Circular No. 21/2016/TT-BNNPTNT on the exploitation, utilization, and harvesting of forest products

CIRCULAR

Article 24Regulations on main harvesting and utilization, collection of forest products

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Based on the Forest Protection and Development Law 2004;

Based on Decree No. 199/2013/NĐ-CP dated November 26, 2013 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

Based on Decree No. 23/2006/NĐ-CP dated March 3, 2006 of the Government on the implementation of the Forest Protection and Development Law;

Based on Decree No. 117/2010/NĐ-CP dated December 24, 2010 of the Government on the organization of managing special-use forests;

Based on Decision No. 17/2015/QĐ-TTg dated June 9, 2015 of the Prime Minister on the issuance of the Forest Management Regulation for Protective Forests;

At the proposal of the Director General of the Forest Administration;

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issues this Circular to regulate main harvesting and utilization, collection of timber and non-timber forest products:

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

1. Scope of Application

This Circular regulates the main harvesting and utilization, collection of timber and non-timber forest products in natural forests, planted forests, and plants outside the forestry planning area that have the same names as timber and non-timber forest products.

Thông tư này áp dụng đối với tổ chức, cá nhân có liên quan đến hoạt động kinh doanh đối tượng thủy sản nuôi chủ lực trên lãnh thổ Việt Nam.

a) Forest owners are organizations, households, individuals, and community residents granted by the State with forest land leases, land leases, or land use rights for long-term stable purposes for forestry purposes according to the provisions of the Forest Protection and Development Law.

b) Organizations and individuals within and outside Vietnam related to activities of harvesting, utilization, and collection of timber and non-timber forest products.

Article 2. Interpretation of Terms

In this Circular, the following terms are understood as follows:

1. Main harvesting of natural forest timber: refers to the felling of trees in forests to obtain timber primarily for economic purposes while ensuring sustainable development and use of forests as determined in the sustainable forest management plan according to current state regulations.

2. Harvesting of timber for essential local needs: refers to the felling of trees in forests to obtain timber for direct use in building communal facilities for village communities; housing, and essential needs of households and individuals residing in areas with forests according to state regulations.

3. Utilization of timber: refers to the use of timber trees during the implementation of forest management measures, scientific research, and land clearance for projects when changing the purpose of forest use.

4. Collection of timber: refers to the gathering of fallen, broken, or dead timber due to natural disasters; burnt or dry branches and tops still remaining in the forest.

5. Consulting unit: refers to organizations with authority and expertise to conduct forest business investigation and design.

6. Rotation period for natural forest harvesting: refers to the time interval between two consecutive main harvestings.

7. Low-impact main harvesting technique: refers to technical measures applied during timber harvesting aimed at minimizing impacts on the ecosystem and maintaining forest development processes.

8. Harvesting location: refers to the lot, compartment, and small forest area name along with the village, commune, district, and province names.

Article 3. Criteria for forests to be included in main harvesting and utilization, collection of timber and non-timber forest products

1. Forest area leased or managed and used by competent state agencies according to the law, or approved by the People's Committee of the province or centrally governed city (hereinafter referred to as the provincial-level People's Committee).

2. Ensuring the implementation of forest regeneration measures, minimizing negative impacts on the ecosystem and protective capacity of the forest, complying with legal provisions on forest protection and development, environmental protection, and biodiversity conservation.

Chapter II

SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

Section 1. PRIMARY HARVESTING, UTILIZATION, AND COLLECTION OF WOOD

Article 4. Primary Harvesting of Natural Forest Wood

1. Primary harvesting of natural forest wood shall only be carried out by forest owners who have sustainable forest management plans as prescribed by the State, possess sustainable forest management certificates, and have been granted permission by the Prime Minister.

2. Objectives of Forest Harvesting

Production forests are natural forests that have not yet been harvested or have been harvested and have recovered at least one rotation period, meeting the following criteria:

a) The wood volume must reach:

Evergreen broadleaf forests from 150 m³/ha or more.

Broadleaf semi-deciduous forests from 130 m³/ha or more.

/ha or more.³/ha or more.

Podocarp forests from 110 m³/ha or more.

/ha or more.³/ha or more.

