Decision No.02/1999/QD-BNN-PTLN issuing the Regulation on Exploitation of Timber and Forests Products.

The Regulation provides for State management of exploitation of timber and other forest products of natural forests and planted forests, excluding exploitation in special-use forest areas (art. 2). Exploitation of forests shall be carried out strictly conform articles 37, 38, and 39 of the Law on protection and Development of Forests (art. 3). Chapter II concerns exploitation in production forests and not-crucial protection forests, whereas Chapter III regulates exploitation in protection forests. Article 7 of Chapter III defines the legal basis for the right of exploitation, being five-year plans including production targets to be ratified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Articles 8 to 14 concern further control on exploitation operations. Article 16 specifies forests subject to "full harvesting". Remaining articles of Chapter II prescribe rules for harvesting of timber including norms for the felling of trees and bamboo. Article 28 of Chapter III prescribes general principles of exploitation of forest resources in protection forests whereas article 29 concerns approval of activities by the Managing Board of Protection Forests. Standards for exploitation are laid down in article 30. Chapter IV contains rules relative to the marking of trees. Chapter V defines duties of forests owners, exploitation organizations, and forest management agencies at various levels, with respect to monitoring of activities and exploitation. It also prescribes a reporting regime. Chapter VI contains implementing provisions.