In recent years Vietnam’s forest coverage has undergone rapid expansion, with a marked increase in plantings of exotic species of Eucalyptus, Acacia and Pinus. This expansion provides excellent opportunities for new international export markets for timber products. However it also represents new and increased risks from forestry pests and diseases, which in outbreak circumstances can have catastrophic consequences on plantation establishment and productivity. These risks come from pest and disease species already established in Vietnam, and exotic species not yet present in the country | Collaboration for Agriculture and Rural Development CARD Program PROTECTING PRODUCTIVITY INCOMES AND TRADE THROUGH IMPROVED HEALTH SURVEILLANCE Project title Protecting productivity incomes and trade through improved health surveillance of Vietnam s plantations Project code CARD 023 07VIE Author s Manon Griffiths1 Simon Lawson1 Ian Naumann2 and Pham Quang Thu3 Project implementing organizations 1 Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation Queensland Australia 2 Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry Canberra Australia 3 Forest Science Institute of Vietnam Hanoi Vietnam 1. Introduction In recent years Vietnam s forest coverage has undergone rapid expansion with a marked increase in plantings of exotic species of Eucalyptus Acacia and Pinus. This expansion provides excellent opportunities for new international export markets for timber products. However it also represents new and increased risks from forestry pests and diseases which in outbreak circumstances can have catastrophic consequences on plantation establishment and productivity. These risks come from pest and disease species already established in Vietnam and exotic species not yet present in the country. This CARD project aimed to improve the capacity of Vietnam s Forest Health workers to undertake surveillance for pests and diseases and to identify those detected. Comprehensive surveillance and a database of pest and disease records are critical to improve management outcomes for pest and disease outbreaks identify and respond to exotic incursions and produce pest lists to meet international export requirements. Improved awareness and management of forest health problems will assist in the long-term sustainability of planted and natural forest environments in Vietnam. This project aimed to establish a forest pest and disease database and reference collection at FSIV Hanoi provide training on pest surveillance and damage assessment increase awareness and understanding of forest
