Circular No. 25/2009/TT-BNN guiding the implementation of forest statistics, inventory, and establishment of forest management files

CIRCULAR

Guidelines for conducting forest statistics, inventory, and establishing forest management files

______________________

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Pursuant to Decree No. 01/2008/NĐ-CP dated January 3, 2008 of the Government on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

Pursuant to the Forest Protection and Development Law dated December 3, 2004;

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

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development guides the implementation of forest statistics, inventory, and establishment of forest management files as follows:

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of application and subjects implementing

1. Scope of application: This Circular stipulates the contents, procedures, methods, and results of forest statistics, inventory, and establishment of forest management files at the provincial level (commonly referred to as the provincial level); at the district level (commonly referred to as the district level); commune level (commonly referred to as the commune level), and forest managers.

2. Subjects implementing: People's Committees at all levels; forestry management agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Forest Inspection Sub-Departments, Forestry Sub-Departments under Provincial Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; District Forest Inspection Stations; forest owners, commune forestry officers (if any) or local forest rangers; units and organizations providing consultancy services related to forest surveys and planning.

Article 2. Interpretation of Terms

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

1. Planned forestry land refers to land with forests and land without forests that have been planned by competent authorities for forestry purposes.

2. Forests are understood according to Clause 1, Article 3 of the 2004 Law on Forest Protection and Development and according to the criteria for determining types of forests set forth by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

3. A state plot is an area of forest where only one uniform forest state or one pre-forest ecosystem state exists but has not yet become a forest on forestry land.

4. A management plot is a basic unit of area in forestry production management having one or several forest states and applying or aiming to apply the same measures and business purposes for forest management. The boundaries of a management plot must be clear, fixed, often utilizing natural boundaries such as mountains, rivers, streams, paths; a management plot with an area of more than or less than 10 hectares shall be directly managed by the local forestry management agency (Forestry Sub-Department) in charge of dividing the management plots and naming them.

5. Forest inventory involves surveying, assessing, and determining forest states and forest stock both within and outside planned forestry land based on actual conditions, and comparing increases or decreases in forest area and stock data from statistical records and forest management files; forest inventory cycles every five years on management plots and are conducted continuously at localities.

6. Forest statistics involve recording, summarizing, and analyzing forest areas and forest stock based on records and forest management files; forest statistics are carried out annually across the entire national forest area, including the three types of forests and scattered tree crops, and the results are published on December 31 each year.

7. The program for investigating, evaluating, and monitoring changes in forest resources is a nationwide program implemented according to the Prime Minister's decision, serving the purpose of forest inventory to determine the actual area and stock of forest plots, update them in forest management files, and serve annual forest statistics in areas subject to forest inventory during the year.

8. The forest management file is a record established for each surveyed forest plot belonging to one of the three types of forests, linked to the forest manager at administrative units, and regularly updated after each forest inventory cycle to serve as a basis for annual forest statistics. The forest management file includes data on forest area and stock, forest harvesting plans (if any), and land management and utilization situations, attached maps showing management plots, and documents about plans, projects, or programs related to management plots approved by competent authorities.

Article 3. Principles for conducting forest statistics, inventory, and establishing forest management files

1. Must objectively reflect the current status of forests at the time of inventory and statistics.

2. Must ensure consistency between map data and actual inventory and statistical data.

3. The smallest unit for conducting forest inventory, statistics, and establishing forest management files is the management plot. In cases where specific investigation of forests down to the management plot level is not yet feasible due to lack of conditions and there is no real need for forest management and utilization down to the management plot level, especially in special-use forests and protective forests, the units conducting forest inventory and statistics may extend to compartments or sub-compartments.

4. Forest statistics, inventory, and establishment of forest management files shall be organized and implemented based on the application of information technology and high-resolution satellite or aerial imagery nationwide; statistical and inventory data of forests and forest management files must truthfully reflect the current status of forests at the time of inventory and statistics.

5. The results of each forest inventory period, including: data, plot description forms, area calculation forms for various forest states within the management plot, and village-level current forest condition maps serve as the basis for establishing or adjusting forest management files.

