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 8oN to 23oN 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 … [Read more...]

BAMBOO GENETIC RESOURCES OF VIETNAM I. INTRODUCTION Vietnam is a tropical country located in the South-East Asia with total area of about 331,220 km2 ranging from latitude 90 N to latitude 230 N, of which 20 million ha is forest and forest land (about 60% of the country’s area)(General Statistical Office, 1994). According to statistical data, forest area up to the end of 1993 is as follows, · Natural forest : 8,630,000 ha · Plantation forest : 758,000 … [Read more...]

1. INTRODUCTION Dipterocarpaceae is a typical plant family of the tropical forest in South-east Asia. The family has wide distribution ranging from India to the Philippines and contains about 470 species of 13 genera. The natural distribution ranges from Borneo to Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, India, Vietnam and China (Yunan, Quangxi, Quangtung and Hainan Island). Dipterocarpaceae has 6 genera and about 50 species in Vietnam where the main natural distribution is in moist and dry … [Read more...]

1. Introduction In 1943 the forest area of Vietnam was estimated to be about 14.3 million hectares, or 43% of the total land area. Owing to long-lasting wars, shifting cultivation, land clearances and over-exploitation, forest coverage was reduced at a rate of about 100,000 ha each year to 27.1% in 1980 and 26.2% in 1985 (Ministry of Forestry 1991). At present, total forest land is about 16 million ha which occupies 48.3% o0f the country’s total land area. By the end of 1999, … [Read more...]

Ngo Dinh Que, Dinh Van Quang, Dinh Thanh Giang Forest Ecology and Environment Research Centre I. Introduction Swiddening in the North West, practised over 91,581 hectares, is found to extend over the largest area in Vietnam. As that traditional farming system has not been developed for ages, the land productivity there gets impoverished and soil erosion and scouring, excessive. Fallows are thus expanding, all waiting for longer and longer time for being restored for cultivation. … [Read more...]

Le Thanh Chien Centre for Special Forest Product Research I. Introduction In 1996, the Department for Science, Technology and Products Quality of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) raised the problem of research on Cinnamomum cassia planting for the leaves of this species based on the information of changing C. cassia management from harvesting the bark to harvesting the leaves. The Forest Science Institute of Vietnam carried out the examination of the research … [Read more...]

Than Van Canh Special Forest Products Research Centre I. Some General features Fokienia hodginsii(Dunn) Henry et Thomas belongs to Cupresaceae family with many local names such as Do sam, Do thu, Bach phuc kien (Chinese), Thong dau, Thong hoi, May long lanh, May vac. F. hodginsii wood is fine, durable, straight bole, easily sawn, fine texture and is used in construction, fine art articles manufacture, sculpture, statue carving; Roots branches and tree tops are used for essential oil … [Read more...]

Le Quang Lien, Nguyen Danh Minh Cau Hai Silvicultural Experimentation Research Centre I. Introduction There are in the world 1,250 bamboo species of 75 different genera. They are distributed in almost all climatic regions (tropical, temperate sub - tropical) from sea level elevation to 4,000m above sea level such as on the side of Hymalaya mountain range. A large part of important bamboo species is distributed in wide areas in the Asian countries. Bamboos have many uses in the people's … [Read more...]

Bui Doan, Vu Duy Thong FSIV I. Introduction Anisoptera cochinchinensis belongs to Dipterocapaceae family the timber of which is of high export value on international market (especially in South East Asian Region). Anisoptera cochinchinensis wood is much desired in veneer, plywood and ship- building industries (round and straight bole, few knobs and buttresses, wood: light, brilliantly white colour, log can be 0.7 - 2m. long, 40 - 60cm in diameter. A. cochinchinensis has been much … [Read more...]

Forest Science Institute of Vietnam I. The Importance of Forest Tree Gene Resources Forest tree varieties and their gene resources management and conservation play a very important role for the implementation of all national plantation programmes either in full commercial plantations or as dispersed trees for timber production, environmental protection and/or special use of the forests and their resource. Following the tasks and work plan as shaped out by the ''Five-Million-Hectare … [Read more...]