Lang Son (VNA) – The northern mountainous province of Lang Son has raised the forestcoverage to 60 percent thanks to its efforts in calling for the engagement  ofbusinesses and residents in forest development.

Director of theprovincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Thi Thanh Nhansaid that in the first six months of 2017, the province focused on forestplanting with survival ratio of over 90 percent.

The forestry sectorhas attracted many enterprises and individuals. Forest area planted bybusinesses and locals increased to 47 percent of the total figure as of Junethis year from only 20 percent in 2014.

Since 2015, nearly30,000 hectares of additional forest area have been planted, raising the ratioof forest coverage to over 60 percent.

Many households in LocBinh and Dinh Lap districts have risen out of poverty thanks to pine treeplanting, with many earning over 100 million VND (4,400 USD) per year.

A number of regions growingindustrial forests have also been formed. Currently, the province is expandinga cinnamon tree area in Binh Gia, Bac Son and Trang Dinh districts.

Thanks to the forestrysector’s growth, many processing companies have been operating efficiently,including Lang Son hi-tech wood processing factory in Huu Lung district withcapacity of 140,000 cubic metre per year, and a plant in Loc Binh district processing4,000 tonnes of pine resin per year for export to Japan and the Republic ofKorea.

Lang Son has mergedthe Forest Management Division and the Forestry Ranger Division for moreeffective operation, while handing over two forestry companies of Dinh Lap and LocBinh to the Vietnam Forestry Corporation for reform.-VNA