Chapter II

STATISTICAL AND INVENTORY INDICATORS FOR FORESTS

Article 4. Statistical and inventory indicators for forest area and volume

1. The statistical and inventory indicator for forest area at the time of inventory and statistics is the most important indicator for forest statistics and inventory and is directly calculated based on the VN-2000 forest inventory map and aggregated according to administrative units, three types of forests, and forest management subjects; the unit of measurement for forest area is hectares (ha).

2. The statistical and inventory indicator for forest volume is calculated and aggregated according to forest management units of the forestry sector (management plots, compartments, sub-compartments), administrative units, three types of forests, and forest management subjects; the unit of measurement for forest wood volume is cubic meters (m3), bamboo and rattan forests is thousands of plants (1,000 plants), and special-purpose tree forests is appropriate units.

Article 5. Statistical and inventory indicators for forests according to planned forestry land

Planned forestry land includes land with forests and land without forests:

1. Land with forests:

a) Mountainous land forests;

b) Rocky mountain forests;

c) Forests on sandy land;

d) Swamp forests (acidic or saline).

2. Land without forests refers to bare land, denuded hills, or scattered trees, bamboo, and rattan.

3. Other lands (excluding the two types of land mentioned above)

Criteria for classifying planned forestry land are stipulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Article 6. Statistical and inventory indicators for forests according to forest classification

Based on primary purposes of use, forests are classified into three types: production forests, protective forests, and special-use forests. Classification of forests according to their purpose of use is regulated in Article 4 of the Forest Protection and Development Law 2004.

Article 7. Statistical and inventory indicators for forests according to forest state

Criteria for classifying forest states are stipulated by the current regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Article 8. Statistical and inventory indicators for forests according to forest management subjects

Forest management subjects include:

1. Forest protection management boards and special-use forest management boards assigned forests and land by the State for forest protection and development.

2. Economic organizations assigned forests, leased forests, given land, leased land for forest development, recognized rights to use forests, ownership of production forests that are planted forests, received transfer of rights to use forests, received transfer of ownership of production forests that are planted forests.

3. Households and individuals in Vietnam assigned forests, leased forests, given land, leased land for forest development, recognized rights to use forests, ownership of production forests that are planted forests, received transfer of rights to use forests, received transfer of ownership of production forests that are planted forests.

4. Vietnamese citizens residing abroad who invest in Vietnam and are assigned forests, leased forests, given land, leased land for forest development.

5. Foreign organizations and individuals investing in Vietnam who are leased forests, leased land for forest development.

6. Village communities consisting of all households and individuals living in the same village, hamlet, commune, ward, or equivalent unit, sharing the same customs and traditions, assigned land or recognized rights to use forests for forest protection and development.

7. People's armed forces units assigned forests and land for forest development.

8. Scientific research and technological development organizations, training and vocational education institutions in forestry assigned forests and land for forest development.

9. Unmanaged forests are those not yet assigned and currently managed by village-level People's Committees.

Article 9. Forest statistics indicators according to causes of forest status changes

Causes of forest status changes include:

1. Planting forests.

2. Forests formed after setting aside areas for natural regeneration.

3. Loss of forests due to forest fires.

4. Loss of forests due to forest pests and diseases.

5. Loss of forests due to destruction (slash-and-burn agriculture, livestock grazing, shrimp farming, etc.).

6. Due to changes in forest land use purposes.

7. Forests that have been clear-cut.

8. Other causes (landslides, typhoons, floods, unknown causes, etc.)

Chapter III

CONTENTS, PROCEDURES AND METHODS FOR FOREST INVENTORY, STATISTICS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF FOREST MANAGEMENT FILES

Article 10. Contents of inventory, statistics and establishment of forest management files

1. Forest Inventory

a) Delimit and draw forest statuses through remote sensing image interpretation or high-resolution aerial images based on key image samples combined with supplementary field surveys, compiling digital maps of current forest conditions at commune, district, and provincial administrative levels. Utilize information technology to overlay thematic map layers about current forest conditions onto topographic map layers divided into management plots, compartments, subplots, and forest zoning plans to determine boundaries of three types of forests and forest status boundaries within management plots.

b) Calculate the area and volume of forests for each forest status according to small-scale forest management units such as subplots, compartments, and management plots, analyze, evaluate, compare, and compile tables of forest area and volume inventories by administrative unit, by three types of forests, and by forest managers.

c) Compile forest coverage rates by administrative unit.

