On August 1st – 3rd, 2023, at Hoa Hong Hotel, Thanh Hoa City, Vietnam Forest Certification Office (VFCO) cooperated with the Agricultural Extension Center of Thanh Hoa Province to organize a training course on sustainable forest management (SFM) and forest certification. The training course was attended by 40 trainees, including agricultural extension officers, technicians, and farmers from Thanh Hoa province.
Photo 1: Trainees and delegates participating in the training
Photo 2: Trainees exchange and discuss training content
During the training course, the participants were provided with fundamental knowledge of SFM and forest certification: Vietnam Forest Certification Scheme(VFCS), VFCS/PEFC ST 1003:2019 Sustainable Forest Management Standard, VFCS/PEFC ST 1004:2019 Group Forest Management Certification Standard, guidelines for the developing and implementing of sustainable forest management plan, as well as procedure for establishing a model of sustainable forest management and forest certification for household groups. Moreover, the trainees visited a plantation site and engaged in practical exercises that involved analyzing and assessing environmental and social impacts by plantation management.
Photo 3: Certificates are given to trainees at the end of the training course
Sustainable forest management and forest certification are new issues for forestry staff at ground level as well as farmers. The participants were interested in the newly learned knowledge and willing to apply to build models of sustainable forest management and forest certification. Moreover, the trainees are willing to share this knowledge with technical officers and farmers to promote sustainable forest management in Thanh Hoa province.
Vietnam has a strong agricultural extension system from the central to local levels, which has played an important role in transferring technical advances and new knowledge to farmers in agriculture and forestry section. Strengthening the capacity of agricultural extension staff in sustainable forest management is expected to help spread-out sustainable forest management and forest certification activities in the coming period.
VFCO
