Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development CARD Project Report 027/06VIE Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam. MS7:PolicyDocument Thedevelopmentofruralforestindustriesin Vietnam By Peter Vinden, Philip Blackwell and Phan Duc Chien     May2010 ProjectReport 027/06VIE ImprovementofoperatorskillsandtechnologyinsmallruralsawmillsinVietnam. PolicyDocument:ThedevelopmentofruralforestindustriesinVietnamPage2of46 TableofContent 1 Background 3 2 The establishment of “New Forests” in Vietnam 4 2.1 Summary 4 2.2 Background 4 2.3 New Forests 6 3 Forest Industries 9 3.1 The link between trees, wood and architecture. 11 3.2 Conclusions 13 4 Forest Industries Research 13 4.1 Background 13 5 Consolidating training and education 14 5.1 Training requirements 14 5.1.1 Survey of industry attitudes to training 14 6 Rural Sawmill Development in Vietnam 17 6.1 Conclusions 22 7 Discussions and Recommendations 26 7.1 The role of the National Forest Service 26 7.1.1 The conservation of tropical rain forests and native habitats. 27 7.1.2 The establishment of “New Forests” to meet the needs and bridge the divide between city dwellers and rural settlers 27 7.1.3 Consolidating supply of raw materials 28 7.1.4 Consolidating domestic demand for wood products 29 7.2 Research 29 7.2.1 Research program 31 7.3 Program descriptions 34 7.3.1 Program 1. Innovation 34 7.3.2 Program 2 Fundamental science 34 8 Program 3. Novel Technologies 36 8.1.2 Program 4. Education and knowledge transfer 37 8.1.3 Potential research partners 38 8.1.4 Potential End user organizations 38 9 Educationandtraininginforestry,woodscienceandtimberengineeringandfurniture 40 10 Strategies to Assist Rural Sawmill Development in Vietnam. 42 11 Conclusions 46 ProjectReport 027/06VIE ImprovementofoperatorskillsandtechnologyinsmallruralsawmillsinVietnam. PolicyDocument:ThedevelopmentofruralforestindustriesinVietnamPage3of46  1 Background In fulfilling the objectives of the CARD project, specialised reports have focused on providing background information from which detailed analyses could be undertaken of specific sectoral issues within the forest industries in Vietnam. In pulling together potential policy information and detailed recommendations into this final report it is clear that on-going relevant research education and training will only occur if there is an environment and organisation promoting the long-term ongoing pursuit of these activities. The requirements of rural development cannot be looked at in isolation and in the current instance need to be examined in relation to the long-term goals of forestry and the forest industries in Vietnam. Background reports: (i) Review of forest industrie sinVietnam (ii) Survey of rural sawmills in Vietnam (iii) Survey of log producers in Vietnam Sector reports (i) Sawmilling (ii) Drying (iii) Wood Preservation (iv) Education training and research Policy and recommendations Chien et al (2010) reviews the current state of the forest products industry in Vietnam and has highlighted the economic importance of the forest industries sector to Vietnam. In brief the sector: • Sawn timber production in Vietnam exceeds 2 million m3 /annum. • Wood exports rank fifth in importance behind crude oil, textiles, footwear and seafood • Exports increased on average by 43% annually between 2000 and 2008. • Vietnam has become the 4 th largest global manufacturer and exporter of furniture that together with handicrafts are exported to over 100 countries. • Domestic production of timber is supplemented by significant imports of unprocessed logs. Fifty-three percent of logs processed in Vietnam are imported. The value of timber imports exceeds US$1 billion. • Vietnam uses 11 million m3 of wood / year of which 57% is used for sawn timber for producing outdoor and indoor furniture and construction timber. The percentage end-use of acacia produced by rural sawmills (derived from questionnaires directed at small rural sawmills, Blackwell et al (2009 highlights also the importance of the domestic markets for furniture production. • Domestic production of raw logs from plantations is expected to grow substantially following the Vietnamese Governments objectives (1998) of establishing a 5 million hectare reforestation program. Various estimates (e.g. MARD, 2010) estimate that by 2020, Vietnam could be capable of supplying 20 ProjectReport 027/06VIE ImprovementofoperatorskillsandtechnologyinsmallruralsawmillsinVietnam. PolicyDocument:ThedevelopmentofruralforestindustriesinVietnamPage4of46 million m3 annually. Currently domestic wood production from plantations is expanding at about 10% / annum. This has offset a reduction in the availability of wood from natural forests. • Seventy-five percent of the current harvest from plantations comprises acacia spp. This percentage is expected to increase. • The plantation rotation age for acacia is approximately 7-8 years. Logs have a small average diameter of approximately 250 mm. Logically there needs to be investment and expansion of forest service activities to ensure that the true potential of forestry and forest industries meet both government and the general public expectations. This report therefore provides background or a potential vision of forestry and forest industries in Vietnam and broad recommendations as to how the sectors might develop. Clearly different people will have different visions as to how forestry and forest industries might develop. The vision given here identifies generic ideas as to why the sector is important. The ideas are presented to provide a discussion point but more importantly a vision of the future that can inspire those in decision making roles of the need to provide clear, long-term policies for rural and urban development in Vietnam. 