2. Forest Statistics

a) Summarize forest area and forestry land according to forest management records up to the end of the year, and statistically summarize those areas by administrative unit, by three types of forests, and by forest managers; compile reasons for changes in forest area.

b) Summarize forest volume according to forest management records up to the end of the year, and statistically summarize forest volume by administrative unit, by three types of forests, and by forest managers; compile changes in forest volume due to changes in forest area or due to changes in average forest volume per hectare.

c) Compile forest coverage rates by administrative unit.

3. Establishment of Forest Management Files

a) Establish forest management files for each subplot and detail them for each management plot; in the forest management file, fully reflect the area, volume, status, purpose of use, and manager of the forest plot. The forest management file includes VN-2000 topographic maps and thematic map layers about current forest conditions; forest zoning plans; subplot, compartment, and management plot boundary lines; forest management documents and records of forest changes, forest and forest land statistics tables in subplots.

b) Establish forest management files based on periodic five-year forest inventories or other specialized surveys (if any); changes in forest area and volume are regularly and promptly recorded in the forest management files.

Article 11. Procedures and methods for conducting forest inventories

1. Forest Area Inventory

1.1. Prepare field survey maps

Maps used in forest inventories are VN-2000 topographic maps with scales of 1/10,000 or 1/5,000, on a topographic map base, beyond administrative boundaries must show the following boundaries:

a) Boundaries of three types of forests, management plot, compartment, subplot numbers and boundaries, and management forest owner boundaries, these information are digitized and managed by thematic map layers inherited from the results of forest type re-survey and re-planning or inherited from land allocation and forest allocation maps or business design maps, or must be supplemented if not yet divided.

b) In cases where management plots, compartments, and subplots have not been divided, proceed with division according to the following principles:

- For subplots: Average area of 1,000 hectares; located entirely within one (01) commune; boundary lines clearly defined and fixed like mountains, rivers, streams, trails; subplot numbers are Latin numerals (1, 2, 3...) continuously numbered within one (01) province and numbered sequentially for each district from north to south, west to east, on the map subplot numbers are surrounded by a small circle. If new subplots are added, add a capital Latin letter after the adjacent subplot number. Example: 125A, 125B. In cases where subplot shapes deviate after transferring to the VN-2000 topographic map base, review and recalculate subplot areas.

- For compartments: Average area of 100 hectares; divided from subplots; boundary lines clearly defined and fixed, utilizing natural boundaries like mountains, rivers, streams, trails; compartment numbers are Latin numerals (1, 2, 3...), numbering principle similar to subplots. If new compartments are added, compartment numbers will add a lowercase Latin letter after the adjacent compartment number (example: 5a, 5b,...), special-use forests may not be divided into compartments.

- For management plots: Management plots are divided from compartments and located entirely within compartments. Management plot names are recorded using lowercase Latin letters (a, b, c...) and written completely within compartments, naming principle similar to subplots, special-use forests may not be divided into management plots.

1.2. Prepare delimitation and drawing maps for field surveys:

a) Use remote sensing images or aerial photographs or inherit the most recent existing forest condition maps as a basis for inventorying forest area statuses. Only use high-resolution remote sensing or aerial images taken before the inventory date by a maximum of one (01) year. Image interpretation to determine forest status boundaries on images is undertaken by units and organizations with appropriate equipment and expertise. On the map, forest status plot names are added with Latin numerals after the management plot name, for example: a1, a2; b1, b2,... for special-use forests, forest status plot names are consecutively numbered like compartment numbers.

b) Based on the current forest status map constructed from satellite image interpretation or aerial photographs, or the most recent inherited forest status map, delineate the boundaries of various land and forest types onto the topographic map for field surveys; the map with delineated boundaries of various land and forest types is called the indoor status map. The indoor status map will be redrawn or printed into small-scale maps of forest compartments (or groups of compartments) for use in supplementary field surveys and mapping, which is referred to as the outdoor survey map.