Coniferous forests from 130 m

/ha or more._{Mixed forests with bamboo from 80 m}) as follows:

/ha or more.

b) The volume of trees reaching the harvestable diameter class in the plot must be greater than 30% of the total forest volume of that plot.

c) Trees eligible for primary harvesting (except those that must be felled to create transport routes, transportation paths, and logging sites) are mature trees and must meet the minimum diameter requirements measured at breast height (1.3 meters), abbreviated as D

1,3m

- Group I and II: 45 cm;

- Groups III to VI: 40 cm;

- Groups VII and VIII: 35 cm.

c) Time limit for resolution:

- Oil tree species in deciduous forests (podocarp forests) and teak, táu, and sến trees: must have a minimum diameter of 35 cm.

3. Procedures and Formalities for Obtaining Harvesting Permits

a) Forest owners shall either build their own or hire consulting units to construct harvesting design files according to the guidelines set forth in Circular No. 87/2009/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 31, 2009, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on guiding the design of selective harvesting of natural forest wood. One copy of the file shall be sent to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for approval and issuance of the harvesting permit. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will issue and return a receipt for the file to the forest owner.

b) The file includes: Application for harvesting permit; Harvesting design file; Sustainable forest management plan; Sustainable forest management certificate; Prime Minister's approval document, and other related files.

Within three working days from the date of receiving the file, if it is not complete, the receiving agency must notify the forest owner to supplement it according to regulations.

Within ten working days from the date of receiving a complete file, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will approve the file, issue the harvesting permit, and return the result to the forest owner.

4. Organization of Harvesting and Inspection of Wood

Article 5. Exploitation of natural forests to meet essential local needs for households, individuals, and village communities

1. Object of forest exploitation

a) Forests assigned or leased by the State to households, individuals, and communities.

b) Forests not yet assigned or leased by the State must be approved by the People's Committee at the district level and meet the following criteria:

Evergreen broadleaf forests must have a stock volume of over 120m³/ha;

Mixed wood and bamboo forests must have a wood stock volume of over 70m³/ha and at least 10 trees/ha with a diameter D_{Mixed forests with bamboo from 80 m} of 30 cm or more.

2. Procedure and formalities for issuing exploitation permits

a) Before November 30 each year, forest owners who are households, individuals, and village community members needing to determine the volume of natural forest wood to be exploited (maximum not exceeding 10m3 of roundwood per household) shall number the trees, prepare a list of trees to be harvested, and then send the list to the People's Committee of the commune, ward, town (hereinafter referred to as the People's Committee at the commune level). The People's Committee at the commune level will consolidate the total volume of natural forest wood to be harvested in the entire commune and submit it to the People's Committee at the district level for approval before December 31 each year.

b) Within ten working days from receiving the submission document from the People's Committee at the commune level, the People's Committee at the district level issues exploitation permits for each forest owner and sends the results back to the People's Committee at the commune level. In cases where a permit is not issued, a document stating the reasons must be sent.

c) Within five working days from receiving the exploitation permit result or the non-exploitation permit document from the People's Committee at the district level, the People's Committee at the commune level will notify and hand over the exploitation permit to households, individuals, and communities to implement.

3. Organization of exploitation and acceptance of timber

Households, individuals, and communities organize exploitation according to the permitted number of trees and volume; upon completion of exploitation, they report to the People's Committee at the commune level for confirmation to put into use.

Article 6. Main harvesting, utilization, and collection of planted forest wood in production forests and protective forests

1. Main harvesting, utilization, and collection of planted forest wood in production forests

a) The main harvesting, utilization, and collection of planted forest wood concentrated in production forests are decided by the forest owner; if clear-cutting occurs, new forests must be replanted immediately in the next planting season.

b) Prior to harvesting, utilization, and collection of wood, a written report must be submitted to the competent authority regarding the location and volume of wood to be harvested for consolidation, monitoring, and supervision during implementation, and confirmation of the origin of wood when circulating and consuming, specifically:

For organizational forest owners, a list of forest products is sent to the local Forest Protection Station or the Forest Protection Branch (in areas without a Forest Protection Station).

For household, individual, and community forest owners, a list of forest products is sent to the People's Committee at the commune level.

c) Organization of harvesting, utilization, and collection of forest products:

The forest owner organizes harvesting, utilization, and collection in accordance with regulations; measures the volume and prepares a list of forest products after harvesting, utilization, and collection.

