HANOI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on Monday asked the Vietnam Administration of Forestry to set up a national forest database.
Localities across the country are instructed to make updates on developments of forests to the database, Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA quoted the MARD as saying on Monday.
According to MARD, as of Dec. 31, 2015, Vietnam had some 14.061 million hectares of forest, among which over 10.175 million hectares was natural forest and over 3.886 million hectares belonged to planted forest.
Provincial and municipal people's committees are urged to assign forest management and protection to relevant agencies. Those with declining natural forest areas in 2015 need to look for reasons and responsibilities of related organizations and individuals, said the report.
The move came after a large-scale Fokienia hodginsii tree forest destruction case was unveiled in central Vietnam a few days ago.
Relevant agencies of Vietnam and Laos are jointly investigating the falling of 60 Fokienia hodginsii trees in Laos-bordering Quang Nam province, local media reported.
The illegally cut wood would then be transported to Laos, where all goods were made legal by customs procedures and returned to Vietnam for consumption.
Quang Nam police estimated that the 60 trees were worth more than 18 to 24 billion Vietnamese dong (over 800,000 to 1.096 million U.S. dollars).