1.3. Field verification and supplementary delineation

a) On the outdoor survey map, design verification and supplementary delineation routes. These routes do not necessarily have to be straight but must pass through all types of forests within the surveyed area. During the verification process, compare and contrast all types of forests between the outdoor survey map and the actual site conditions. The verification should focus on the following areas and objects:

- Areas where forests are being harvested; areas where ethnic communities still practice slash-and-burn agriculture; areas of water conservancy projects, hydropower projects, new economic zones, newly opened transportation routes,...

- Areas planted with timber plantations, industrial crops,...

- Objects that are easily confused with each other such as poor-quality forests with

scattered trees (Ic),...

- Planted forests that have closed canopies and those that have not yet closed canopies.

b) During the verification and supplementary delineation process, handheld GPS devices should be used to determine the positions of delineated plots. After field verification and supplementary delineation, the outdoor survey map becomes the original forest status map.

1.4. Completing and editing the forest inventory map

a) The original forest status map is completed with plot boundaries and statuses consistent with actual conditions; new plantation areas are added, then digitized and compiled into the forest inventory map. The forest inventory map is based on the VN-2000 map, specifying details at each level as follows:

- Village and town forest inventory map at a scale of 1/10,000 or 1/5,000, the village-level forest status map must show the boundaries and numbers of management compartments, sections, and plots.

- District-level forest inventory map at a scale of 1/50,000 or 1/25,000 (for districts with less than 20,000 hectares), compiled from the forest status maps of villages and towns under its jurisdiction. The district-level forest inventory map only shows information up to the section level.

- Provincial-level forest inventory map at a scale of 1/100,000, compiled from the forest status maps of counties, cities, and towns under its jurisdiction, showing information up to the compartment level.

b) The content and methods for constructing the forest inventory map are carried out according to the Technical Regulations for Constructing Forest Status Maps and other relevant legal documents issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

1.5. Calculating the area of forest statuses in management plots

a) The area of forest status plots is directly calculated on the basis of the village-level forest inventory map, using specialized software (Mapinfo, ArcGIS, ArcView...) from digital maps. The results are compiled into the Plot Area Calculation Form for forest statuses within a management plot, serving as the basis for compiling inventory results from the village to provincial levels. The contents of the columns in the Plot Area Calculation Form for forest statuses within a management plot are specified in the Appendix to this Circular.

b) To facilitate data extraction and sharing, the Plot Area Calculation Form for forest statuses within a management plot should be stored in Excel format.

2. Inventory of forest stock

a) Determining average stock indicators

Establish sampling plots using typical methods for each forest status plot to determine the average stock indicator per hectare (ha) of each forest status or inherit from one of the following results:

- Results of determining forest stock for newly allocated forest areas according to Circular No. 38/2007/TT-BNN dated April 25, 2007, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

- Measurement results from positioning plots under the National Forest Resource Survey, Assessment, and Monitoring Program;

- Survey results on the current state of forests for investment forestry projects, forest management plans, or other basic forest surveys.

b) Calculating forest stock

Multiply the average stock indicator per hectare determined by the area of the inventory plot (management plot) for special-purpose forests, protective forests, production forests, and then compile the results by management plot, section, compartment, village, district, and province. The calculation results are recorded in the stock tables specified in the Appendix to this Circular.

3. Compiling forest inventory tables

The types of forest inventory tables and their compilation methods are as follows:

- Table 1/KKR - Inventory of forest area by three types of forests, compiled and calculated from the Plot Area Calculation Form for forest statuses within a management plot. Higher levels are compiled from subordinate units: sections are compiled from management plots within sections; compartments are compiled from sections within compartments; villages are compiled from compartments within villages; districts are compiled from villages within districts; provinces are compiled from districts within provinces;

- Table 2/KKR - Inventory of forest area by management entities, compiled and calculated from the Plot Area Calculation Form for forest statuses within a management plot. Higher levels are compiled from subordinate units (similar to Table 1/KKR). Different compilation methods are applied depending on the scale of each forest owner's area;

- Table 3/KKR - Inventory of forest stock by three types of forests, compiled and calculated from the Plot Area Calculation Form for forest statuses within a management plot. Higher levels are compiled from subordinate units (similar to Table 1/KKR);

- Table 4/KKR - Inventory of forest stock by management entities, compiled and calculated from the Plot Area Calculation Form for forest statuses within a management plot. Higher levels are compiled from subordinate units (similar to Table 1/KKR);

- Form 5/KKR - Summary of Forest Cover by Administrative Unit, this form is compiled and calculated from the Forest Status Area Calculation Sheet in the management plot or compiled and calculated from Form 1/KKR; Form 2/KKR - Forest Inventory.