2. Main harvesting, utilization, and collection of planted forest wood in protective forests

a) Main harvesting and utilization, and collection of planted forest wood in protective forests are carried out in accordance with Article 15 of the Management Regulations for Protective Forests issued together with Decision No. 17/2015/QĐ-TTg dated June 9, 2015 of the Government Prime Minister.

b) Procedure and formalities for main harvesting, utilization, and collection:

The forest owner conducts investigations, prepares design files for harvesting, utilization, and collection, or hires consultants to do so, and submits the files to the competent authority, specifically:

Organizational forest owners directly submit one set of files to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development writes and returns a receipt for the file to the forest owner.

Household forest owners directly submit one set of files to the People's Committee at the district level. The People's Committee at the district level writes and returns a receipt for the file to the forest owner.

c) The file includes: Application for harvesting permit, design file for harvesting, utilization, and collection.

d) Time limit for resolution:

- Oil tree species in deciduous forests (podocarp forests) and teak, táu, and sến trees: must have a minimum diameter of 35 cm.

Within ten working days from receiving complete files, the competent authority issues the harvesting permit and returns the result to the forest owner.

đ) Organization of harvesting, utilization, and collection and acceptance of forest products:

The forest owner organizes harvesting, utilization, and collection in accordance with regulations; measures the volume and prepares a list of forest products after harvesting, utilization, and collection.

Article 7: Logging of rubber wood; garden forest wood, household garden wood, farm wood, scattered trees

a) Logging of rubber wood; garden forest wood, household garden wood, farm wood, scattered trees shall be decided upon by organizations or individuals.

b) In cases where confirmation of the origin of wood is required, before logging, utilizing, or harvesting wood, a written report must be submitted to the People's Committee of the commune regarding the location and volume of the logged wood for compilation, monitoring, and supervision during implementation, and confirmation of the wood's origin when circulating and consuming it.

Article 8. Utilization of natural forest wood

1. Recipients

a) Wood on areas of forests converted to other purposes according to the provisions of the law.

b) Wood that must be felled when implementing forest management measures (forest improvement, forest nurturing, thinning, enrichment planting, genetic forest conversion, land clearance for afforestation).

Military service personnel falling under the categories specified in Article 1 of this Circular may extend their age for active service if they meet all of the following conditions:

a) Utilization of wood on areas of forests converted to other purposes:

The utilization of wood must be based on the compensation and land clearance plan for the forest area approved by the competent state agency.

b) For the utilization of wood during the implementation of forest management measures, scientific research:

The utilization of wood shall be carried out after the approval of forest management projects, training plans, or scientific research proposals by the competent authority.

3. Procedures and formalities for utilization

Organizations or individuals permitted to utilize wood shall measure, prepare a list of utilized forest products, and submit the list to the competent authority for compilation, monitoring, and supervision during utilization, and confirmation of the wood's origin when circulating and consuming it, specifically:

a) If the forest owner is an organization, the list of utilized forest products shall be sent to the Forest Protection Station or the Forest Protection Branch (where there is no Forest Protection Station).

b) If the forest owner is a household, individual, or community, the list of utilized forest products shall be sent to the People's Committee of the commune.

3. Organization of utilization and acceptance of wood

The forest owner shall organize the utilization of wood according to the compensation and land clearance plan or forest management projects, training plans, or research proposals approved; the utilized wood shall be measured, calculated in terms of volume, listed in a forest product inventory, and reported to the local Forest Protection Station for confirmation of the wood's origin when circulating and consuming it.

Article 9. Harvesting of natural forest wood

1. Objects of harvested wood: Wood fallen due to natural disasters; burnt wood, branches, and tops in production forests, protective forests, and administrative service zones of national parks, nature reserves, species and habitat conservation areas.

2. Procedures and formalities for harvesting

The forest owner shall verify, calculate, and prepare a list of harvested forest products; submit the list of forest products to the competent authority for monitoring and supervision during harvesting, and confirmation of the wood's origin when circulating and consuming it, specifically:

a) If the forest owner is an organization, the list of forest products shall be sent to the local Forest Protection Station or the Forest Protection Branch (where there is no Forest Protection Station).

b) If the forest owner is a household, individual, or community, the list of utilized forest products shall be sent to the People's Committee of the commune.

3. Organization of harvesting and acceptance of wood

The forest owner shall organize harvesting strictly according to the prepared list of forest products, report to the local Forest Protection Station for confirmation of the wood's origin when circulating and consuming it; during harvesting, new transportation routes shall not be opened, and measures to protect the forest must be taken in accordance with the law.

