On April 2, according to Lao Dong, at the regular meeting in March, the People's Council of Lang Son province officially approved a Resolution regulating the authority to decide on the liquidation of planted forests owned by the entire people.
Accordingly, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee will be the person with the authority to decide in all cases under the management of the locality.
After many years of problems due to lack of a clear legal corridor, planted forests in Lang Son, especially forest areas damaged by natural disasters and pests, now have a transparent and specific handling mechanism.
According to the Resolution, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Lang Son province is authorized to decide on liquidation of all types of planted forests owned by the State or reclaimed, including forests belonging to science and technology programs, projects, or donated or transferred ownership.
The liquidation is only carried out when the forest is severely damaged, unable to develop due to natural disasters, epidemics or other natural disasters. The related costs will be estimated, appraised and implemented according to state budget regulations.
As of early 2025, Lang Son has more than 1,300 hectares of planted forests owned by the entire people, of which about 755 hectares are forest areas reclaimed by the State and 545 hectares are formed from replacement forest planting programs.
However, for many years, forest areas seriously affected by natural disasters such as storm No. 3 - Yagi (September 2024) have not been able to be handled because it is not clear who has the right to decide on liquidation.
The Resolution's approval not only removes legal bottlenecks, but also helps speed up the progress of handling damaged forests, reusing forest land, avoiding loss of public assets and minimizing the risk of forest fires and disease spread.
The reality shows that the entire process of receiving and processing documents liquidation of planted forests in Lang Son is now concentrated at the provincial level - namely the Department of Agriculture and the Environment, without the participation of the district or commune level. Therefore, it is appropriate to stipulate that the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee is the decision maker is appropriate.