4. Inspection of forest inventory results

The inspection and verification of forest inventory results shall be carried out in accordance with the following provisions:

a) The forest owner conducts self-inspection during the implementation process;

b) Forestry officers of the commune or forest rangers randomly inspect 20% of the area from the forest inventory results of the commune, identify any deficiencies to supplement and complete before submitting the report on the commune's forest inventory results for approval by the Chairman of the Commune People's Committee and sending it up to the District People's Committee;

c) The District Forest Ranger Station takes the lead in randomly inspecting 20% of the area from the commune-level forest inventory results and conducts self-inspection of the district-level forest inventory results before submitting the report on the district's forest inventory results for approval by the Chairman of the District People's Committee and sending it up to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development;

d) The Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development takes the lead in randomly inspecting 10% of the area from the district-level forest inventory results and conducts self-inspection of the provincial-level forest inventory results before submitting them for approval by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee;

e) The inspection results must be documented in writing.

The content and methods of inspection shall be in accordance with the regulations on quality management of forest survey projects of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Article 12. Inventory and Statistics of Forests Outside the Three Categories of Forest Planning and Inventory and Statistics of Scattered Plantings

1. The content, procedures, and methods of inventory and statistics of forests outside the three categories of forest planning shall be implemented similarly to the provisions set forth in Articles 10, 11, and 13 of this Circular.

2. The content, procedures, and methods of inventory and statistics of scattered plantings shall be in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Article 13. Procedures and Methods for Conducting Forest Statistics

1. Preparation of Forest Statistics Forms

Starting from the year following the forest inventory year, prepare various forest statistics forms with the main contents as follows:

- Form 1A/TKR - Forest Area Statistics by Three Types of Forests: The commune level form is compiled from the Forest Management Files, Forest Management Books, and Forest Change Monitoring Books at the commune level, higher levels are compiled from subordinate units;

- Form 1B/TKR - Forest Volume Statistics by Three Types of Forests: The commune level form is calculated from Form 1A/TKR, higher levels are compiled from subordinate units;

- Form 2A/TKR - Forest Area Statistics by Management Owner: The commune level form is compiled from the Forest Management Files, higher levels are compiled from subordinate units;

- Form 2B/TKR - Forest Volume Statistics by Management Owner: The commune level form is calculated from Form 2A/TKR and Form 3/KKR, higher levels are compiled from subordinate units;

- Form 3/TKR - Forest Area Change Statistics by Cause: The commune level form is compiled from the Forest Change Monitoring Book, higher levels are compiled from subordinate units;

- Form 4/TKR - Summary of Forest Cover by Administrative Unit compiled from Form 1A/TKR or Form 2A/TKR from the commune to the provincial level.

The content and methods of preparing the above forms are stipulated in the Appendix attached to this Circular.

2. Steps to Proceed

a) The Provincial People's Committee assigns the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to organize, direct, and urge local forest statistics reports to be submitted at the beginning of September each year.

b) The District People's Committee assigns the District Forest Ranger Station to organize, direct, and urge forest statistics reports in the district to be submitted at the beginning of October each year.

c) The Commune People's Committee assigns forestry officers of the commune or forest rangers, starting from November 1 (except in the year of forest inventory), to conduct forest statistics and submit the forest statistics report no later than November 15 each year;

- After receiving the report on the commune's forest statistics results, the District Forest Ranger Station conducts the local forest statistics and submits the report to the Provincial Forest Ranger Sub-Department no later than November 30 each year;

- After receiving the report on the district's forest statistics results, the Provincial Forest Ranger Sub-Department conducts the local forest statistics and submits the report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the National Forest Ranger Department no later than December 15 each year;

- After receiving the report on the provincial forest statistics results, the National Forest Ranger Department compiles the forest statistics data of regions and nationwide and submits it to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for publication no later than December 31 each year.

