DOMESTICATION OF FOREST TREE SPECIES IN VIETNAM

I. INTRODUCTION

Vietnam is a tropical country, located in the Southeast Asia region with total land area of about 330,000 square km, from latitude 8^oN to 23^oN of which forest land is 16 million ha accounting for 48.3% of the total area (Forestry Development Strategy, 2001 – 2010). The data on total forest area by December 1999 (Results on statistics of forest area by 1999. Decision No. 03/201/QD-Ttg dated January 5, 2001) is as follows,

Total forest area: 10,915,592 ha (forest cover 33.2%)

Natural forest: 9,444,198 ha,

Protection forest: 4,812,671 ha

Special use forest: 1,463,746 ha

Production forest: 3,167,781 ha

Plantation forest: 1,471,394 ha,

Protection forest: 537,997 ha

Special use forest: 61,122 ha

Production forest: 872,275 ha

Based on utilisation objectives, the forest land are classified into three types with the existing area by December 31, 1999:

Protection forest: 1,524,868 ha

Special use forest: 5,350,668 ha

Production forest: 4,040,056 ha

The objective of forestry development until 2010 is as follows:

Vietnam has an abundant and diverse forest flora, which is understudied. According to Flore Generale I’Indo-Chine (Lecomte, 1907 — 1958), there are more than 7,000 plant species which belong to 1850 genera and 290 families. Of these 64 genera are endemic covering 3% of the total, and 2084 species are endemic which is about 27.5% of the total number of species (Nguyen Nghia Thin, 1990). According to the Ecological and Plant Resources Institute (Tran Dinh Ly, 1993), there are 11,000 species of more than 2,500 genera within only Ptesidophyta, Gymnospermae and Angiospermae. In National Action Plan of Biodiversity approved by Government in 1995, there are about 12,000 plant species in Vietnam (7,000 of which have been named.), 275 animal species, 800 bird species, 180 reptile species, 80 amphibian species, 2,470 fish species and 5,500 insect species. The uniqueness of flora and fauna is high with 40% of those having not been found in any country, except Vietnam (endemics).

Vietnamese people have been using tree species for thousands of years for food, fodder, medicine, materials, ornamental plants and for other purposes. In 1993, the Ecological and Plant Resources Institute named about 1,900 useful tree species in Vietnam, which belong to about 1,000 genera, 230 families (Tran Dinh Ly, 1993). However, this figure will be certainly increased thanks to more thorough studies and surveys in the future. For medicinal plants alone, recent surveys and studies have shown that there are about 3,200 species used for disease treatment (Vo Van Chi, 1997).

Plant species can be divided into the following groups:

Latest news

• Project: Study on integrated management of insect pests and diseases on Docynia indica in northern Vietnam
• Project: Study on integrated pest management of major leaf insect pests and stem borer beetles in Acacia hybrid, A. mangium and A. auriculiformis in Vietnam
• Project: Research and develop an integrated management program for control of cinnamon pests in some main cinnamon growing areas (Northern mountainous region and Quang Nam province)
• Project: Pilot plantation and completion of planting techniques of technologically advanced germplasm of Acacia auriculiformis (AA42, AA53, AA56, AA92, AA95) for sawlog in the southeast and south central.
• Project "Research on selection of varieties and intensive afforestation techniques of Prunus arborea (Blume) Kalkman for providing lager timber in the Northeast and Northwest regions, Vietnam"

Oldest news

• BAMBOO GENETIC RESOURCES OF VIETNAM
• GENECOLOGICAL INVENTORIES FOR FOUR DIPTEROCARP SPECIES OF COASTAL SANDY FOREST ECOSYSTEMS IN VIETNAM
• Conservation of forest genetic resources in Vietnam
• Research for the establishment of swiddening systems to shorten Their fallow cycle in the north west
• Trial planting of Cinnamomum cassia for high essential oil productivity from the leaves