2 Theestablishmentof“NewForests”inVietnam 2.1 Summary In an era of rapid global warming and peaking oil and natural gas production, forest ecosystem management of our relic forests and reafforestation of redundant land, should be at the forefront of any campaign to roll back our carbon footprint whilst at the same time maintaining or increasing economic productivity and environmental improvement. This section of the report argues a case for establishing “New Forests”; large public forest lands located adjacent to densely populated cities that re-establish species indigenous to the area, thus expanding biodiversity, protecting endangered species, reconnecting city dwellers with nature and rural culture, improving water quality and waste recycling, providing employment and valuable wood products that expand the sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere through planned expansion of relevant forest industries. The objective is to systematically substitute the use of oil, petrol, resins, steel, aluminium plastics and concrete and reduce our dependency on oil whilst at the same time expanding productivity and standards of living as well as providing a sustainable raw material supply for rural industries. This need is urgent in the face of unprecedented population growth and poverty, unchecked exploitation of non-renewable resources, global warming, rural destabilisation and environmental impoverishment. Conservation of the past is not enough. The objective of is to engage in the future, to create a future that is viable and sustainable for future generations. 2.2 Background. According to ancient Greek philosophy all matter is comprised of four ‘roots’ or elements of earth, air, fire and water. Fire and air were classified as outwardly reaching elements, ProjectReport 027/06VIE ImprovementofoperatorskillsandtechnologyinsmallruralsawmillsinVietnam. PolicyDocument:ThedevelopmentofruralforestindustriesinVietnamPage5of46 where-as earth and water, turned inwards and down-wards. The relationships between these elements is defined by Aristotle who explains that these roots are not just physical manifestations or material substances but also spiritual essences. Hence their representation by gods! Ancient Chinese tradition identifies a fifth element “wood”, a living material that interacts and balances the four roots. The relationships between these roots are as important today as they were to the Greeks and Chinese. They are the global issues that shape sustainability, biodiversity, greenhouse / CO2 emissions (climate), water quality, drought and bush-fires. Forests cover approximately one quarter of the worlds land area. Virtually everyone agrees that forests are important for the products and services they provide, the conservation of biodiversity, maintenance of soil and watersheds, contributions to the storage of carbon, the provision of microclimates and ecosystems, heritage and spiritual values and some would argue the weather. Most societies tend to value these traditionally non-tradable products and services that forests can provide. Timber or wood based products are also significant in the world economy amounting to 2% of global GDP or US$600 billion. These include the provision of shelter, furniture, packaging and paper (some 5,000 or so products), but as important are the non-wood products that are so essential to the economy of subsistence communities for medicines, food and shelter. In the past, forests had a relatively much higher impact on the economy. Samuel Pepys (an English public servant of the 17th Century) identified three-quarters of shipping to be associated with trade in timber. Development or the transition from subsistence to a cash economy has been achieved by many civilisations through exploiting forest resources and today forest exploitation continues to be significant in maintaining the viability of rural communities both in industrialised and emerging economies. Human interaction with forests follows three distinct phases. These include human subsistence where there has and in many instances continues to be a dependence on plant gathering, firewood collection, and hunting to eke out a living. This has often evolved into forest exploitation, the development of a cash economy, an agricultural economy and then