Capital to plant trees on 300 hectares this year

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Vientiane is making a strong contribution to the country’s efforts to restore forest cover to 70 percent of the total land area by the end of next year, a forestry official has said. Director of Vientiane’s Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr Sayla Nuanthasing, told Vientiane Times yesterday that combined forest (122,500 hectares) and green areas in the capital now extended over 226,000 hectares, which equates to 57.7 percent of the city’s total area of 392,000 hectares.

photo credit: Vientiane Times

In support of the government’s national reforestation plan, Vientiane, which is the country’s political and economic centre and has the highest population density, has been instructed to strive for 70 percent green area coverage. This will include both green spaces and forested areas.

Dr Sayla explained that there are three categories of forest - conservation, protection and production areas. Green areas comprise planted trees that are at least five metres in height. Following a national tree planting campaign in recent years, commercial species are now planted on an average of 300 hectares every year, according to the agriculture and forestry official. The planted area is currently 19,000 hectares.

Rubber trees have been mainly planted in Naxaithong, Sangthong, and Pakngum districts, teak (Tectona crandis) in Sangthong district, agarwood in Naxaithong, Sangthong, and Xaythany districts, and eucalyptus in Sikhottabong, Naxaithong, Sangthong, and Xaythany districts.

This year Vientiane plans to plant trees on an additional 300 hectares to mark National Arbor Day. Some 5,000 rosewood saplings and other species in this family will be planted in Xaythany district on a 5-hectare site within the Phoukhaokhuay National Protected Area.

In addition, the Vientiane Department of Agriculture and Forestry will join district authorities and the general public to plant trees in the city’s public parks and schools, and along various roads. One of the goals of the Vientiane administration is to turn the capital into a ‘green’ city – a difficult task given the huge building boom that is currently taking place.