Thuong Xuan Forest Protection Management Board (BQLRPH) is the unit assigned by the State to manage, protect and use 13,214.14 hectares of forest, mainly protective forest land. The assigned management area is large, separating the two western and southern regions belonging to 9 communes of Thuong Xuan district.

People of Luan Khe commune (Thuong Xuan) take care of yam plants.

To sustainably manage upstream protection forests, the Thuong Xuan Forest Protection Management Board has regularly coordinated with the Thuong Xuan District Forest Protection Department and local authorities to organize forest patrols, promptly detect, prevent, and strictly handle violations of forestry laws. During the peak days of the hot and dry season, the board has proactively coordinated with authorities at all levels and relevant units in the area to propagate policies and laws on forest protection (FFP) and forest fire prevention and fighting (FFF) to the people; inspected key forests, and controlled fire sources brought into the forest. Implementing the "4 on-site" motto, the Thuong Xuan Forest Protection Management Board has purchased additional tools and equipment for FFP work; assigned 24/7 duty during the peak of the fire season; cleared the undergrowth and burned flammable materials under the forest canopy to better serve FFP work. Strengthened inspection, supervision, and strictly handled violators of the Forestry Law.

Proactively overcome difficulties, due to the characteristics of the management area being a critical protective forest in a mountainous area, with strongly fragmented terrain, an average altitude of over 500m, and difficult transportation; the income of local people is still low, the Thuong Xuan Forest Protection Management Board has assigned staff to villages and hamlets to survey issues related to protective forest management. Villages and hamlets with forests have coordinated well with forest owners.

The outstanding result is that the Thuong Xuan Forest Management Board has developed medicinal plants with high economic value under the forest canopy. The Board has developed and implemented the Project: "Application of science and technology to build a model for planting, processing and consuming some medicinal plants of Cat Sam and Hoai Son in the mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa province", the implementation period is from September 2020 to 2025. The goal of the project is to expand the medicinal plant growing area to areas in Thuong Xuan district and districts in Thanh Hoa province. Changing the structure of low-value crops to high-value crops, increasing income for people. As a result, by November 2024, households participating in the project had planted 13 hectares of Hoai Son and 35 hectares of Cat Sam. In 2023, Hoai Son was harvested and the profit after deducting costs reached 60 million VND/ha/year. The value of the cat sam plant after 6 years of planting is estimated to be 10 times higher than that of other plants per cycle and planting area. Households have invested their own capital to continue to expand the cultivation of medicinal plants. The unit has cooperated with the people of communes in the region such as Xuan Chinh, Van Xuan, Xuan Loc, Luan Thanh, Luan Khe who have land for growing yam and cat sam to sign contracts to buy seedlings, transfer science and technology and consume post-harvest products for the people. It is expected that in 2025, the association will continue to expand the area of ​​newly planted medicinal plants yam, bach bo and cat sam by 20 hectares or more. Improve the economic efficiency of growing medicinal plants, create more jobs, improve people's lives, and contribute to the sustainable protection of upstream protective forests. In 2025, Thuong Xuan Forest Protection Management Board will coordinate with the authorities to develop an OCOP product of cat sam herbal tea.

Thanks to active planting and forest protection, people in the area managed by Thuong Xuan Forest Protection Management Board have more jobs on the spot, income from labor and forest products, contributing to hunger eradication, poverty reduction, improving living standards, and promoting the New Rural Development Program. Newly planted forests are cared for according to technical procedures, growing and developing well. Existing protective and production forests are safely protected, without forest fires. Forest security in the area is maintained. The forest coverage managed by Thuong Xuan Forest Protection Management Board is over 90%. The area of ​​depleted natural forests has been and is being restored and developing stably. Multi-layered, multi-canopy forests have not only promoted their protective functions, protected biodiversity, and protected the environment, but also created a source of water for irrigation works; are a place for animals to live and preserve the gene source of forest plants.

Article and photos: Thu Hoa