A. mangium and acacia hybrid with minimum diameter 20 cm at 1.5-2M VND
per m3 round log to make general furniture by order. Saw mills in Phu Yen district reported that
they buy acacia logs to make sawn board and sell to Phu Tho province at 4M VND per m3 at the
mill gate. In Son La and Dien Bien, saw mills are interested in A. auriculiformis for furniture and
construction.
Teak panel produced from small logs in a saw mill in Son La
Table 9: Use of fast-growing or planted tree species by sawmills and households
Species
eucalypts
acacia
M. glauca
M. azedarach
S. wallischii
teak
V. montana
Uses
Construction
General furniture
Furniture and construction
Construction
Furniture and construction
Construction and furniture
Furniture and construction
Provinces
Dien Bien
Dien Bien, Son La
Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau
Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau
Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau
Son La
Lai Chau
Most farmers interviewed were interested in planting trees in their land for their own use and to
sell to other. They were interested in fast growing and easy to plant species including eucalypts,
acacia, M. glauca, M. azedarach, S. wallischii, V. montana, and P. massoniana. All species are
grown primarily for timber production whereas V. montana can also be used for timber
production also oil from seed can be extracted to produce varnish.
In Keo Lom, Dien Bien, we were told that people have started using wood of eucalypts for
construction, especially on the roofing support structure and door frames. In Thanh Binh
commune, Dien Bien district, some farmers saw old A. mangium logs to make interior walls,
door and windows in the house. They were reported to be acceptable for this purpose and
equivalent in quality compared to normal wood from natural forests.
Adaptability of planted tree species
For the evaluation of suitability of planted tree species in Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau, we
investigated successfully established and well managed plantations. It should be noted that most
of plantations in the northwest were established under national planting programs 327 and 661 or
foreign aided projects except some private plantations in Phu Yen, Son La. Most plantations
were established in typical density from 1111 to 1666 stems per ha using manual slashing and
burning and pitting without fertilizer applied. Seedlings were mainly supplied by authorized
provincial or district central nurseries but origin of seed was unknown.
Growth of tree species at low elevation (below 400 m)
At elevations below 400 m in Son La and Lai Chau province, both A. mangium and E. urophylla
performed well with MAI from 19 to 22 m3/ha/year at age 4-5 years old (Table 10). M.
azedarach showed relatively good growth with MAI from 14 to 15 m3/ha/year at age 15 years.
On the lowland, deep moist soil sites in Ha Luong village, Phu Yen, Son La, teak showed good
growth with MAI at 15 years of 14-15 m3/ha/year whereas it reached 10 m3/ha/year on the drier
sites in Chieng Hac village in Yen Chau district, Son La. Pinus massoniana and M. glauca had
the lowest MAI ranging from 8 to 9 m3/ha/year at age 12-13 years in Ha Luong, Phu Yen, Son
La.
Fifteen year teak plantation in Son La
Table 10. Growth of different species in plantations below 400 m
Age
(yr)
Initial/
current
stocking
(stem/ha)
DBH
(cm)
HT
(m)
Province
Elevation
(m)
Ha Luong
Son La
239
M. azedarach
15
1660/960
14.0
10.2
MAI
(m3/ha/yr)
5
Ha Luong
Son La
165
teak
15
1666/1300
17.0
17.1
15
Ha Luong
Son La
343
A. mangium
5
1333/1100
15.1
10.8
19
Ha Luong
Son La
333
P. massonia
13
1333/1066
16.0
10.3
8
Ha Luong
Son La
145
teak
15
1666/1200
17.0
17.1
14
Thon
Son La
219
eucalypts
4
1660/1300
13.9
10.0
22
Chieng Hac
Son La
386
teak
16
1666/1120
16.7
14.7
10
Khong Lao
Lai Chau
332
M. glauca
12
1660/1100
14.1
14.4
9
Khong Lao
Lai Chau
332
M. glauca
12
1660/1100
13.6
14.5
9
Village
Species
Growth of tree species at intermediate elevations (400 – 700 m)
In Dien Bien province, we investigated plantations in 6 villages in 3 districts: Dien Bien Dong,
Dien Bien and Tuan Giao. In Dien Bien and Dien Bien Dong district people planted mostly
acacia hybrid (mixed clones) and eucalypts (Chinese clone U6) under the 661 program, with
cuttings provided by the provincial central nursery. The trees were 5 years old and showed good
growth with MAI ranging from 11 to 13 m3/ha/year for both eucalypts and acacia hybrid and
plantations generally looked healthy. In Dien Bien district, there were some old plantations of A.
mangium that were planted in 1996 with initial density of 625 stem per ha (4 x 4m) and current
density ranged from 310 to 400 stem per ha, the trees showed good growth with DBH reaching
30 cm and MAI ranged from 12 to 14 m3/ha/year. These old plantation of A. mangium and M.
glauca were planted under the 327 program with seedling provided by provincial central nursery,
but seed origin were unknown.
