The Inception Workshop of the Sub-project "Enhancing Wood Identification Capacity towards the Effective Establishment and Operation of the Vietnam Wood Identification Center (V-WISC)"

On June 22, 2022, at the Sheraton Hotel, Hanoi, the Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences in collaboration with the United States Forest Service (USFS) organized the Inception Workshop of the Sub-project "Enhancing Wood Identification Capacity towards the Effective Establishment and Operation of the Vietnam Wood Identification Center (V-WISC)", aiming to introduce the objectives, contents, and discuss the implementation plan of the Sub-project.

More than 45 delegates attended the workshop, representing central and local agencies, research institutes, universities, associations, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and media agencies. Notably, the workshop welcomed representatives from the US Embassy in Vietnam and the US Forest Service.

The workshop featured presentations on the context, mission, and vision of the V-WISC program in Vietnam; the objectives, content, and activities of the V-WISC Sub-project; the current state of wood identification in Vietnam and the need for innovation. Particularly, the workshop introduced the global WISC program implemented by the US Forest Service, wherein Vietnam, along with Peru and Gabon, received wood identification mass spectrometry equipment, trained personnel in DART-TOFMS technology for wood identification, and expanded the ForeST©Database of reference wood samples. This is advanced wood identification technology from the US that provides highly accurate results with a very small wood sample in a short time.

It is expected that in July 2022, the wood identification mass spectrometry equipment sponsored by the US Forest Service will be installed at the laboratory of the Institute of Forest Industry Research, Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences. Furthermore, in August 2022, four staff members of the Institute will attend a training course in the US on using mass spectrometry equipment to effectively operate the mass spectrometry laboratory in Vietnam, as well as continue transferring mass spectrometry technology to other staff of the Institute and related partners. The work of reviewing and expanding the reference wood sample database for wood identification using mass spectrometry technology will continue to be implemented.

In conclusion, Prof. Dr. Võ Đại Hải highly appreciated the cooperation and support of the US Forest Service and the US Embassy in Vietnam in enhancing wood identification capacity towards the effective establishment and operation of the Vietnam Wood Identification Center. Prof. Hải believes that with the effective cooperation and support of the US Forest Service and the US Embassy in Vietnam, the V-WISC Sub-project will be successfully implemented, making a significant contribution to controlling the legal origin of wood domestically and in Vietnam's international trade.