The Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE) has recognised a group of 400 Po Mu (Fokienia hodginsii) trees in the forest of mountainous Tay Giang district in Quang Nam province as Heritage Trees.

A gigantic Po Mu tree (Fokienia hodginsii) in Tay Giang forest (Photo courtesy Tay Giang district)

Deputy head officer of the district’s people’s committee Pham Thanh Hung told Viet Nam News that this is the second group of the timber trees that has been found in the primeval forest. The first group of 725 gigantic Po Mu trees was included on the national heritage in 2015.

He said the district allocated 400ha surrounding the two groups of heritage trees as a strictly protected area.

VACNE said the trees have been well preserved by generations of members of the Co Tu ethnic group living in the district over the centuries.

The Po Mu tree, which was included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species, has been grown in the forest of Tay Giang for more than 1,000 years.

The most ancient trees are located inside a Po Mu forest on Zi’lieng mountain at 1,500m above sea level.

According to the Tay Giang authority, there are more than 1,200 of the trees stretching across the two communes of A Xan and Tr’Hy. The biggest tree is nearly three metres in diameter and about 22m in height.

The precious Po Mu timber is high quality with a unique smell and beautiful wood grain.

The tree has been on the Vietnam’s Red Book list of endangered species since 1996.

In the district’s Axan Commune, another two Da Sop (Ficus trees) more than 700 years old were given national heritage recognition in 2015.

According to VACNE, 25 species of trees have been recognised as Vietnam Heritage Trees in the Red River Delta.

Primeval forest covers three fourths of the district’s 90,000ha, providing a safe haven for endangered flora and fauna and sustainable incomes from timber.-VNS/VNA