At elevation 680 m in Bon Nghe village, Thuan Chau district, Son La province, A. mangium was
the best performing species with MAI of 22 m3/ha/year at age 15 years old. At the same area and
same age, V. montana had MAI of 12 m3/ha/year.
In Nam Cung village, Phong Tho district, Lai Chau, M. glauca performed well at age 31 years
with MAI of 13 m3/ha/year. At age 3 years, A. mangium and B. alnoides showed similar growth
rate (MAI: 6 to 7 m3/ha/year) and better than S. wallischii (MAI 3 m3/ha/year) at elevation 550 –
620 m in Lai Chau province. Acacia mangium grew well with MAI of 18 m3/ha/year at age 8
years old which is better than P. massoniana at the same age and similar elevation in Lai Chau
province (Table 11).
Table 11: Growth of tree species at elevations 400 – 700 m in Son La and Lai Chau
Province
Elevation
(m)
Keo Lom
Dien Bien
563
eucalypts
5
1666/1200
10.2
12.5
MAI
(m /ha/yr)
11
Pu Hong
Dien Bien
479
acacia hybrid
5
1660/1200
12.0
10.5
13
Hong Lenh
Dien Bien
470
acacia hybrid
5
1660/1100
12.0
10.3
12
Thanh Binh
Dien Bien
450
A. mangium
16
625/317
30.3
18.2
12
Thanh Binh
Dien Bien
478
A. mangium
16
625/394
29.9
18.1
14
Long Hong
Dien Bien
545
M. glauca
16
625/407
23.9
18.3
9
Long Hong
Dien Bien
541
M. glauca
16
625/486
23.6
18.1
11
Bon Nghe
Son La
675
V. montana
15
1666/900
19.0
15.4
12
Bon Nghe
Son La
680
A. mangium
15
1666/650
27.2
19.0
22
Bon Nghe
Son La
679
P. massoniana
22
1666/650
26.8
18.8
14
Nam Cung
Lai Chau
463
M. glauca
31
2000/680
31.9
17.1
13
Dao Chan
Lai Chau
548
B. alnoides
3
1666/1200
9.3
5.2
6
Den Thang
Lai Chau
544
S. wallischii
3
1666/1100
7.8
4.3
3
Ban Bo
Lai Chau
617
A. mangium
8
1660/750
18.6
15.8
18
La Li
Lai Chau
619
A. mangium
3
1660/1200
8.2
7.6
7
Ban Bo
Lai Chau
596
P. massoniana
8
1660/1200
10.3
11.2
6
Tong Ban
Lai Chau
678
P. massoniana
8
1660/1200
12.2
9.4
7
Village
Species
Age
(yr)
Initial/
current
stocking
(stem/ha)
DBH
(cm)
Eucalypt clone U6 plantation in Dien Bien
HT
(m)
3
E. camaldulensis planted along road side at 500 m elevation in Dien Bien
Growth of trees at high elevations (>700 m)
At high elevations in Lai Chau, we found plantations of B. alnoides and S. wallischii. These
plantations were planted and managed by Phong Tho Protective Forest Management Board under
661 program using local seed source. Betula alnoides were growing well on at high elevation
with MAI of 9 - 11 m3/ha/year at age 6-8 years (Table 12). Schima wallichii grew more slowly
with MAI of 5 m3/ha/year at age 12 years (Table 12).
In Pung Luong commune, Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai, there are P. massoniana plantations which
were planted in period 1970 – 1980. In an investigated plantation that was 34 years old, MAI
reached m3/ha/year and the trees look generally healthy. Resin tapping was carried out in some
plantations with 3-4 kg resin collected per tree per annum. The resin was sold to China at a price
of 40,000 VND per kg. There were some small plots of E. grandis trees which were said to have
been planted in 1990 with average diameter of 35 cm and height of 24 m in Mu Cang Chai.
