On 3 February 2026, the webinar “Carbon potential from improved management of planted forests through extended rotation cycles” was held, attracting more than 280 online participants. Attendees included representatives from provincial Departments of Agriculture and Environment, Forest Protection Departments, and provincial Forest Protection and Development Funds, as well as forest management boards, forestry enterprises, forest owners, organisations, experts, and other interested individuals.
The webinar was organised as part of the activities of the Forest Carbon Working Group under the Forest Carbon Network, supported by the UK PACT through Forest Trends. Speakers and contributors included representatives from the VNFOREST, policy and technical experts, as well as forest owners directly involved in the pilot research.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Nghiem Phuong Thuy (VNFOREST) emphasised that Vietnam is at a critical stage in finalising its policy framework for the establishment and operation of the carbon market, which is seen as an important tool for delivering the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and advancing towards the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. In the forestry sector, alongside existing forest carbon programmes focused on natural forests, planted forests—covering an estimated 4–5 million hectares—have been identified as holding significant yet largely untapped potential. The webinar aimed to explore whether improved management of planted forests, particularly through extended rotation cycles, can generate carbon credits, and to clarify the technical and policy conditions required to do so.
At the webinar, a representative of GIZ Vietnam presented research findings from the project “Scaling up sustainable forest management and forest certification in Vietnam,” which examined increased carbon sequestration through longer rotation cycles in acacia plantations. The study was based on field measurements conducted at Song Con Forestry Company, Quy Nhon Forestry Company, and the Dong Xuan Protection and Special-Use Forest Management Board. Using an international methodology (VCS VM003), combined with data from permanent sample plots and growth simulations, the research showed that extending rotation cycles from 5–6 years to around 10–11 years could generate additional carbon sequestration, after accounting for mandatory deductions such as uncertainty, leakage, and non-permanence risks. However, the study also highlighted that carbon outcomes depend not only on rotation length, but are closely linked to planting density, thinning and pruning practices, site conditions, and risk management.
Following this, a policy expert presented the key elements of the draft National Standard on forest carbon credits, in which improved forest management (IFM) is identified as one of the eligible project types. The presentation outlined the core requirements for forest carbon projects, including additionality, baseline setting, measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), risk management, environmental and social safeguards, as well as the procedures for credit registration and recognition under the relevant decrees. A key point emphasised was that not all silvicultural improvements automatically generate carbon credits; projects are only eligible when they can demonstrate additional carbon sequestration compared to the business-as-usual scenario.
The webinar also devoted substantial time to perspectives from forest owners, including forestry enterprises and protection forest management boards. Practical insights indicated that while extended rotation cycles offer clear benefits in terms of timber quality and biomass, participation in forest carbon projects still faces multiple challenges. These include exposure to natural risks such as storms and strong winds, the costs of measurement and verification, high data requirements, minimum area thresholds, and unresolved issues around benefit-sharing mechanisms and carbon rights for state-managed forests.
In conclusion, the speakers agreed that improved forest management (IFM) in plantation forests represents a promising pathway, but not a “quick fix.” Effective implementation requires a clear policy framework, adequate technical capacity, coordination mechanisms to achieve sufficient scale, and, critically, careful assessment of economic and financial viability. The webinar helped to clarify the real-world picture—from research and policy to on-the-ground management—thereby providing an important foundation for further policy development and for preparing the implementation of plantation forest carbon projects in Vietnam in the period ahead.
No thoughts shared yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!