industrial development. The degradation and over-exploitation of forests has often led to a backlash, the impoverishment of land needed for subsistence agriculture and crop failures, droughts, desertification, various landslides, disease. In our ancient civilisations various rulers have imposed penalties associated with forest destruction to prevent degradation of the environment. More recently, however, concern for deforestation has come from society and through elected governments. Ultimately, however, as societies develop forests should achieve a steady state of sustainability. Unfortunately in a changing and evolving world the concepts of steady state and sustainability are not totally clear. Concern for deforestation today arises more particularly in the North / South divide. The total land area covered in forest is about 34 million km2 or 27% of global land area. In the North the forest area is now increasing by approximately 2 million ha/year, where-as, in the South, deforestation is occurring at approximately 14 million ha/year (UN 2004). The wide variety of products and services derived from forests has effectively been a free resource from nature, infinitely renewable and sustainable. However, population growth particularly in the 1950’s and 60’s has led to unprecedented deforestation for agriculture and urban development, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The world population has grown from about 1.6 billion in 1900 to 5.7 billion in 1995 and projected to grow to about 9.4 billion in 2050 and stabilise to about 11 billion by 2200 (UN 1998). ProjectReport 027/06VIE ImprovementofoperatorskillsandtechnologyinsmallruralsawmillsinVietnam. PolicyDocument:ThedevelopmentofruralforestindustriesinVietnamPage6of46 Concern about deforestation is not a new phenomenon. In England, Julius Caesar introduced severe penalties through “Consulares silvae” that could result in the castration of offenders. King Canute introduced extensive forest laws and by the Middle- Ages some 5 million hectares of England and Wales had been set aside as royal forests for hunting. Stringent forest laws were introduced by the Normans and administered by foresters to reduce the onslaught of deforestation (Richardson 2000). John Evelyn in his book SILVA or a Discourse of Forest Trees, And the Propagation of Timber in his Majesty’s Dominions (1662) led to the development of extensive private plantations to try and stem the shortage of oak needed to keep the British Navy afloat. 2.3 NewForests The word “forest” is of French origin (foret). It replaced the Celtic equivalent frith following the invasion of England by William the Conqueror. In fact reference to the New Forest of Southern England dates from 1079 when William established the Royal “Nova Forestas”. Much of the land had been degraded and the soil denuded following the Stone Age and then Bronze Age when vast areas were cleared. Much of the land could only support heath. Relic oak forests were used in the sixteenth century by the Royal Navy and were replaced with oak plantations. The Great War resulted in a focus on faster growing softwoods as a strategic raw material resource in the event of another war. Today (after almost1000 years), 95 % of the New Forest is still owned by the crown. And softwood plantations are now being managed back to the “old growth” oak forests. The New Forest is rich in history, flora and fauna. It preserves ancient history and cultural heritage and provides a refuge for wild life in what is a very densely populated area of England. The New Forest covers a wide range of habitats including a range of heath lands, bogs and wetland as well as deciduous woodland and provides a sanctuary for a number of very rare British plants and animals. In fact it provides a home for some indigenous British species that now no longer exist outside the New Forest. The New Forest has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Global warming has brought about acute public interest and concern in relation to future impacts on the environment; the economic consequences of global warming; the numerous technical issues associated with climate change including fire, water and pollution and policy formulation and implementation. Environmental issues include biodiversity, the conservation of ecosystems, endangered species, fire, urbanisation and the impacts of global deforestation. Economic issues relate to maintaining industrial productivity and lifestyles in the face of rising oil prices, the costs of resource conservation for future generations, the costs of implementing continuous environmental improvement and life cycle analysis (LCA) and the consequences of reducing our carbon footprint. Ecosystems change with time. The landscape that we may be familiar with today may have been completely different 500 years ago and different again 1000 years before then. This rapid change reflects human interaction. The current natural distribution of species of both plants and animals since the last ice-age has seen a massive