Along the road side we found one E. grandis tree with a diameter of 50 cm and height of more
than 30 m.
We were also told that A. mangium were also planted at some high elevations in Phong Tho, Lai
Chau (850 m) and Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai (900 m) but they all died during winter.
Table 12: Growth of tree species at elevations above 700 m in Lai Chau and Yen Bai
Province
Village
Khong Lao
Nam Xe
Dao San
Pung Luong
Pung Luong
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Yen Bai
Yen Bai
Elevation
(m)
837
849
906
937
1050
Species
B. alnoides
B. alnoides
S. wallischii
P. massoniana
E. grandis
Age
(yr)
6
8
12
34
22
Initial/
current
stocking
(st/ha)
1100/940
1100/876
1100/830
3300/430
1660/330
DBH
(cm)
12.1
14.3
12.4
32.3
35.5
HT
(m)
9.8
11.2
10.1
23.5
24.0
MAI
(m3/ha/yr)
8
9
4
11
16
Thirty-four year P. massoniana plantation at 900 m elevation in Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai
Twenty two year E. grandis tree at 900 m elevation in Mu Cang Chai
Discussion
Timber demand and supply
All investigated households and sawmills reported shortages of wood or difficulties in collecting
wood for their own use. The total wood used per household (5-8 people per household) was 0.3
m3 per annum or 0.03 – 0.05 m3/per person. The main consumption in households in the north
west is fuel wood at 29 stere per households which equal to 17.4m3 of wood per household per
year (using conversion factor of 0.6). Farmers also sell fuel wood to other people on the road
side or in the market. Numbers of households using gas for cooking in cities such as Dien Bien
Phu and Son La are increasing but most people still rely on fuel wood. It is anticipated that fuel
wood will still remain the major use of small-diameter wood in the northwest. Small farmer’s
woodlots planted on land near the house or crop fields for fuel wood production could be an
alternative to exploiting fuel wood from natural forests. For this purpose, eucalypt plantations
may be good choice because of their fast growth, good burning characteristics and good
coppicing.
In the households investigated, people need larger dimensioned wood mainly for construction
purposes e.g. repairing existing houses which are normally 30 – 40 years old or building new
houses. It is difficult for poor farmers to build new wooden houses these days as it requires 10 –
30 m3 of wood per house depending on size.
In mountainous area in Vietnam, villages are allocated area of forest and forest land for the
community purpose according to the Law of Forest Protection and Development which has been
effective since 2004. Total area of community forest and forest land depends on resource
availability in the area. In the northwest, community forest range from 30 to 150 ha per village
and are normally located in the upstream area of the village. Each village has its own protection
and harvesting forest products mutual agreement. Village delegate a group of people to protect
the forest using fund contributed by villagers. Villagers are allowed to harvest forest products
following village’s consent. Among the northwest provinces, only Son La are allowed to allocate
natural forest to community as a pilot case. In the lowland of Son La province where natural
forest had been seriously degraded, villager can only collect fuel wood, bamboo and other nonwood products from community forest. In the high mountain area where people (mostly Mong
people) can still collect low valued timber, they are allowed to cut 10 – 15 m3 round wood to
build a new house following approval of people’s committee and monitored by village head and
delegated forest protection group.
In the past, people mainly used high valued wood such as M. stipulata, E. fordii, B. hsienmu and
F. hodginsii for construction. These day, because of the shortage of wood the price of such high
value woods has become expensive and not affordable to all people, so people changed to lower
grade wood as long as they can saw and use in the house but supply is becoming very difficult
even for less favored species.
Suitable planting species for different altitudes in the Northwest
The growth rates reported in this study are only valid for the plantations that we surveyed. As
previously mentioned, MAI reported in this study was estimated from successfully established
and well-managed plantations. MAI changes with age, increasing up to a certain age depending
on species and techniques applied and reducing in later age. Therefore comparison of MAI
across different ages and stockings is only approximate. We were not able to determine the
proportion of plantations which have been successful in the Northwest; undoubtedly there have
been some failures. The results should not be generalized for the Northwest because of
differences in site conditions, planting materials and silviculture techniques applied. Rather, it is
best to use the MAI values presented here as an indication of the levels of production that can be
achieved with good species site matching, use of good-quality planting materials and appropriate
management.
