Planting and protecting forests, and increasing forest coverage rates are important factors in sustainable forest development. With the goal that by the end of 2025, the province-wide forest coverage rate is estimated to reach 45.5%, the province has prioritized allocating capital to implement zoning for promoting natural regeneration; new forest planting; caring for planted forests...

In 2025, the whole province produced and propagated over 2 million seedlings of various types serving forest planting and scattered tree planting; newly planted 285.46ha of concentrated forests; 789,000 scattered trees. In Tủa Chùa and Mường Mùn communes, at the end of last August, 10,000 seedlings of various types were planted on 6.3ha of people’s old upland fields. The above seedlings were sponsored by the Social Fund of the Trade Union of the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV).

Phạm Quốc Đạt, Chairman of Tủa Chùa commune People’s Committee, said: Besides support capital sources from the state budget, mobilizing total strength from society is also one of the solutions for sustainable forest development. To date, the commune’s forest area is over 3,136ha; places that were previously empty land are now being step-by-step greened by indigenous tree species and large timber trees.

In the 2021 - 2025 period, to develop forests sustainably, the province implemented the Forestry Economic Development Project for the 2021-2025 period. In which, priority was given to allocating capital to implement new planting of over 1,047ha of protection forests, reaching 139.67% of the project’s target. At the same time, organizing zoning for promoting natural regeneration of 65,991ha. Areas after being contracted to forest owners for zoning for natural regeneration have been protected quite well. People are not only aware of the responsibility to preserve forest resources but also actively participate in planting forests and planting non-timber forest product trees to increase income. This is considered one of the effective solutions to restore and develop forests.

Trần Đức Quyền, Deputy Head of the Forest Management, Protection and Nature Conservation Division, Forest Protection Sub-department, said: “Along with taking advantage of resources from forestry support programs, projects, and policies, the unit also focuses on solutions regarding mechanisms, policies, and resources. In which, focusing on advising on arrangement and mobilization of resources from the budget, socialization, and enterprise cooperation; encouraging forestry economic development associated with people’s livelihoods; building mechanisms encouraging people and communities to participate in sustainable forest protection and planting.”

Among resources serving forest management and protection work, the policy on Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) is assessed to bring the most sustainable and substantive efficiency.

According to statistics of the Forest Protection Sub-department, the whole province currently has over 316,637ha of forest receiving PFES. In the 2021 - 2025 period, the province paid VND 1,177 billion to 6,626 turns of forest owners, an increase of VND 304 billion and an additional over 12,554ha paid compared to the previous period.

Mai Hương, Director of the Forest Protection and Development Fund, commented that the PFES policy has brought positive results. Through enjoying PFES money, people and communities not only actively preserve and develop forests but also have additional conditions to raise income and improve life; contributing significantly to promoting local socio-economic development.

Reality shows that when the State invests in the right direction, people benefit from forests, and local authorities perform well the connecting role, forest management and protection work will achieve higher efficiency.

For example, Púng Bon village, Thanh Yên commune. In recent years, the village community has been paid from VND 300 - 400 million each year in PFES money. This is the fruit of the joining hands and active protection of over 780ha of forest by nearly 60 households in the village. Although the amount received is not much, it is a source of motivation for people in the village to unite and continue joining hands to keep the forest.

Quàng Văn Chanh, Head of Púng Bon village, excitedly recounted: “The PFES money the village receives increasing gradually over the years is the clearest proof showing the determination to protect forests of the people in the village. Benefiting from caring for, protecting, and developing forests, people of Púng Bon village are increasingly changing their mindset and way of doing things, focusing on care so that forests become increasingly green and lush.”

To keep the forest, Púng Bon village established a forest protection team with 7 members. Each month, the team patrols the forest about 2 times. At this time, it is the dry season, so the village’s forest patrol trips are also more frequent. Each trip, besides members of the forest protection team, also has the participation of people in the village.

Increased forest area, people benefiting from forests, and joining hands with authorities to keep forests are the clearest proofs of the effectiveness of mobilizing resources for the province’s forest protection work. The value source created from the forestry sector contributed positively to raising the average GRDP index of Điện Biên province in the 2021 - 2025 period by about 28.3% compared to the average GRDP level of the 2016 - 2020 period, supporting the economic structure shift process towards green and sustainable direction. In the context of strong climate change, these efforts not only have economic significance but are also an important foundation for the sustainable development of the locality in many years to come.