Article 14. Procedures and methods for establishing forest management files

1. Forest management files include:

a) Forest management files for each forest compartment

- The results of the forest inventory, statistics are updated into the forest management file of each forest compartment. During the process of managing, protecting, developing, and using forests within the commune, forestry staff from the commune or forest rangers will monitor the annual changes of each management plot and record, update regularly the changes in the status of the forest according to various causes into the Forest Management File.

- Files are established for each forest compartment, with serial numbers assigned to each management plot;

b) Commune-level forest management files

- Commune-level forest management files, including: Village forest management book, Record book for tracking and recording annual statistics on forest area and volume.

- All results of forest inventory, statistics, and land planning for forestry purposes will be recorded and compiled into the village forest management book up to each management plot and forest owner.

- In the forest management book, the current status of each forest management plot such as: plot code, section, forest compartment, area, volume, characteristics of forest classification (natural forest, planted forest; production forest, protective forest, special-use forest), the manager of the forest management plot must be fully recorded.

- Record the changes, reasons for changes in area, status, manager, and characteristics of forest plots and forest land due to different causes within the commune.

- Results of monitoring and updating changes in forest area and forest land during the year are summarized as the basis for compiling the annual forest statistics report;

- Current status map of the forest, map of the three types of forest planning, and other related maps;

- Documents regarding forest assignment contracts, forest land assignment contracts; planning, plans, and management schemes for forests.

The contents, methods, and ways of recording the Village Forest Management Book are stipulated in the Appendix attached to this Circular.

c) District-level forest management files

- Tables summarizing the results of forest inventory, statistics on forest area and volume of communes by administrative units, by the three types of forests, and by forest managers.

- Current status map of the forest, map of the three types of forest planning, and other related maps;

- Record book for land and forest allocation to managers.

- Plans and programs for protecting and developing forests at the district level.

d) Provincial-level forest management files

- Tables summarizing the results of forest inventory, statistics on forest area and volume of districts by administrative units, by the three types of forests, and by forest managers.

- Current status map of the forest, map of the three types of forest planning, and other related maps;

- Record book for land and forest allocation to organizations and units.

- Plans and programs for protecting and developing forests at the provincial level.

2. Steps to Proceed

a) After conducting forest surveys, forestry staff from the commune or forest rangers compile the results and data into the Forest Management Books for each forest compartment and update them into the Commune-level Forest Management Files.

b) Forest management consolidation officers at the District Forest Ranger Station, Provincial Forest Ranger Office are responsible for updating records, maps, and data in their level's forest management files.

Chapter IV

RESULTS AND STORAGE OF FOREST STATISTICS AND FOREST MANAGEMENT FILES

Article 15. Results of forest statistics, inventory, and establishment of forest management files

1. Results of forest inventory

a) Inventory forms and tables

- Form 1 - Description of management plot

- Form 2 - Calculation of forest area and volume according to forest conditions in the management plot;

- Table 1/KKR - Inventory of forest area by the three types of forests;

- Table 2/KKR - Inventory of forest area by forest manager;

- Table 3/KKR - Inventory of forest volume by the three types of forests;

- Table 4/KKR - Inventory of forest volume by forest manager;

- Table 5/KKR - Summary of forest cover by administrative unit;

Forest inventory tables are compiled from the management plot to the provincial level.

b) Forest inventory maps

Forest inventory maps at all levels are built as digital maps based on the VN2000 map, with the following scales:

- Commune-level forest inventory map: scale 1/10,000 or 1/5,000;

- District-level forest inventory map: scale 1/50,000 or 1/25,000 if the district area is less than 20,000 hectares;

- Provincial-level forest inventory map: scale 1/100,000.