At elevations below 400 m in Phu Yen, Son La most common planted species are M. azedarach,
teak, A. mangium and eucalypts. Growth of acacia and eucalypts in this area is good and can
reach 22 m3/ha/year at age 4-5 years which is similar to values obtained in fertile lowland areas
in northern Vietnam which ranged from 13 to 25 m3/ha/year (Ha Huy Thinh et al., 2011). Teak
and M. azedarach had good growth in this area with MAI reaching 15 m3/ha/year. Both teak and
M. azedarach were reported to be good and preferred by log brokers for timber production.
Melia azedarach is a native species and the wood is preferred for construction as well as
furniture. Round logs of M. azedarach are sold at price of 6 to 8M VND per m3 in Son La and
Ha Noi which is 3-4 times higher than price of A. mangium. However, this species is susceptible
to shoot borer Hyplasia sp. and only bottom logs up to 8 – 10 m high are sold for timber.
Normally, log brokers buy M. azedarach logs at age 15-20 years.
Teak grows well at low elevation in Son La with MAI similar to M. azedarach. Most teak
plantations were planted under the 327 and the 661 programs and other ODA projects in 1990 –
2000. Initial planting density was 1666 stems/ha and people did not make any thinning until
now. Some farmers reported that they can sell wood of teak now to saw mills in Phu Tho and
Son La through log brokers. Log brokers check plantations and select good trees and negotiate
standing price with owners. Based on price quoted by log brokers to farmers it is anticipated that
standing price of teak would be 2,000,000 VND per m3 down to small end diameter of 12 cm.
We also found teak trees along some roads in Son La and Dien Bien cities which showed good
growth, healthy with diameter reaching 20 cm at age 15 years in Dien Bien and 30 – 40 cm at
age 30 years in Son La. Sawmills in Son La reported that they buy teak logs from thinned
plantations at mill gate price of 3.5-4M VND per m3 for minimum small end diameter of 13-14
cm to make panels and sell to local people as well as customers in Hanoi. On the sawn boards,
we estimate percent of heart wood would be 50-70% of total board surface. Teak logs from
thinned plantations can also be sold to veneer mills to make engineered teak veneers which are
imported into Vietnam at price ranged from 0.4 to 2.1 USD per m2 to make flooring laminates.
Based on field evaluation in the field and discussion with log brokers, we estimated that about
30% of total volume of current teak plantations in Ha Luong, Son La can be sold for small
timber and this will bring about 150M VND per ha to farmers from selling small logs. Another
alternative that would bring better benefit to farmers would be thinning 50% of current stocking
and selling small logs while retaining 50% of the trees until next thinning at age 20 years and
retaining a final stocking of 200 – 300 stems per ha until end of rotation which is anticipated at
age 30 – 40 years. In parallel, farmers can grow agricultural crops underneath the trees.
At elevations from 400 up to 700 m in Dien Bien, Son La and Lai Chau, the most common
plantation species are eucalypts, A. mangium, acacia hybrid, P. massoniana, and M. glauca. Both
A. mangium and acacia hybrid had growth rates ranging from 11 to 22 m3/ha/year at age 5 to 16
years old. The growth rate of acacia species in the low elevation in the northwest is similar to
those obtained in the low land areas in the northern Vietnam which also ranged from 13 – 25
m3/ha/year (Ha Huy Thinh et al., 2011). Eucalypt clone U6 is also growing well in Keo Lom
commune, Dien Bien Dong district in Dien Bien province. The results indicated that some fast
growing trees species that are suitable for the low land areas in northern Vietnam can also be
well adapted to elevations below 700 m in the northwest region except for some elevations above
400 m a.s.l in the north of Yen Bai province where cold damage in A. mangium has been
reported (Directorate of Forestry, 2008). In some places, A. mangium plantations at age 15-16
years showed good growth with DBH of 30 cm at current stocking of between 300 – 400
stems/ha indicated that plantations of this species can be managed for longer rotations for sawn
timber production, which can be highly valuable and bring more benefit to farmers from selling
sawn timber. In Phu Yen, Son La where soil is deep and moist and sites receive more rainfall
than in Dien Bien, A. mangium showed better growth compared to its performance in Dien Bien
province at the same age, averaging at 22 and 12 m3/ha/year, respectively. Manglietia glauca
also showed good growth at elevations below 700 m in the northwest with MAI ranging from 10
to 14 m3/ha/year age 15-30 years old. The buyers pay a better price of 2.5 M VND per m3 on
average for M. glauca than that for A. mangium 1.8M VND for logs of small end diameter > 20
cm. Log brokers and sawmills also reported that they prefer M. glauca to A. mangium because it
is free of heart rot, has straighter stems, fewer knots and more cylindrical in log shape compared
to A. mangium making it suitable for construction as well as furniture. In Yen Bai province,
veneer mills also reported that M. glauca is preferred to A. mangium of the same diameter range.
