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 Acacia auriculiformis A.Cunn. ex Benth.

A. mangium Acacia mangium Willd

A. nepalensis Alnus nepalensis D.Don

B. alnoides Betula alnoides Buch-Ham

B. ceiba Bombax ceiba L.

B. hsienmu Burretiodendron hsienmu Ching et Hu

C. axillaris Choerospondias axiliaris (Roxb.) Burtt et Hill.

C. indica Castanopsis indica (Roxb. ex Lindl.) A.DC.

C. nigrum Canarium nigrum (Lour.) Engler

C. tabularis Chukrasia tabularis A. Juss.

D. duperreanum Dracontomelon duperreanum Pierre

D. grandiflora Duabanga grandiflora (Roxb. ex DC.) Walpers

D. retusus Dipterocarpus retusus Bl.

E. camaldulensis Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnhardt

E. fordii Erythrophloeum fordii Oliver

E. grandis Eucalyptus grandis W.Hill

E. urophylla Eucalyptus urophylla S.T.Blake

F. hodginsii Fokienia hodginsii Henry and Thomas

L. fissus Lithocarpus fissus Champ. ex benth

M. azedarach Melia azedarach L.

M. fordiana Manglietia fordiana Hu.

M. glauca Manglietia glauca Dandy

M. mediocris Michelia mediocris Dandy

M. pasquieri Madhuca pasquieri H.Lec.

M. stipulata Markhamia stipulate (Wall.) Seem. ex K. Schum

M. thunbergii Machilus thunbergii Sieb. Et Zucc.

P. chinensis Parashorea chinensis Wang Hsie.

P. macrocarpus Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kurz.

P. massoniana Pinus massoniana Lamb.

P. persica Prunus persica (L.) Batsch

P. pinata Pometia pinata Frost.

S. aromaticum Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merrill & Perry

S. wallichii Schima wallichii Choisy

Teak Tectona grandis L. f.

V. montana 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. Dien Bien Phu city Dien Bien

Quoc Hoai Co. Dien Bien Phu city Dien Bien

Truong Anh Co. Thanh Luong, Dien Bien district Dien Bien

Vu Van Huan Thanh Luong, Dien Bien district Dien Bien

Dinh Van Tho Thanh Yen, Dien Bien district Dien Bien

Son La JSC Son La city Son La

Xuyen Tuoi Co. Phu Yen town, Phu Yen district Son La

Dinh Van Hac Huy Ha commune, Phu Yen Son La

Quan Diep Co. Thuan Chau town, Thuan Chau district Son La

Thuy Doanh Co. Thuan Chau town, Thuan Chau district Son La

Vu Van Thang Lai Chau town Lai Chau

Hoang Van Dai Lai Chau town Lai Chau

Khong Van Dao Lai Chau town Lai Chau

Hoang Van Nghiem Lai Chau town Lai Chau

Tran Van Hoan Ban Bo commune, Phong Tho district Lai Chau

Dao Van Quan Dao San commune, Tam Duong district 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 District Province Longitude

(0)

Latitude

(0)

Elevation

(m)

Long Hong Tuan Giao Dien Bien 103.4410 21.6432 541

Quang Vinh Tuan Giao Dien Bien 103.4313 21.6794 536

Xa Nhu Dien Bien Dien Bien 103.0225 21.4752 482

Hong Lenh Dien Bien Dien Bien 102.9951 21.4315 476

Thanh Binh Dien Bien Dien Bien 102.9909 21.4288 450

Ha Luong Phu Yen Son La 104.6892 21.1166 131

Noong Pung Phu Yen Son La 104.6557 21.1959 230

Huoi Pu Thuan Chau Son La 103.6338 21.3849 1192

Ban Nhop Thuan Chau Son La 103.6507 21.3850 1133

Hung Phong Tam Duong Lai Chau 103.6816 22.2779 673

Coc Phat Tam Duong Lai Chau 103.3105 22.5434 722

La Li Tam Duong Lai Chau 103.6692 22.2683 584

Hoi Han Phong Tho Lai Chau 103.4086 22.5132 373

Den Thang Phong Tho Lai Chau 103.3610 22.6613 1413

Phuong Danh Phong Tho Lai Chau 103.3321 22.5144 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 Total forest

area (ha)