migration, evolution and adaptation of species occurring as a result of climate change and the movement, isolation and joining of land masses. Trees represent climax vegetation and as a structural species within an ecosystem are relatively robust from extinction. However, in nature, natural disasters arise. Flooding, hurricanes and fire can clear areas that then progress through a cycle of colonisation by opportunistic plants, replacement ProjectReport 027/06VIE ImprovementofoperatorskillsandtechnologyinsmallruralsawmillsinVietnam. PolicyDocument:ThedevelopmentofruralforestindustriesinVietnamPage7of46 by shrubs that might provide shelter for tree species and eventually a steady state of old growth forest that remains almost static until disaster strikes again. Human intervention (within the context of ecosystem sustainability) has to be considered akin to a natural disaster, except where there is the unnatural disaster of urban development that imposes soil removal, concrete, tarmac and supermarkets on the landscape. Urban sprawl imposes real limits on the extent to which natural ecosystems may regenerate and recover when left to their own devices. However, many natural ecosystems have also disappeared without human intervention because of climate change. Over the centuries, variations in water table may create difficulties for an “original native species” to regenerate. Or the climate over several hundreds of years may just favour an alternative more competitive species. In other words there is no such thing as an original native species, because the landscape is continually evolving and changing in response to environmental and biological forces. The issue today, however, is that climate change may be so rapid that we may lose the intricacies of many of our ecosystems, the interdependencies of plants and animals that may have taken thousands and millions of years to evolve. Key elements may become lost, so that the ecosystem becomes impoverished. Such loss of biodiversity is a tragedy for future generations. New Forests has as its principle objective, the practical maintenance of regional biodiversity. The managed maintenance of ecosystems that exist currently or existed within recorded history. Whilst “management of the ecosystem” may once again be seen as undesirable from a purist’s perspective, the objectives of New Forests is to maintain biodiversity and where destroyed, recreate as far as practicable an idea of what the living ecosystem may have looked like to our ancestors. The traditional practice of forestry dates back several millennia and has undergone parallel evolution in different civilisations. Written forest laws in the UK date back to the Romans, where severe penalties were imposed on individuals who failed to abide by these laws. The forest laws developed by King Canute in Winchester in 1016 also reflected a concern for forests and their conservation. King Canute is most famous for forbidding the sea to rise. The world is awaiting similar leadership or a similar conviction that can limit the rising sea levels due to global warming! The training of professional foresters throughout the centuries and in different civilisations has for the most part tended to reflect the need to manage forests for future generations whilst at the same time meeting the objectives of the custodians and rights of the general public. In summary “New Forests” takes its model from the New Forest. The New Forest has been managed intensively for almost 1000 years and has for the greater part enjoyed sustainable forest management that continues to improve the wealth of plant species, biodiversity as well as the health of the landscape for this generation and future generations. It has a rich history of documented management. Biodiversity has been maintained, not just the forest species but examples of plants and animals from all the different ecosystems that have existed in the area for more than a thousand years. Some of these “original” habitats such as the heath lands are man made from activities of the Bronze Age and have arisen as a result of the soil becoming impoverished. None- the-less, the maintenance of such habitats is seen as a legitimate objective because wild life has adapted to these man-made circumstances and formed a unique ecosystem in its own right. The forest has also become a refuge for endangered indigenous species, a living heritage. The Forests whilst established by William the Conqueror for maintaining deer for hunting also retained “commoners” or the general public’s rights of access for specific uses. ProjectReport 027/06VIE ImprovementofoperatorskillsandtechnologyinsmallruralsawmillsinVietnam. PolicyDocument:ThedevelopmentofruralforestindustriesinVietnamPage8of46 Public rights included access, gathering fire-wood, bracken collection, cutting peat, digging clay and grazing ponies and cattle on heath land and grazing of pigs during the harvest when acorns are abundant. These rights play an important role in the management of the various ecosystems. They incorporate