Manglietia glauca require fertile, moist and well drained soil and showed poor growth on
degraded, shallow or lateritic soil. In the northwest, soils are generally deep and fertile and can
be suitable for this species. Additionally, M. glauca initially grows more slowly than A. mangium
and it takes longer for canopy closure, making it is more suitable for inter-cropping with maize
or other crops than A. mangium.
At high elevations in Phong Tho, Lai Chau province, B. alnoides showed good growth
suggesting high potential of this species in the high elevation in the northwest. Wood of B.
alnoides is favored by furniture industry for domestic uses, sawn boards of this species are now
sold in Hanoi at prices ranging from 3.5 to 7M VND per m3 depending on thickness and length
of sawn boards. We were told that large B. alnoides trees in natural forest are rarely found in the
northwest now because of the high demand for this species in Vietnam. Therefore, a program of
conservation and genetic improvement for plantations op this species should be commenced to
maintain the genetic base and provide good seed for planting. At elevations around 900-1000 m
in Mu Cang Chai, P. massoniana showed good growth. This species may be a good alternative
for high altitudes in the northwest as we have seen in Mu Cang Chai. However, market demand
for wood of this species is not strong because the wood is not favored by industry because of
termite attack in service. Resin collection is now bringing good benefit to local people but it
takes 10 – 12 years from planting to collect resin in P. massoniana. Additionally, resin is not
used within Vietnam and is only exported to the China market so will be subjected to turbulent
market prices in China. As seen in Mu Cang Chai, subtropical eucalypt species such as E.
grandis, E. microcorys, E. saligna and their hybrids may be a good choice for timber plantation
development at high elevations in the northwest.
It should also be noted that mono-cultured plantations alone will not function well in soil erosion
control. On the steeply sloping sites in the northwest, comprehensive soil protection techniques
along with plantations e.g. inter-cropping with fodder grass and preventing removal or burning
falloff surface litter will help improve soil fertility and the protection function of plantations..
Planted fast growing trees as alternative to wood from natural forest
There are strong reasons for development of planted forests in the northwest: (i) to reduce
harvesting pressure on natural forest from over-harvesting and illegal logging; (ii) to preserve
environmental conditions in the northwest for sustainable development e.g. reducing soil erosion
and degradation and flooding; (iii) provide opportunities for poor farmers to improve their
income and livelihoods through development of plantations and forest products.
Because of difficult road conditions and long distances from main markets, development of large
scale plantations in Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau is not economically viable if the main
market is pulpwood sales to pulp mills in Phu Tho and Tuyen Quang or woodchip export to
Quang Ninh or Hai Phong ports, as transport cost would be too high. Therefore, short rotation
eucalypts and acacia plantations grown for pulp and woodchip are not recommended unless pulp
mills are eventually located within the northwest region. There is no immediate prospect for this,
and it may not be economically viable for an economically sized mill to locate in this region
because of strong land competition with other crops like maize, coffee and rubber, patchy
distribution of suitable land, and poor local road systems.
Because of high transport cost, fast growing plantation in the northwest can only be profitable if
high-valued products such as construction wood, saw logs, or locally manufactured veneer or
engineered/composite wood products are produced. There is strong demand for wood in the
northwest region for construction and furniture as well as the whole Vietnam for furniture both
for domestic use and export. Export grade acacia sawn-boards are purchased at mill gate in
Hanoi at 5-6M VND per m3. At Quy Nhon port, FSC certified eucalypt sawn boards of 25 mm
thickness were imported at a price of 340 USD per m3 in 2012. It is anticipated that acceptable
profit can be obtained from growing plantations for high value products in the northwest. Up to
now, there are no large-scale wood processing activities using plantation timber operating in the
northwest. The Dien Bien Paper Mill which was built in 1970s used bamboo and later eucalypts
and acacia but this mill was closed in 2007 and the owners changed to build a finger-jointed
board and flooring panel from bamboo in 2012. They were also running a veneer mill with two
spindleless lathes in the factory, to produce veneer from acacia and eucalypt plantations nearby.
