Legally Required Document

Title in original language: Phương án quản lý rừng bền vững

Applicable to: Forest owners being organizations (both state and privately owned)

Holder of Document: Forest owners being organizations (both state and privately owned). 

Signature required by:
Signature and Seal of the forest owner on the plan; and Approval by relevant authority as mentioned below.
According to Articles 10-13 of Circular 28/2018/TT-BNNPTNT, the Approval on sustainable forest management plans shall be as follows:
1. For forest owners being organizations that manage special-use forests under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: MARD shall approve.
2. For forest owners being private economic organizations or households, individuals and communities (who invest their own money to establish plantations): no approval required.
3. For other organizational forest owners: Provincial People's Committee shall approve.

Key considerations when checking the doc:
□ The plan will be valid for a specific period after Approval. Check if the plan is
approved and within the valid period.
□ Check if the growth rate is estimated justifiably and the planned harvest volume does
not surpass the estimated growth rate.
□ Compare with annual harvest quota approved by forest authority to check that there
is no significant discrepancy in harvest volume.
□ Check if it includes all legally required elements, such as forest resources status quo, growth rate, planned harvest volume, regeneration plan, biodiversity protection, forest fire-prevention, pest and disease control?
□ Is the species to be harvested within the management plan, the same as in the harvest permit (if available)?
□ Are there any protected forests/areas? If applicable, are there any protective measures to the protected area?

Purpose and content of document:
The Sustainable Forest Management Plan is an important and comprehensive documented plan for long-term forest management, harvesting, monitoring, production, and other management activities. Compilation and implementation of the approved plan is a legal requirement for forest owners being organizations (both state and privately owned). Forest owners are households, individuals, residential communities, groups of households, or individuals encouraged to make and implement sustainable forest management plans, although it is not legally compulsory. • For protection forests, the key contents in the sustainable forest management plan include: a) Assessment of natural, socio-economic, national defense and security conditions, and status quo of forest resources; b) Objectives and scope of sustainable forest management; c) The protection function of the forest; d) Forest management, protection, development, and use activities; e) Solutions and plan for implementation. • For production forests, key contents of sustainable forest management plan include a) Assessment of natural and socio-economic conditions, status quo of forest resources, production and trading results, market impacts on the forest owner's activities; b) Objectives and scope of sustainable forest management; c) Forest management, protection, development, use, and forest products trade; d) Solutions and plan of implementation. The template for developing a sustainable forest management plan for forest owner organization is provided in Appendix II to Circular 28/2018/TT-BNNPTNT.