many quaint customs in their management and execution that are still applied today. Public right of access underlines an important principle that the forests exist for public good. In an era where peoples live within an urban environment, this principle becomes even more important for future generations. Exotic species have been introduced at different times to meet specific policy objectives of the custodians of the New Forest. Many ecological purists may not see this as a sympathetic activity. However, as with man made ecosystems, the introduction of exotics has an historical significance in human development and thinking and a scientific interest that should be preserved for future generations. Tree farming for industrial timber supply also represents an important or legitimate rural industry especially within the current context of global warming as a means of carbon sequestration, a sustainable option for the substitution of oil derivatives and a means of maintaining economic productivity in a world where rising prices for oil will inevitably exact a toll on human welfare. However, a primary objective of “New Forests” is to nurture indigenous biodiversity and reproduce ecosystems that eventually reflect the whole range of natural ecosystems that are indigenous to the area. The long-term goal of “New Forests” is for selected areas of land located close to heavily populated areas to be gazetted and then managed to become the old growth forests typical of the area in which they are located. Specific objectives include: • Providing a systematic process for maintaining the long-term genetic diversity of plants and animals for future generations. • Establishing areas of scientific interest. • Preserving historical land-marks and artefacts and cultural traditions. • Providing general public access to living forest. • Providing production forests to meet rural industry requirements. The New Forest has thousands of preserved historical sites where significant events are recorded for posterity. Such artefacts of human history enrich the visitor’s experience, particularly in an era where diversity in virtually all human activity is being challenged. “New Forests” will similarly respect the spirit and spirits of past generations so that future generations can reflect on the human condition and at the same time make provision for future generations. Whilst the goal is to provide New Forests for all major population centres, initially only one or two sites would be selected to demonstrate the potential. The actual site will be determined to a greater extent by the quality of land available. The sites need to be fertile. Forest establishment is much more difficult on poor or impoverished soils. Climatic conditions also need to be stable. Whilst it is tempting to try and restrict forestry to marginal land “to try and do something for land that has been mismanaged in the past this would defeat the primary objective of “New Forests”, that is, to secure biodiversity. Maintenance of biodiversity is a first step in a goal to identify plants and ecosystems that may help reverse the impacts of environmental degradation. The areas selected also need to be located close to a large population centre with suitable infrastructure (rail) to facilitate rapid public access and enjoyment. ProjectReport 027/06VIE ImprovementofoperatorskillsandtechnologyinsmallruralsawmillsinVietnam. PolicyDocument:ThedevelopmentofruralforestindustriesinVietnamPage9of46 3 ForestIndustries Forest industries have a major capacity for reducing our dependency on oil and other non-renewable resources. However, such an initiative requires an integration and expansion of research, education and training to this end. The utilization or mining of non-renewable fossil fuels predominantly for energy has had a number of consequences. These include unprecedented economic growth and wealth generation and an exponential growth in consumption. However, we have been warned that we are “squandering valuable natural resources for low value uses such as energy”; that we are “artificially pricing manufactured synthetic commodities because no account is taken of raw material replacement cost”. In other words there is no future opportunity value being taken into account; that we are “failing to recognize the potential resource needs of future generations”. We are also being told that expansion in consumerism is resulting in the pollution of land, soil, water and waterways and the accumulation of waste in landfills; that an expansion of urbanization results in the depopulation and breakdown of infrastructure in rural areas; that “the release of sequestered CO2 from fossil fuels is resulting in the accumulation of CO2 and other gases such as methane in the atmosphere”. However, the dire projections, made in the 1960’s, that fossil fuels would become exhausted by the turn of the century failed to materialize. The discovery of more reserves of oil and gas and the ability to mine resources economically at greater depths are obvious reasons. However, there