Large forests continue to be cut down 

The Dak Uy special-use forest in Dak Ha district in Kon Tum province covers an area of 540 hectares, with many trac trees (Dalbergia cochinchinensis), a kind of precious wood.

The Kon Tum provincial authorities spent VND25.8 billion on many construction works, including a brick fence 2 meters tall and 8.4 kilometers long with barbed wire, a major check-point station, and fire sentry station.

However, despite the strict protection, the forest still is still being attacked by illegal loggers.

On November 9, during a patrol, a forest ranger discovered one trac tree with a diameter of 29 cm chopped down. The tree trunk was taken away by loggers. Prior to that, on November 6, another trac tree was felled.

According to the Dak Uy special-use forest officials, the tree was felled when it was raining and forest rangers were busy with personal work.

A report from the Kon Tum provincial Forest Rangers’ Unit showed that from the beginning of the year to November, 23 cases were discovered at Dak Uy forest. Within a short period from October 30 to November 9, five trac trees were illegally logged.

The unit sent 22 officers to the site to help local officers protect Dak Uy. However, more trees were cut after the officers left.

In Gia Lai province, a series of deforestation cases occurred recently, but the number of cases discovered by appropriate agencies was modest.

A local newspaper discovered that a precious tree, hundreds of years old, was felled in the forest just 1.5 kilometers from the So Pai forest check-point

According to Gia Lai Party Committee Secretary Duong Van Trang, many trees were felled recently in Kbang district. However, the district’s police could not find culprits.

Similarly, in 2016, five trucks carrying 70 cubic meters of illegally felled wood were caught, but illegal loggers were not found. 

“The police can investigate criminal cases with sophisticated methods, but they could not find the culprit in deforestation cases,” Trang said.

Deforestation is also very serious in Dak Lak province. However, while the leaders of state-owned forestry companies in Dak Nong province have been prosecuted and communes’ chairs have imposed sanctions for deforestation, in Dak Lak, officials have not taken any responsibility.

Local newspapers repeatedly reported massive deforestation cases in Ea Sup district of Dak Lak province this year. 

The Prime Minister has instructed Dak Lak authorities to impose discipline on people. However, to date, no forest owner has been prosecuted.

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Thanh Lich