Veneer was said to sell to factory in Hanoi at a mill gate price of 1.6M VND per m3. Round logs
were purchased at mill gate at 0.7 – 0.8M VND or standing trees at 0.5M VND per m3 at
minimum small end diameter of 6-8 cm for veneering.
A veneer mill in Dien Bien
We also visited a factory of Tay Bac Co. Ltd in Tuan Giao district which was under construction.
They will produce finger-jointed and chip board from acacia and eucalypt plantations. The
projected capacity is 24,000 m3 per annum. The manager informed that once the factory starts
processing it will require 30,000 m3 of wood per year, which could be met by a plantation estate
of 300 ha of 7-8 year-old acacia or eucalypt plantations per year. We were informed that the
company is providing seedlings (acacia hybrid and eucalypt clone U6) to farmers in Tuan Giao,
Dien Bien and Dien Bien Dong district with support from provincial authorities. We were told
that more than 200 ha of plantations were established in 2012.
A log broker in Dien Bien informed us that he purchased acacia wood from farmers at 35 – 40M
VND per ha at age 7-8 years. NPV is roughly estimated at 20.6 M VND per ha in rotation of 7-8
years which is not as high as growing maize but acacia hybrid can grow on poor soil where
maize cannot be cultivated or has low yield and it could help improve soil fertility for growing
maize in future by building up nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil as well as greatly reducing
soil erosion.
In Son La and Dien Bien provinces, some farmers we contacted are attracted to growing acacia
because they can sell wood at good price and improve soil fertility prior to cultivating maize. It is
interesting that people understand and appreciate economic and environmental values of acacia
plantations. However, because of limited land allocated to farmers (3-5 ha/household) they
cannot afford growing acacia as an alternative to maize or rotation switching with maize.
Additionally, patchy plantations on the steep slope that are inaccessible by trucks may not be
interesting to log brokers as harvesting and transport cost become very expensive. Log brokers
may only interested if high valued wood can be obtained with high margin after compensating
for the harvesting and transport cost. In this case higher value plantation products such as sawn
timber can be an option.
Another alternative for planting high value timber trees in the maize dominated areas in the
northwest is row-planting. There is no information about profit of timber tree in row-planting
with agricultural crops available in Vietnam. In Laos, people are planting eucalypts in widespaced rows at 10 m between row and 1 m between trees within rows (1000 stem/ha) and
growing upland rice, cassava or maize between eucalypt rows. In this row-planting model,
people can grow annual crops up to 3 years after planting eucalypts. In another study in the
Philippines where timber trees were planted on row 1 x 10 m apart (1000 stems/ha), with maize
intercropping in the 10-meter wide alleys, maize yield generally decreased with increasing age of
plantation (Bertomeu, 2002). However, decrease in maize yield was much dependent on timber
species inter-cropped, in plots cropped with G. arborea maize yield dramatically decreased by
43% after 2 years from timber planting whereas maize yield decreased only by 22 – 25% after 34 years from planting of eucalypts (Bertomeu, 2002). The stronger maize yield decrease in G.
arborea than in eucalypt plots may be explained by large and heavy crown of G. arborea while
eucalypts have small and light crown that allow more sun light reach maize underneath. This
suggests that selection of suitable timber species to inter-crop with maize will be key important
for acceptance of farmers. Species having large and heavy crown like A. mangium or acacia
hybrid may suppress crops earlier than those of small and light crown such as eucalypts, M.
glauca, A. auriculiformis or teak. Acacia hybrid and A. mangium plantations may provide better
soil protection and improvement than other species because canopies close earlier and more litter
is returned to cover the soil surface and recycle nutrients. Wider spacing may have less effect on
maize crops but protective function of plantations will also decrease or be neutralized. Thinning
at early ages to maintain acceptable spacing for large-diameter log production may be
considered. However, there should be viable market size for small logs resulted from thinning to
bring additional benefit to farmers and other entities. Thinned acacia or eucalypt logs at ages 4-5
years or teak logs at ages 8-10 years old may supply veneer mills or particle boards. However,
cost – benefit of all possible options need to be analyzed carefully to be able to recommend
suggested alternative to existing system.