has also been an unparalleled technological revolution in processing technology, material science, product development, manufacturing and communication that increased productivity beyond any projections or dreams that could be envisaged at the time. In a world where improving standards of living can only be achieved through expanding improvements in productivity, primarily through globalization, where will improvements in productivity arise in the future? There have been many papers written extolling the virtues of wood as a raw material; that it is renewable, sustainable and recyclable; that it is environmentally friendly, relatively non-toxic, and not just benign to the environment but enhances the environment; that it uses low energy in its production and remanufacturing, (low embodied energy) and is relatively low in social cost. It is pointed out that the production of wood is centred in rural often remote areas where there is a desperate need to maintain infrastructure and employment. Forests are often grown in areas where there are environmental problems as a means of alleviating these problems. Production forestry is seen as a commercial solution to very serious soil degradation, salinity problems, water quality issues, greenhouse and global warming, and one answer to achieve some measure of carbon sequestration. The benefits of forestry and forest industries have been broadly advertised extensively for decades even centuries, to the extent that one would think that some priority might be placed by society in trying to cement tree growing and wood utilisation as a national priority, so that national benefits might accrue from these activities. There is the additional benefit that such a priority might go some way to improving the trade balances in wood products. However, such is not the case, in fact the opposite! There has been a trend towards privatising forestry, particularly production forestry; to segregating production forestry from environmental forestry; to locking up funding that might be available for expanding timber production infrastructure to go toward ProjectReport 027/06VIE ImprovementofoperatorskillsandtechnologyinsmallruralsawmillsinVietnam. PolicyDocument:ThedevelopmentofruralforestindustriesinVietnamPage10of46 purchasing public forests and therefore slow the industrial development of forest industries. In the last 10 years there has also been a dramatic reduction in the funds available for research, education and training in forestry and forest products. A large number of forestry schools have closed around the world, including the Forestry Department at Oxford University. Dedicated research institutes into forestry and forest products have also closed. An example is the recent closure of the forestry and forest products division of the CSIRO. Despite the attributes of wood being near perfect from an environmental perspective, it is surprising that substitution of wood by competitive materials like steel, plastic, bricks, concrete and aluminium has been so successful. The trends in substitution in the last 40 years have been systematic and methodical. But there again the strategies and resources made available for innovative research in competing industries, together with the training and education available to support competing products has also been very thorough. Environmental attributes are important, but seemingly not as important as cost, technical appropriateness and performance. The rate of innovation of new products from competing materials and their adoption by end- using industries has left wood based products floundering. They are becoming “mature products”, uncompetitive, old-fashioned, technically less appropriate and non- performing. To add insult to injury the new non-wood based products (also based on traditional materials) are advertised as environmental friendly and recyclable and sustainable! And we know, the public know, that this is not the case, but this has not made any real difference. Why should we use wood as a construction material? Unlike most other materials that have a finite resource or are tied to high energy costs e.g. oil, steel, copper etc., the future availability of timber can be assured on a sustained yield basis. Unlike all other materials used in construction, the costs of the wood material include the costs of re-establishing plantations needed for sustainability. Hardly a level playing field when compared to mining the alternative materials. The long-term availability of wood on a sustainable basis is just one of the attributes favouring its use. There are many others: Energy required for processing Energy consumption is a key issue in manufacturing costs. Given that a high proportion of energy is generated from non-renewable fossil fuels, energy efficiency in manufacture will not only affect the real price of manufactured items but also the sustainability of some manufacturing processes. • Steel beams require more than 10 times the production energy of the equivalent timber beam • Brick cladding for houses uses about 20 times as much energy as wood cladding • Aluminium window frames use over 50 times the energy of equivalent wooden frames. • Timber beams store about as much carbon as is released by the production of the steel beam. So in terms of sustainability, energy consumption in manufacturing and carbon emission, wood is superior to any other product. [...]