Section 2. LOGGING, UTILIZATION, AND HARVESTING OF FOREST PRODUCTS OTHER THAN WOOD

Article 10. Exploitation and utilization of non-timber forest products belonging to endangered, precious, rare species and species prioritized for protection under the law in production forests and protective forests.

1. The exploitation, utilization, and harvesting of non-timber forest products belonging to endangered, precious, rare species and species prioritized for protection must be carried out in accordance with the provisions of Government Decree No. 32/2006/NĐ-CP dated March 30, 2006 on the management of wild plants and animals in danger of extinction, precious, and rare; Government Decree No. 160/2013/NĐ-CP dated November 12, 2013 on criteria for determining species and management regimes for species listed in the Catalogue of Endangered, Precious, Rare Species Prioritized for Protection; Decision No. 17/2015/QĐ-TTg dated June 9, 2015 of the Prime Minister promulgating the Management Regulations for Protective Forests.

2. Procedures and formalities for exploitation, utilization, and harvesting

a) The forest owner shall verify independently, prepare a list of forest products subject to exploitation, utilization, and harvesting specifying the quantity, type of forest products, and location of exploitation, utilization, and harvesting; directly submit one set of files to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for issuance of exploitation permits and monitoring during implementation. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development writes and issues a receipt for the file to the forest owner.

b) The file includes: Application for exploitation permit, list of forest products subject to exploitation.

c) Time limit for resolution:

Within three working days from the date of receiving the file, if it is not valid, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development must notify the forest owner to supplement according to regulations.

Within ten working days from the date of receiving a valid file, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issues the exploitation permit and delivers the result to the forest owner.

3. Organization of exploitation, utilization, and harvesting and acceptance of forest products

The forest owner organizes exploitation, utilization, and harvesting strictly in accordance with the exploitation permit and the list of forest products prepared; measures and calculates the volume and prepares a list of forest products after exploitation, utilization, and harvesting.

Article 11. Exploitation, utilization, and harvesting of non-timber forest products not belonging to endangered, precious, rare species and species prioritized for protection under the law

1. For production forests:

The forest owner verifies independently, prepares a list of forest products subject to exploitation, utilization, and harvesting specifying the quantity, type of forest products, location of exploitation, utilization, and harvesting, and submits it to the competent authority for monitoring during implementation and confirming the origin of forest products when circulating and consuming specifically:

For organizational forest owners, a list of forest products is sent to the local Forest Protection Station or the Forest Protection Branch (in areas without a Forest Protection Station).

For household, individual, and community forest owners, a list of forest products is sent to the People's Committee at the commune level.

2. For protective forests:

a) The exploitation of forest products in protective forests must be carried out in accordance with Article 16 of Decision No. 17/2015/QĐ-TTg dated June 9, 2015 of the Prime Minister promulgating the Management Regulations for Protective Forests.

b) Procedures and formalities for exploitation, utilization, and harvesting

The forest owner verifies independently, prepares a list of forest products subject to exploitation, utilization, and harvesting specifying the quantity, type of forest products, location of exploitation, utilization, and harvesting, and submits it to the competent authority, specifically:

The forest owner who is an organization directly submits one set of files to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for issuance of exploitation permits and monitoring during implementation. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development writes and issues a receipt for the file to the forest owner.

The forest owner who is a household or individual directly submits one set of files to the People's Committee of the district for issuance of exploitation permits and monitoring during implementation. The People's Committee of the district writes and issues a receipt for the file to the forest owner.

c) The file includes: Application for exploitation permit, list of forest products.

d) Time limit for resolution:

- Oil tree species in deciduous forests (podocarp forests) and teak, táu, and sến trees: must have a minimum diameter of 35 cm.

Within ten working days from receiving complete files, the competent authority issues the harvesting permit and returns the result to the forest owner.

3. For special-use forests:

a) The exploitation of forest products in special-use forests must be carried out in accordance with Article 21 of Government Decree No. 117/2010/NĐ-CP dated December 24, 2010 on the organization of management of the special-use forest system.

b) Procedure and formalities for main harvesting, utilization, and collection:

The forest owner verifies independently, prepares a list of forest products subject to exploitation, utilization, and harvesting specifying the quantity, type of forest products, location of exploitation, utilization, and harvesting, and directly submits one set of files to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for issuance of exploitation permits and monitoring during implementation. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development writes and issues a receipt for the file to the forest owner.

c) The file includes: Application for exploitation permit, list of forest products.

d) Time limit for resolution:

Within three working days from the date of receiving the file, if it is not valid, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development must notify the forest owner to supplement according to regulations.

