Units and localities across Da Nang have been concentrating on planting trees to cover vacant land, bare hills, parks and walking gardens, and at the same time, supporting households to plant large-sized timber forests to ensure stable forest cover as goals and tasks set in the project "Building Da Nang into an Environmentally Friendly City" during the 2021-2030 period.

Many trees have been planted in parks and walking gardens in the city over the past 3 years. Photo: HOANG HIEP

Taking advantage of the rainy weather, the Union of Science and Technology Associations of Da Nang, the Green Viet Biodiversity Conservation Center (GreenViet) in coordination with the People's Committee of Hoa Phu Commune in Hoa Vang District recently held a ceremony to launch the planting of 15.07 hectares of large timber forest sponsored by EcoCulture Organisation.

The units handed over 20,539 seedlings of species Hopea odorata, Dalbergia tonkinensis Prain, Pterocarpus macrocarpus and Erythrophloeum fordii, along with 100 trees to people in Hoa Phu Commune to convert their crops from cajuput trees to large timber forests.

Mr. Thieu Song, residing in Dong Lam Village, Hoa Phu Commune, said that with the encouragement of the local government and the support of related units, his family converted to planting large timber forests in steep sloping fields, and acacia trees with fast growth rates at the foot of the hill to make "soft retaining walls". This method of afforestation not only contributes to preventing landslides, and protecting the production area and assets of the State and people at the foot of the hill, but also increasing economic value and efficiency.

Hoa Phu Commune has a natural forest area of ​​over 4,000 hectares, of which 2,510 hectares are designated to plant acacia hybrid and acacia auriculiformis.

In recent years, in order to ensure forest cover and conserve nature and biodiversity, contributing to the effective implementation of the the project "Building Da Nang into Environmentally Friendly City" in the 2021-2030 period, authorities in Hoa Phu Commune have got actively involved in mobilising households to plant large timber trees instead of forests.

Vice Chairman of Hoa Phu Commune People's Committee Huynh Tan Sinh said that after 5 years of mobilising people to convert crops, about 200 hectares have been converted from production forests to large timber trees. Although the planting of large-sized timber trees has just begun and has not brought economic benefits, it will be a sustainable development direction for local forestry in the long term as well as contributing to responding to natural disasters and climate change.

Over the past 4 years, Green Viet has called on organisations and sponsors to coordinate with localities to plant 122,717 green trees in the area. Accordingly, 102,858 seedlings equivalent to 75.6 hectares of forest have been planted in Hoa Vang District’s communes of Hoa Bac, Hoa Lien and Hoa Phu. The remaining 19,859 urban trees have been grown in parks, gardens, schools, etc. in the city.

The municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that from June to August 2024 alone, units and localities have planted and cared for 82,780 trees of all kinds, mainly afforestation, in the city in response to the "Action Month for the Environment".

Implementing Decision No. 524/QD-TTg dated April 1, 2021 of the Prime Minister approving the project "Planting one billion trees in 2021-2025", over the past 3 years, the city has allocated 325,450 trees of all kinds to agencies, units and localities in the area for greening vacant lots, bare hills, parks, gardens, schools, and along both sides of roads. 21 households and individuals have been assisted with growing large-sized timber forests with a total area of ​​388.77 hectares.

In addition, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has planted 28.12 hectares of trees in the Da Nang High-Tech Park. The planting cost comes from the capital source for implementing the Sustainable Forestry Development Project and the Sustainable Forestry Development Strategy,

The city’s Forest Protection Department has well organised the forest regeneration and protection activities by nurturing 234.75 hectares of natural forests and zoning and transferring 50.83 hectares of natural forests in the two special-use forests of Ba Na - Nui Chua and Nam Hai Van.

At the same time, the unit has cared for 85.17 hectares of planted forests over the years, and 18.5 hectares of large pine forests in the Nam Hai Van area, as well as sowed 36,061 native trees to serve the planting of trees to protect the environment.

To promote the results achieved in planting and caring for urban trees and forests in the past 3 years, the municipal People's Committee has requested departments, agencies, sectors and localities to continue to ensure the objectives and tasks of the project "Building Da Nang into Environmentally Friendly City" for the 2021-2030 period, the project "Planting one billion trees for the period 2021-2025" of the Prime Minister, and the project on developing the urban green tree system in Da Nang for the 2021-2030 period.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP - Translating by M.DUNG