Watershed forests diminish as people hunt for precious seeds

Doi seed is known as the “black gold bead” in the northwest mountainous area, where it is used for roasting or stewing meat. The seeds, pounded and mixed with salt, create a wonderful spice and sauce. Doi trees can also provide precious wood.

As doi trees are being depleted in the northwest mountainous area, people rush to look for other supply sources. And they have found them in the forests in the Central Highlands.

As a result, the watershed forest in Dak Lak province is in danger.

Doi trees are located in the deep jungle, and one needs to travel tens of kilometers to reach there. However, local men have been flocking to Chu Yang Sin National Park, where they fell ancient trees with motor saws, just to get seeds.
 

Within a small area, three trees, about 30 meters high, were seen lying on the ground with the branches and leaves still green. The adjacent area, covering hundreds of square meters, has become a bare hill as the trees all have been cleared.

Hoang Thanh Cung, a H’mong ethnic minority man, said he did not know the size of the devastated forestland area, but said “you still see the felled doi trees even if you continue walking towards Krong K’Mar town for two days”.

Cung said many trees were felled by mistake, because they should have not be chopped down. “Experienced people just need to look at the canopy and the fallen seeds on the ground to decide whether to chop down trees. Meanwhile, inexperienced people try to cut down all the trees they see,” Cung explained.

“In fact, the seeds of the trees cannot be used because they are too old,” he said.

When asked why people did not take away doi trees after they cut them down, Cung said that people just looked for doi seeds.

The local residents in Krong Bong district all said that Chu Yang Sin National Park is in danger.

Phong, who regularly goes to the national park to look for forestry products, said many forest areas have become deserted because all the trees have been chopped down.

Meanwhile, Vang Thi Do, a woman in Cu Dram commune, said hundreds of people rushed to Chu Yang Sin over the last two months to look for doi seeds.

“In order to earn VND50 million from doi seeds, people had to fell dozens of ancient doi trees,” she said.