Within ten working days from the date of receiving a valid file, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issues the exploitation permit and delivers the result to the forest owner.

4. Organization of exploitation, utilization, and harvesting and acceptance of forest products

The forest owner organizes exploitation, utilization, and harvesting in accordance with regulations; measures and calculates the volume, prepares a list of forest products after exploitation, utilization, and harvesting, reports to the local Forest Protection Station for knowledge and confirmation of the origin of forest products when circulating and consuming.

Chapter III

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 12. Responsibilities of Forest Owners and Logging Units

1. Implement correctly all procedures for logging and utilizing timber and non-timber forest products as prescribed in this Circular.

2. Bear legal responsibility for the accuracy of logging design documents and related documents they establish, register, report, or propose.

3. Organize logging and utilization of timber and non-timber forest products themselves. Bear legal responsibility for any violations that occur during preparation, logging documentation, organization of logging, inventory of forest products, and other related procedures as stipulated by current laws.

4. Implement correctly the reporting system as prescribed in Article 19 of this Circular.

Article 13. Responsibilities of People's Committees at Commune Level

1. Correctly perform tasks and powers in receiving and processing logging and utilization procedures for timber and non-timber forest products within their commune as prescribed in this Circular.

2. Bear legal responsibility for confirmation and results of inspection and supervision related to forest owners and logging units within their commune management area.

4. Propose to the People's Committee at district level to promptly resolve difficulties and obstacles faced by forest owners and units in logging and utilization of timber and non-timber forest products.

5. Implement correctly the reporting system as prescribed in Article 19 of this Circular.

Forest rangers and forestry officials at commune level assist the Chairman of the People's Committee at commune level in performing the tasks prescribed in this Article.

Article 14. Responsibilities of People's Committees at District Level

1. Correctly perform tasks and powers in receiving and processing logging and utilization procedures for timber and non-timber forest products within their district, town, or city under provincial jurisdiction as prescribed in this Circular. Inspect and supervise the handling and resolution of logging and utilization procedures by People's Committees at commune level.

2. Bear legal responsibility for confirmation, issuance of logging permits, and results of inspection and supervision in logging and utilization of timber and non-timber forest products within their district.

3. Propose to the People's Committee at provincial level to promptly resolve difficulties and obstacles faced by forest owners in logging and utilization of timber and non-timber forest products.

4. Implement correctly the reporting system as prescribed in Article 19 of this Circular.

Forest rangers at district level and functional departments of the district assist the Chairman of the People's Committee at district level in performing the tasks prescribed in this Article.

Article 15. Responsibilities of People's Committees at Provincial Level

1. Correctly perform tasks and powers in the process of handling logging and utilization procedures for timber and non-timber forest products within their province as prescribed in this Circular.

2. Direct People's Committees at district and commune levels and relevant agencies in managing state affairs regarding forest protection and development in localities.

3. Allocate sustainable logging plans for natural timber for organizations.

4. Bear legal responsibility before the Prime Minister if violations occur in logging, utilization, and harvesting of timber and non-timber forest products within their province.

5. Direct inspections and supervision of the handling of logging, utilization, and harvesting procedures for timber and non-timber forest products by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, People's Committees at district and commune levels.

6. Implement correctly the reporting system as prescribed in Article 19 of this Circular.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development assists the Chairman of the People's Committee at provincial level in performing the tasks prescribed in this Article.

Article 16. Responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

1. Perform tasks and exercise powers correctly during the process of receiving and handling procedures for logging and utilizing wood and non-timber forest products within the provincial territory as prescribed in this Circular.

2. Provide detailed guidance on the uniform implementation of contents of forms and other related documents concerning logging and utilizing wood and non-timber forest products as prescribed in this Circular to be applied at the local level.

3. Inspect and supervise the handling and processing of procedures for logging and utilizing wood and non-timber forest products by the People's Committees at district and commune levels. Propose the People's Committee at the provincial level or request the People's Committees at district and commune levels not to implement logging and utilizing procedures for forest owners who violate regulations or fail to report accurately according to the prescribed regime.

4. Bear responsibility before the Chairman of the People's Committee at the provincial level, before the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and before the law regarding the accuracy in approving design documents for sustainable logging of wood by organizations and handling procedures for logging, utilizing, and harvesting wood and non-timber forest products.

