Certifying Vietnam ’ s timber plantations would help smallholders profit from lucrative export market 17 . Jul . 2013 The area of certified forests in Vietnam is vanishingly small . Ahmad Dermawan . BOGOR , Indonesia ( 21 November , 2012 ) _ If Vietnam wants its timber producers to benefit from the growing eco - conscious and more lucrative international furniture market , national forest institutions should look for ways to get smallholder plantation forests certified , said Louis Putzel , a senior scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research ( CIFOR ) . Eco - certification may become more important as countries start putting in place import restrictions , with the European Union ruling it will ban illegally harvested wood from entering its market as of March 2013 . However , despite huge national investments in smallholder timber production in the Southeast Asia nation – which has a thriving wooden - furniture industry – the area of certified forests in the country is vanishingly small . This could make it harder to sell wood to furniture makers , said Putzel , who together with colleagues recently published a study on constraints faced by smallholder timber producers in Vietnam . “ Increasing demand for eco - certified furniture means that Vietnamese factories have to import certified timbers from other countries , ” he explained , adding some are now looking as far off as South America for supplies . “ This represents a lost opportunity for local timber planters . ” Vietnam ’ s Timber and Forestry Product Association estimates wood exports could hit US $ 4 . 3 billion this year — a US $ 400 million jump from 2011 . once heavily subsidized and dominated by state - owned companies , it has benefited recently from steps toward economic liberalisation , transforming the industry into a multi - actor global force . But it risks being left behind as consumers increasingly go “ green . ” Certification schemes , such as those run by the Forest Stewardship Council ( FSC ) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification ( PEFC ) , are intended to help ensure that furniture , paper and other timber - based products have been produced in an environmentally sound and socially responsible manner . But while this could help local plantation owners in Vietnam earn more money , proving they meet international standards can be expensive , said Ahmad Dermawan , CIFOR scientist and a contributor to the study . Many small - scale and independent farmers struggle to get by , and may be unable to pay additional funds for audits and documentation . “ Without outside assistance or short - term incentives , farmers with small woodlots probably don ’ t have the means to apply for and maintain certification , ” said Dermawan . In part because of these obstacles , only five forests in Vietnam today have international certification . Of these , none are found in the study ’ s focal province — Binh Dinh , in central western Vietnam — despite it having some 77 , 000 hectares of designated plantation forest . Dermawan adds that often when smallholders need to get their hands on fast cash — for emergencies , for instance — they harvest trees early for sale into the regional woodchip market . As such , timber quality in Binh Dinh is generally poor , he said . For the province ’ s furniture sector , this creates sourcing problems , currently being by - passed with purchases of certified raw timber from overseas — sometimes from as far away as Brazil and Costa Rica . Wood exports from Vietnam could hit US $ 4 . 3 billion this year . Louis Putzel . Only 20 percent of wood processed in Binh Dinh for export originated in Vietnam in 2007 , of which less than half came from plantations in the province , Putzel said . This not only puts domestic growers at a competitive disadvantage ( FSC labeled sales were estimated at over US $ 20 billion in 2010 ) , but is also a surprise considering recent government efforts to encourage plantation forestry . Policies such as the “ Five Million Hectare Reforestation Program ” helped boost planted forests by 260 percent between 1990 and 2010 , according to Putzel . In addition , the state actively promotes smallholder plantations by allocating land to local households and providing seedlings to communities . Although smallholder forest management in Vietnam remains problematic on many levels , with a focus on only a couple of species of timber and inadequate inputs to raise productivity , smallholder farmers could benefit in the long term from specially designed schemes , such as the FSC ’ s Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests ( SLIMF ) initiative . With some initial external support , tree farmers could benefit in several ways , Putzel said . SLIMF entails lower costs for members and brings increased potential to share information so they can keep their certification up - to - date . They are also in better positions to negotiate prices and market their products . In recent years , CIFOR helped fund Improved Certification Schemes for Sustainable Tropical Forest Management , a project that led to the development of national standards for “ small and low intensity ” initiatives in Cameroon , Mexico and Brazil . The project worked with smallholders and communities to help develop tools and incentives to protect biodiversity , as well as remove barriers to certification for the tropical forests they managed . Now , organisations are developing a variety of group schemes for smallholders , including one by FSC and Fairtrade International which are piloting projects that provide help with dual labeling . “ Only time will tell if they will work , ” said Putzel . “ However , for those interested in tipping the balance in favor of small local producers , community origin labeling and combined Fairtrade and eco - certification are intriguing concepts . ” In the meantime , the authors hope that valuable lessons will be learned from a recent SLIMF certification project : The Quang Tri Smallholder Forest Certification Group ( FCG ) . Located in nearby Quang Tri province , the group got globally certified in 2010 . Although it benefited early on from external support , including through World Wildlife Fund - subsidized certification costs , Putzel is eager to see if the project will be successful . “ If it is , ” he said , “ there are potentially other areas of Vietnam , including Binh Dinh province , where it could work , because smallholder forestry has been widely promoted . ” “ Still , a lot of additional research needs to be done , including on whether the species chosen for planting by smallholders — which are usually exotic species planted in mono - cultural and even - age stands — are ecologically suitable . ” This work is part of a project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development ( BMZ ) and forms part of the CGIAR Program on Forests , Trees and Agroforestry . 사업자 정보 표시 | | | 사업자 등록 번호 : -- | TEL : -- | 사이버 몰의 이용 약관 바로 가 기