2. Results of forest statistics

- Table 1A/TKR - Statistics of forest area by the three types of forests;

- Table 1B/TKR - Statistics of forest volume by the three types of forests;

- Table 2A/TKR - Statistics of forest area by forest manager;

- Table 2B/TKR - Statistics of forest volume by forest manager;

- Table 3/TKR - Statistics of changes in forest area by cause;

- Table 4/TKR - Summary of forest cover by administrative unit.

3. Results of forest management files

- Forest management files for forest compartments;

- Forest management books;

- Current status maps of forests at all levels;

- Various types of forest assignment and lease contracts, forest land assignment and lease contracts; related documents concerning planning, plans (management schemes) of management plots - are stored in forest management files at all levels.

Article 16. Storage of forest inventory results, forest census results, and forest management files

1. Storage of forest census results:

a) Commune: Store the periodic forest census results in the forest management file for each forest subdivision within the commune. The commune-level forest census results are recorded on paper and converted into digital files stored on CDs. Three (03) copies are made, one copy retained at the Forest Protection Division of the district; one copy kept by the forestry ranger responsible for the area; and one copy retained at the People's Committee of the commune.

b) District: Store the aggregated forest census results of the district in digital files stored on CDs. Two (02) copies are made, one copy retained at the Forest Protection Division of the district, and one copy retained at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the province (Forest Protection Sub-department).

c) Province: Store the aggregated forest census results of the province in digital files stored on CDs. Two (02) copies are made, one copy retained at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the province (Forest Protection Sub-department), and one copy sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

d) Central level: Store the aggregated national forest census results in digital files stored on CDs. Three (03) copies are made, two copies retained at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Forest Protection Bureau and Forestry Bureau), and one copy sent to the General Statistics Office.

2. Storage of forest statistical results:

a) Commune: Store the annual forest statistical results in the commune's forest management file. These results are recorded on paper and converted into digital files stored on CDs. Three (03) copies are made, one copy retained at the Forest Protection Division of the district, one copy kept by the forestry ranger responsible for the area, and one copy retained at the People's Committee of the commune.

b) District: Store the aggregated annual forest statistical results of the district in digital files stored on CDs. Two (02) copies are made, one copy retained at the Forest Protection Division of the district, and one copy retained at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the province (Forest Protection Sub-department).

c) Province: Store the aggregated annual forest statistical results of the province in digital files stored on CDs. Three (03) copies are made, two copies retained at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the province (Forest Protection Sub-department and Forestry Sub-department), and one copy sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

d) Central level: Store the annual national forest statistical results in digital files stored on CDs. Three (03) copies are made, two copies retained at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Forest Protection Bureau and Forestry Bureau), and one copy sent to the General Statistics Office.

3. Storage of forest management files

a) Commune: Store the documents and maps specified in point b, Clause 1, Article 14 of this Circular.

b) District: Store the documents and maps specified in point c, Clause 1, Article 14 of this Circular.

c) Province: Store the documents and maps specified in point d, Clause 1, Article 14 of this Circular.

d) Central level: Store the outcomes of forest censuses, statistics, land allocation documents, forest allocation documents, and forest management documents of all provinces nationwide.

Chapter V

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 17. Responsibilities of Ministries and Levels

1. The Forest Protection Bureau shall take the lead and coordinate with the Forestry Bureau, the Planning Department, the Science, Technology, and Environment Department, and other relevant agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to direct and inspect the implementation of this Circular throughout the country.

2. Provincial People's Committees are responsible for directing and inspecting the construction and implementation of forest statistics, censuses, and forest management files of districts according to this Circular in their respective localities.

3. Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of provinces shall cooperate with related units to provide professional guidance on forest statistics, censuses, and forest management file creation for districts and communes within their provinces.

4. District Forest Protection Divisions are responsible for advising the People's Committees of their districts on organizing and implementing this Circular in communes.

Article 18. Budget for conducting statistics, inventory, and establishing management files for forests

The State budget ensures the implementation of forest statistics, inventory, and the establishment of forest management files.

Article 19. Guidance on Implementation

1. All previous regulations that conflict with the provisions of this Circular are abolished. This Circular takes effect 45 days from the date of signature.

2. During implementation, if there are difficulties or obstacles, they should be reported to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for study and appropriate amendment./.