Natural forest

(ha)

Plantation

(ha)

Number of wood

processing entities

Lai Chau 353,688 339,873 13,815 43

Dien Bien 328,857 310,355 18,502 62

Son La 607,145 592,950 14,195 87

Total 1,289,690 1,243,178 46,512 192

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 m

3 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 District Village Group Number of

household

surveyed

Sawn timber

demand per

household (m3/yr)

Fuel wood

demand

(stere/yr)

Dien Bien Tuan Giao Long Hong Thai 3 0.4 25

Dien Bien Tuan Giao Quang Vinh Mong 4 0.2 30

Dien Bien Dien Bien Xa Nhu Mong 3 0.3 12

Dien Bien Dien Bien Hong Lenh Thai 3 0.3 12

Dien Bien Dien Bien Thanh Binh Kinh 3 0.2 12

Son La Phu Yen Ha Luong Thai 3 0.3 30

Son La Phu Yen Noong Pung Muong 3 0.3 27

Son La Thuan Chau Huoi Pu Mong 4 0.2 30

Son La Thuan Chau Ban Nhop Thai 3 0.2 25

Lai Chau Tam Duong Hung Phong Kinh 3 0.3 30

Lai Chau Tam Duong Coc Phat Mong 3 0.2 30

Lai Chau Tam Duong La Li Thai 3 0.3 30

Lai Chau Phong Tho Hoi Han Thai 3 0.2 32

Lai Chau Phong Tho Den Thang Mong 3 0.2 35

Lai Chau Phong Tho Phuong Danh Kinh 3 0.2 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 Province Ownership

Wood

consumption

(m3/year) Source of wood

Dien Bien Export Import

Co. Dien Bien Jointstock 500 Natural forest & imported

Quoc Hoai Co. Dien Bien Private 80 Natural forest & imported

Truong Anh Co. Dien Bien Private 360 Natural forest

Vu Van Huan Dien Bien Private 40 Natural forest

Dinh Van Tho Dien Bien Private 30 Natural forest

Son La JSC Son La Jointstock 300 Natural forest & imported

Xuyen Tuoi Co. Son La Private 400 Natural forest & plantation

Dinh Van Hac Son La Private 150 Natural forest & plantation

Quan Diep Co. Son La Private 200 Natural forest

Thuy Doanh Co. Son La Private 250 Natural forest

Vu Van Thang Lai Chau Private <10 Natural forest

Hoang Van Dai Lai Chau Private >10 Natural forest

Khong Van Dao Lai Chau Private <15 Natural forest

Hoang Van Nghiem Lai Chau Private <15 Natural forest

Tran Van Hoan Lai Chau Private <10 Natural forest

Dao Van Quan Lai Chau Private <15 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 Lai Chau Son La

