Forestry Industry
Logging and timber
No violations of timber ban, forestry sector reports
There have been no violations of the ban on timber exports to foreign countries from the provinces after the Prime Minister issued the order almost nine months ago, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Thongphath Vongmany ...
Laos, China launch plant inspection and quarantine project
Laos will benefit from a new plant inspection and quarantine development project with a feasibility study looking at improving the protection of agriculture and forestry production along the country’s borders. An agreement to implement the project was signed on Friday in Vientiane between the Director ...
Timber smuggling worries Kon Tum
Local residents are concerned about timber being smuggled on the Đắk Bla River in the Central Highland province of Kon Tum, after authorities failed to stop the illegal activity. Last Tuesday, local media reported that smugglers are using tyres to float timber on the Đắk ...
Nickel and Dimed on frog mountain
Our motorbikes crossed flimsy bamboo bridges in western Sagaing Division, a landscape still showing the devastation of 2015’s floods. Shifting gears up a twisting, muddy hill trail took us over the border to Chin State. There, several villages are tucked into the forested slopes of ...
Phong Nha Heritage forest seriously damaged by loggers
Numerous precious timber planks chopped down by illegal loggers have been left on the ground, amid vast clearings in the Hoa Son forest. After one and half an hours of crossing steep mountains, reporters reached the timber-rich area of Hoa Son Forest in Minh Hoa district ...
PM's order has positive results for Lao forests
Prime Minister’s Order No. 15 has successfully curbed harmful practices in the forestry sector and timber industry, while restoring public trust in the Party and government. This message was delivered at an annual meeting in Vientiane this week to review past achievements and discuss the ...
Forest coverage to rise to 47.25 percent in 2017
The forestry sector will protect, develop and sustainably use existing forest areas and land fund for forest development with a view to raising the country’s forest coverage to 47.25 percent in 2017. This is one of the focal tasks of the sector during 2017 put ...
Laos prepares for face-to-face EU FLEGT, VPA negotiations
The Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade technical working group on December 15 met in Vientiane to discuss finalised key parts of the draft timber definitions to be submitted to the European Union by the end of this month. The submission is crucial preparation for ...
When selling is more lucrative than protecting: Myanma timber enterprise and the deforestation crisis
For years, Myanmar’s state-owned timber giant has been subject to accusations of corruption and shadowy closed-door dealings. Environmental advocacy groups have long blamed Myanmar Timber Enterprise for operating its industry monopoly without transparency. On November 15, their allegations appeared to gain newfound teeth, substantiated by ...
Wood exports to Europe to rise
Once the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade comes into force, there will be opportunities for Việt Nam to export more wooden products to Europe and other new markets as well as get higher prices, according to the EU Delegation to ...