5. Implement correctly the reporting system as prescribed in Article 19 of this Circular.

The Forest Inspection Service assists the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in performing the tasks stipulated in this Article.

Article 17. Responsibilities of the Forestry General Department

1. Perform tasks and exercise powers correctly during the process of receiving and handling procedures for logging and utilizing wood and non-timber forest products nationwide as prescribed in this Circular.

2. Announce units meeting conditions to implement sustainable forest logging to provinces and centrally-run cities based on the Prime Minister’s directives.

4. Guide the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on the content of approving design documents and issuing permits for sustainable logging of wood. Conduct regular annual inspections of the implementation of procedures and management of forest logging activities in localities.

5. Handle emerging issues in the field of logging and utilizing wood and non-timber forest products within the authority delegated by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Article 18. Tasks of forestry inspection agencies

1. Perform tasks and exercise powers correctly during the process of receiving and handling procedures for logging and utilizing wood and non-timber forest products as prescribed in this Circular within their respective jurisdictions.

2. Inspect, supervise, and promptly detect violations in logging and utilizing wood and non-timber forest products by forest owners and logging units to timely propose or handle them according to the law.

3. Verify the volume of wood and non-timber forest products logged and utilized according to the provisions of this Circular.

Article 19. Reporting on Logging, Utilizing, and Harvesting Forest Products

1. Reporting Responsibility

a) Local forestry inspectors are responsible for coordinating with commune forestry officers and forest owners and logging units to compile data and situations on logging and utilizing wood and non-timber forest products to report to the People's Committee at the commune level (the report is kept at the forest owner/unit).

b) The People's Committee at the commune level reports to the District Forest Inspection Station.

c) The District Forest Inspection Station compiles and reports to the People's Committee at the district level, while also reporting to the Provincial Forest Inspection Service.

d) The Provincial Forest Inspection Service compiles and reports to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

e) The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reports to the People's Committee at the provincial level, while also reporting to the Forestry General Department.

f) The People's Committee at the provincial level reports to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

g) The Forestry General Department compiles and reports the situation of logging and utilizing wood and non-timber forest products nationwide.

2. Reporting Period

a) Forest owners as organizations, local forestry inspectors, and commune forestry officers report to the People's Committee at the commune level, while assisting the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level to report to the District Forest Inspection Station on the 18th day of each month.

b) The District Forest Inspection Station reports to the People's Committee at the district level and the Provincial Forest Inspection Service on the 20th day of each month.

c) The Provincial Forest Inspection Service reports to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, while assisting the Director of the Department to report to the Forestry General Department and the People's Committee at the provincial level on the 22nd day of each month.

d) The People's Committee at the provincial level reports periodically every six months and annually.

đ) The Forestry General Department reports monthly to the Ministry; assists the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to report semi-annually and annually to the Government.

3. Content of Reports

a) Volume of logging, utilizing, and harvesting natural forest wood and planted forest wood.

b) Volume of logging, utilizing, and harvesting non-timber forest products.

Article 20. Implementation Clauses

1. This Circular takes effect from August 15, 2016.

2. This Circular replaces Circular No. 35/2011/TT-BNNPTNT dated May 20, 2011 on guiding the implementation of logging, harvesting wood and non-timber forest products.

3. Abolish the provisions regarding marking trees with mallets and hammering mallets on trees in the following documents:

Circular No. 70/2011/TT-BNNPTNT dated October 24, 2011 amending and supplementing certain contents of Circular No. 35/2011/TT-BNNPTNT dated May 20, 2011 on guiding the implementation of logging, harvesting wood and non-timber forest products; Circular No. 87/2009/TT-NNPTNT dated December 31, 2009 on guiding the design of selective logging of natural forests; Decision No. 44/2006/QĐ-BNN dated June 1, 2006 promulgating the Regulations on management and hammering mallets on trees, forest rangers' hammers of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

4. Issued together with this Circular: Model logging design dossier for utilization, harvesting, and non-timber forest product harvesting (Annex 1), Logging product inventory form (Annex 2), Application for logging permit (Annex 3), Model report on logging wood and non-timber forest products (Annex 4) to be used in preparing logging dossiers and implementing reporting procedures as stipulated in this Circular.

5. During the implementation process, any difficulties should be promptly reported to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for guidance and resolution./.