Conclusions and Recommendations
There is strong timber and fuel wood demand in the northwest with average consumption of 0.26
m3 timber and 26 stere fuel wood per household per year. The differences in timber and fuel
wood consumption between groups of people or provinces were minor. Sawmills in the
northwest were mostly private owned with capacity ranged from 30 to 500 m3 of log input per
year in Son La and Dien Bien and 10 - 15 m3 per year in Lai Chau. Most sawmills mainly used
wood from natural forest either from local sources or imported from Laos. A trend of switching
from highly valuable wood to lower grade wood from natural forest or planted wood species was
recorded in all provinces. For elevations below 400 m, A. mangium and tropical eucalypts were
best-performing with MAI ranging from 19 to 23 m3/ha/year at age 4-5 years followed by M.
azedarach and teak with MAI 15 to 17 m3/ha/year at age 15 years old. At elevations from 400 to
700 m, A. mangium, acacia hybrid and tropical eucalypts showed good growth with MAI ranged
11 to 14 m3/ha/year at age 5-16 years. Other native species M. glauca, V. montana and B.
alnoides also grew well on the elevation from 550 to 700 m in Lai Chau province. At elevations
from 800 to 1000 m, E. grandis showed good growth with MAI of 16 m3/ha/year followed by B.
alnoides and P. massoniana with MAI 9 – 11 m3/ha/year.
In summary, some recommendations for sustainable development of timber plantations in the
northwest are highlighted:
-
-
-
-
Development of fast growing species for pulpwood in the northwest is not economically
viable because of high transport cost to main market making log prices unattractive to
growers. Plantations targeting production of higher valued logs are more appropriate in
the northwest. Local processing industries can pay higher log prices than selling for
pulpwood.
Because the lack of suitable land for tree planting and high demand and profit of
agricultural product farmers may not be ready to plant timber species as alternative to
agriculture. Furthermore, steep slope and poor road condition would increase planting,
management, harvesting and transportation costs. Therefore, high valued wood products
e.g. sawn timber and veneer that can compensate other costs may be recommended.
Because of strong demand for timber and fuel wood under conditions of limited land,
steep slope and poor road condition, small plantations and woodlots in areas that are
closes to households and scattered planting of timber species along roadsides and farm
border may be the most suitable solution.
In the northwest, acacia, tropical eucalypt species and teak are suitable for planting on the
elevations below 700 m. On the high elevation above 800 m, subtropical eucalypt
species, B. alnoides and P. massoniana are the most suitable species. Among those
-
species, acacia and teak are recommended for elevations below 700 m as they are more
suitable for sawn timber and acacia species can improve soil fertility thanks to their
nitrogen fixing capacity and litter return. At elevations above 800 m, subtropical eucalypt
species and B. alnoides managed for high value timber products are recommended.
Additionally, there are some eucalypts, acacia, Grevillea robusta and highland casuarinas
that have demonstrated good growth for sub-tropical climates in other parts of the world
and provide high quality timber have not been tested in the region. In order to improve
knowledge in adaptability and growth capacity of potential species in the northwest,
species trials at different elevations in the northwest are recommended.
Reference
Bertomeu (2006). Financial Evaluation of Smallholder Timber-based Agroforestry Systems in
Claveria, Northern Mindanao, the Philippines. Small-scale Forest Economics, Management and
Policy, 5(1): 57-82
Directorate of Forestry (2008). Report on cold damage of plantation in Yen Bai, Lang Son, Bac
Giang and Hoa Binh during extremely cold period in January – February 2008. Directorate of
Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hanoi.
FIPI (Forest Inventory and Planning Institute) (1996). Manual in Forest Inventory and Planning
(in Vietnamese). Agricultural Publishing House, Hanoi.
FIPI (2011). Final report on inventory, evaluation and monitoring forest resources in Vietnam in
period 2006-2010 (in Vietnamese). Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, Hanoi.
Ha Huy Thinh, Phi Hong Hai, Nguyen Duc Kien (2011). Breeding, selection and propagation for
some planting tree species in Vietnam, volume 4 (in Vietnamese). Agriculture Publishing House,
Hanoi. 158pp.
Vietnam Soil Association (1996). Vietnam soils (in Vietnamese). Agriculture Publishing House,
Hanoi.