Species Before Now Species Before Now Species Before Now

eucalypts 0 3 P. chinensis 1 1 P. chinensis 9 0

Castanea 0 2 P. persica 2 0 M. mediocris 8 2

M. mediocris 1 1 B. ceiba 0 3 go tap 4 8

go tap 0 2 M. mediocris 12 3 C. tabularis 1 0

acacia 0 4 go tap 0 11 A. mangium 0 6

C. tabularis 3 1 M. thunbergii 2 1 B. hsienmua 6 0

M. glauca 6 6 C. tabularis 6 0 P. pinata 5 0

B. hsienmua 12 0 M. glauca 2 1 D. duperreanum 1 0

P. pinata 9 0 B. hsienmua 7 1 M. pasquieri 1 0

D. duperreanum 4 0 F. hodginsii 6 0 L. fissus 2 0

C. nigrum 0 1 C. obtusifolium 1 0 teak 0 8

V. montana 0 1 P. pinata 15 1 P. massoniana 0 2

M. fordiana 1 0 D. duperreanum 8 2 S. wallischii 9 4

S. wallischii 10 1 M. pasquieri 3 0 M. azedarach 6 9

P. massoniana 3 2 C. axillaris 1 2

A. nepalensis 12 10

V. montana 0 2

S. wallischii 0 4

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 Son La Lai Chau

Species Before Now Species Before Now Species Before Now

M. mediocris Yes Yes B. ceiba No Yes D. retusus No Yes

go tap Yes Yes D. retusus No Yes C. indica Yes No

acacia No Yes S. aromaticum Yes No B. ceiba Yes No

F. hodginsii Yes No M. mediocris Yes Yes M. mediocris Yes Yes

D. grandiflora Yes No go tap No Yes M. thunbergii Yes Yes

P. pinata Yes No acacia No Yes M. glauca No Yes

S. aromaticum Yes Yes C. tabularis Yes No B. hsienmu Yes Yes

E. fordii Yes Yes B. hsienmu Yes No D. grandiflora Yes No

P. macrocarpus Yes Yes F. hodginsii Yes No F. hodginsii Yes Yes

M. pasquieri Yes No C. obtusifolium No Yes

L. fissus Yes Yes P. pinata Yes No

teak No Yes D. duperreanum Yes Yes

P. massoniana No Yes L. fissus No Yes

S. wallischii Yes Yes V. Montana Yes Yes

M. azedarach No Yes

E. fordii 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

Price of round logs per m3

(VND)

Price sawn boards per m3

(VND)

P. pinata 6-8M 12-15M

D. grandiflora 6-8M 12-15M

D. duperreanum 6-8M 12-15M

B. ceiba

7-8M

M. thunbergii

7-8M

F. hodginsii

23-25M

V. montana

5-7M

B. hsienmu 12-15M

M. mediocris 9-10M 16-18M

C. obtusifolium

7-8M

B. alnoides 8-10M 14-16M

S. aromaticum

18-20M

E. fordii

15-18M

M. pasquieri

18-20M

C. tabularis

18-20M

teak 3-4M 12-15M

L. fissus

7-8M

M. azedarach 6-8M

M. glauca 2.5M

acacia 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 Uses Provinces

eucalypts Construction Dien Bien

acacia General furniture Dien Bien, Son La

M. glauca Furniture and construction Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau

M. azedarach Construction Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau

S. wallischii Furniture and construction Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau

teak Construction and furniture Son La

V. montana Furniture and construction 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 m

3/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

Village Province

Elevation

(m) Species

Age

(yr)

Initial/

current

stocking

(stem/ha)

DBH

(cm)

HT

(m)

MAI

(m3/ha/yr)

Ha Luong Son La 239 M. azedarach 15 1660/960 14.0 10.2 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

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 m

3/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

Village

Province

Elevation

(m) Species

Age

(yr)

Initial/

current

stocking

(stem/ha)

DBH

(cm)

HT

(m)

MAI

(m3/ha/yr)

Keo Lom Dien Bien 563 eucalypts 5 1666/1200 10.2 12.5 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

Eucalypt clone U6 plantation 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.

E. camaldulensis planted along road side at 500 m elevation in Dien Bien

Table 12: Growth of tree species at elevations above 700 m in Lai Chau and Yen Bai

Village

Province

Elevation

(m) Species

Age

(yr)

Initial/

current

stocking

(st/ha)

DBH

(cm)

HT

(m)

MAI

(m3/ha/yr)

Khong Lao Lai Chau 837 B. alnoides 6 1100/940 12.1 9.8 8

Nam Xe Lai Chau 849 B. alnoides 8 1100/876 14.3 11.2 9

Dao San Lai Chau 906 S. wallischii 12 1100/830 12.4 10.1 4

Pung Luong Yen Bai 937 P. massoniana 34 3300/430 32.3 23.5 11

Pung Luong Yen Bai 1050 E. grandis 22 1660/330 35.5 24.0 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 m

3/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 non-

wood 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 m

3 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 wide-

spaced 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 3-

4 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.

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