VietNamNet Bridge – Authorities and resident in central Quang Binh Province have voiced concerns over serious deforestation to a natural forest area upstream of the Rao Nan River.

Authorities and resident in central Quang Binh Province have voiced concerns over serious deforestation to a natural forest area upstream of the Rao Nan River. — Photo enternews.vn

Chairman of Quang Son Commune People’s Committee, Mai Trung Kien, said that the destroyed areas were important because the Rao Nan River provided water for 50,000 people and farming production to 10 local communes in Tuyen Hoa District.

Deforestation would affect the water supply to these 50,000 people.

Additionally, local authorities struggled to manage the forest because the area was disputed between Quang Son and Van Hoa communes.

Quang Son People’s Committee Chairman blamed the issue on an incorrect boundary map that land officials had created in the past.

Chairman of Van Hoa Commune People’s Committee Dinh Xuan Thuong said those who were felling the trees were not the members of local households, instead they were wood traders who purchased land from residents to destroy natural forest and plant keo trees.

Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reporters witnessed a large natural forest in Chay Village of Quang Son Commune destroyed, with all trees with diameter from 20cm-50cm chopped down.

A local resident said the trees were chopped down two months ago; groups of forest rangers carrying modern equipment destroyed the forest quickly.

Hoang Minh De, chairman of Tuyen Hoa District People’s Committee, said his office received a report from Van Hoa Commune authorities saying the natural forest area, adjacent to Quang Son Commune, was allocated to 40 local households.

But five wood traders have been purchasing land from these households and at present, they grow keo trees on 40ha out of 70ha forest land they purchased.

The real destroyed forest acreage is bigger than local authorities report, according to forest rangers.  

Tran Xuan Hao, Director of Quang Binh Province’s Agricultural-Forestry Design & Re-planning Centre said his office would examine the allocation of Van Hoa Commune forest land.   

He said the centre had proposed a project to convert the natural forest to a production forest model following Van Hoa Commune authorities’ requirements.

VNS