Sustainable Management of <i>Acacia auriculiformis</i> Plantations for Wood Production over Four Successive Rotations in South Vietnam
Vietnam’s forestry sector is facing rising demands for wood to support national and rural economies, and rural livelihoods. A feasible option to meet this demand is to improve productivity in the current plantation estates, especially in those owned by thousands of small growers. Growers have invest...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/5/550 |
| _version_ | 1797568108438749184 |
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| author | Vu Dinh Huong E. K. Sadanandan Nambiar Nguyen Xuan Hai Kieu Manh Ha Nguyen Van Dang |
| author_facet | Vu Dinh Huong E. K. Sadanandan Nambiar Nguyen Xuan Hai Kieu Manh Ha Nguyen Van Dang |
| author_sort | Vu Dinh Huong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Vietnam’s forestry sector is facing rising demands for wood to support national and rural economies, and rural livelihoods. A feasible option to meet this demand is to improve productivity in the current plantation estates, especially in those owned by thousands of small growers. Growers have invested in short-rotation acacia plantations primarily for the woodchip market, but are being urged through government policies and pressured by certification bodies and some NGOs to shift to longer rotations, preferentially, for growing saw logs. In this context, we examined the productivity of an <i>Acacia auriculiformis</i> plantation in South Vietnam, over four successive rotations, spanning 25 years. We show that it is possible to increase and sustain wood production in the long term, by applying simple but integrated management practices, recognizing that the conservation of site resources is critical for sustainability. Practices which depleted site organic matter and nutrients lead to a hidden, but high, cumulative loss of production. Given the site and soil damaging practices prevalent in the country, it is likely that production foregone in those sites may be equivalent to the yield from one in every four or five rotations harvested. With sound management including the conservation of site resources, planting the best germplasm, appropriate stocking and judicious use of herbicide, total wood production and the proportion of saw logs (50–70% of the commercial wood at about 7 years of age) can be increased substantially. At the same time, these practices also can promote understory development and diversity in the stand. Such holistic benefits are possible without extending the rotation length and/or thinning, which are likely to raise the levels of risks for small growers, who are not covered by any insurance. Investments and support for small growers to enable higher productivity and value per unit area in their holdings, through sustainable management, would offer practical and low-risk options for the benefits of growers, processors and ecosystems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:51:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-87b6a4f144724138817f377a0f58c0bc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:51:41Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-87b6a4f144724138817f377a0f58c0bc2023-11-20T00:21:05ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072020-05-0111555010.3390/f11050550Sustainable Management of <i>Acacia auriculiformis</i> Plantations for Wood Production over Four Successive Rotations in South VietnamVu Dinh Huong0E. K. Sadanandan Nambiar1Nguyen Xuan Hai2Kieu Manh Ha3Nguyen Van Dang4Southern Centre of Application for Forest Technology and Science, Forest Science Institute of South Vietnam, 591/2 Le Hong Phong Street, Phu Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province 820000, VietnamCSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliaSouthern Centre of Application for Forest Technology and Science, Forest Science Institute of South Vietnam, 591/2 Le Hong Phong Street, Phu Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province 820000, VietnamSouthern Centre of Application for Forest Technology and Science, Forest Science Institute of South Vietnam, 591/2 Le Hong Phong Street, Phu Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province 820000, VietnamSouthern Centre of Application for Forest Technology and Science, Forest Science Institute of South Vietnam, 591/2 Le Hong Phong Street, Phu Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province 820000, VietnamVietnam’s forestry sector is facing rising demands for wood to support national and rural economies, and rural livelihoods. A feasible option to meet this demand is to improve productivity in the current plantation estates, especially in those owned by thousands of small growers. Growers have invested in short-rotation acacia plantations primarily for the woodchip market, but are being urged through government policies and pressured by certification bodies and some NGOs to shift to longer rotations, preferentially, for growing saw logs. In this context, we examined the productivity of an <i>Acacia auriculiformis</i> plantation in South Vietnam, over four successive rotations, spanning 25 years. We show that it is possible to increase and sustain wood production in the long term, by applying simple but integrated management practices, recognizing that the conservation of site resources is critical for sustainability. Practices which depleted site organic matter and nutrients lead to a hidden, but high, cumulative loss of production. Given the site and soil damaging practices prevalent in the country, it is likely that production foregone in those sites may be equivalent to the yield from one in every four or five rotations harvested. With sound management including the conservation of site resources, planting the best germplasm, appropriate stocking and judicious use of herbicide, total wood production and the proportion of saw logs (50–70% of the commercial wood at about 7 years of age) can be increased substantially. At the same time, these practices also can promote understory development and diversity in the stand. Such holistic benefits are possible without extending the rotation length and/or thinning, which are likely to raise the levels of risks for small growers, who are not covered by any insurance. Investments and support for small growers to enable higher productivity and value per unit area in their holdings, through sustainable management, would offer practical and low-risk options for the benefits of growers, processors and ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/5/550Acaciasustained productionfour short rotationssaw logsunderstory |
| spellingShingle | Vu Dinh Huong E. K. Sadanandan Nambiar Nguyen Xuan Hai Kieu Manh Ha Nguyen Van Dang Sustainable Management of <i>Acacia auriculiformis</i> Plantations for Wood Production over Four Successive Rotations in South Vietnam Forests Acacia sustained production four short rotations saw logs understory |
| title | Sustainable Management of <i>Acacia auriculiformis</i> Plantations for Wood Production over Four Successive Rotations in South Vietnam |
| title_full | Sustainable Management of <i>Acacia auriculiformis</i> Plantations for Wood Production over Four Successive Rotations in South Vietnam |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable Management of <i>Acacia auriculiformis</i> Plantations for Wood Production over Four Successive Rotations in South Vietnam |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable Management of <i>Acacia auriculiformis</i> Plantations for Wood Production over Four Successive Rotations in South Vietnam |
| title_short | Sustainable Management of <i>Acacia auriculiformis</i> Plantations for Wood Production over Four Successive Rotations in South Vietnam |
| title_sort | sustainable management of i acacia auriculiformis i plantations for wood production over four successive rotations in south vietnam |
| topic | Acacia sustained production four short rotations saw logs understory |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/5/550 |
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