... in order out of 10 based on the priority accorded by those enterprises interested in receiving training (table 3.) Table 3 Ranking of training topics Topic Ranking Further manufacturing 13.4 Saw sharpening 12.2 Policy Document: The development of rural forest industries in Vietnam   Page 15 of 46  Project Report  027/06VIE  Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.  ... role of research and it’s segregation into 4 distinct Policy Document: The development of rural forest industries in Vietnam   Page 26 of 46  Project Report  027/06VIE  Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.   research groupings and secondly identify the separate role of forest extension (that focuses on farm forestry and training 7.1.1 The conservation of tropical rain forests and native habitats.  ... 027/06VIE  Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.   7.2.1 Research program   Four interrelated and interdisciplinary programs comprising Innovation, Fundamental Science, Novel Technologies and Education and Knowledge Transfer are defined in Table 1 Policy Document: The development of rural forest industries in Vietnam   Page 31 of 46  Project Report  027/06VIE  Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.  ... Policy Document: The development of rural forest industries in Vietnam   Page 32 of 46  Project Report  027/06VIE  Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.   TABLE 1 Forest Ind • • Carbon Design f D i f 2 Fundamental Science • • • • • Policy Document: The development of rural forest industries in Vietnam   Page 33 of 46  Biochemical pathways in the biosynthesis of lignin, cellulose and. .. elements include: Information Technology and Communication Policy Document: The development of rural forest industries in Vietnam   Page 16 of 46  Project Report  027/06VIE  Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.   Project Management Leadership and Working in Teams Service Quality Occupational Health & Safety Managing Staff Financial Management for Resource Ind... analysis of past training experience in forest industries in Vietnam (Blackwell et al 2010) poses a serious problem, firstly because of the low incidence of staff and labour working in sawmills receiving any training, secondly because literacy levels in this industry are very low, thirdly because of the number of sawmills indicating that the quality of training was a problem and fourthly because of the... number of enterprises that felt that the training available wasn’t relevant to their needs On the positive side, 73% of enterprises indicated interest in receiving training 5.1 Training requirements  5.1.1 Survey of industry attitudes to training  Policy Document: The development of rural forest industries in Vietnam   Page 14 of 46  Project Report  027/06VIE  Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.  ... forestry and the forest industries should be so poorly positioned relative to other products Some of the reasons include: • Lack of training of architects, engineers and building science students in the use of wood • Complex building codes and specialist training needed in timber engineering • Lack of experience of architects and builders in designing and building in wood • The poor image of wood (dimensional... (dimensional instability, surface degradation and checking associated with UV exposure, instability associated with changes in Policy Document: The development of rural forest industries in Vietnam   Page 12 of 46  Project Report  027/06VIE  Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.   relative humidity, biodegradation due to fungi and insects and variability in quality,... command and control of emergency situations The training needs are extensive and traditionally foresters received extensive university training in all the skills needed to manage multiple objectives Entry into University Policy Document: The development of rural forest industries in Vietnam   Page 27 of 46  Project Report  027/06VIE  Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.   . receiving training. 5.1 Trainingrequirements 5.1.1 Survey of industryattitudestotraining ProjectReport 027/06VIE Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.  PolicyDocument:Thedevelopment of rural forestindustries in Vietnam Page15 of 46 A. 027/06VIE Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.  PolicyDocument:Thedevelopment of rural forestindustries in Vietnam Page10 of 46 purchasing public forests and. 027/06VIE Improvement of operator skills and technology in small rural sawmills in Vietnam.  PolicyDocument:Thedevelopment of rural forestindustries in Vietnam Page3 of 46  1 Background In