Let the forests be greener.

Traveling to the remote border regions, under the scorching summer sun, we truly appreciated the value of the lush green forests. To revitalize the barren, rocky hillsides that had been neglected for years, many localities in the mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa province have been implementing various solutions to restore the greenery of these forests.

Trung Ly Border Guard Station (Muong Lat) is guiding local people on methods of planting, caring for, and protecting forests.

More than 10 years ago, anyone who visited Muong Lat would surely still remember the image of barren hillsides covered in rocks and pebbles. Hills overgrown with tall grass and reeds, a single spark could easily incinerate a vast area. During the hot season, forest rangers, local authorities, and residents struggled to prevent and control forest fires. But today, those once barren hills are covered in lush greenery. The green forests provide water for the fields, protecting rice, crops, and fruit trees from drought. The people living on the hillsides are therefore somewhat reassured, no longer worrying about landslides and mudslides.

More than ten years ago, 4 hectares of barren, overgrown hills were reclaimed and restored by Mr. Ha Van La's family in Ward 4, Muong Lat town, to plant perennial timber trees such as mahogany, teak, and tung trees. Under the forest canopy, they also raise livestock and poultry. Mr. La said: "When my family started reclaiming land on the hills to develop our economy , many people in the village didn't believe in the success of a farm model on barren land. But the family members always encouraged each other to persevere, putting in the effort to care for the crops and livestock... The land did not disappoint us. Today, the family's teak and mahogany forests are thriving, covered in a refreshing green, with tree trunks large enough for a person to embrace. Under the forest canopy, my family raises 40 buffaloes and cows and hundreds of poultry, bringing in an income of 350 to 400 million VND per year."

Comrade Ngan Trong Hiep, Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Lat town, said: Recognizing the important role of forests in socio-economic development, the locality has focused on effectively managing, protecting, and developing forests in recent years. Every year, the town coordinates with local forest rangers to develop plans and implement forest fire prevention and control (FFPC) work, patrol and control forest products, and strengthen the Forest Protection and FPC teams in villages and neighborhoods. In addition, the town also promotes the dissemination of laws on forest protection and development, payment for forest environmental services, and support policies for forest economic development... These solutions have contributed to raising the awareness and responsibility of the people in forest protection and development... In the two years (2023-2024), Muong Lat town planted nearly 87 hectares of new forest, including tree species such as Terminalia catappa, teak, and bamboo. In addition, the locality has fenced off and protected 1,674 hectares of forest...

Comrade Tran Van Thang, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Muong Lat District, said: "Forest planting is one of the important tasks in the process of leading the socio-economic development of the locality. Therefore, in the past time, the district has directed specialized departments, units, and localities to urgently implement the new forest planting plan. In 2024 alone, the district plans to plant 400 hectares of forest, including 295 hectares of production forest and 105 hectares of protection forest. To date, the entire district has planted nearly 300 hectares of production forest and nearly 100 hectares of protection forest; striving to complete the 2024 forest planting plan by October 2024."

In the border district of Quan Son, along with solutions for reforestation and forest development linked to support policies and the allocation of forest land to people for cultivation of trees such as bamboo, acacia, etc., the forest rangers have effectively carried out propaganda and mobilization work to raise people's responsibility in managing, protecting, and developing forests. The forest rangers also advise the Party Committee and People's Committee of communes and towns to review key areas regarding forest security; build and implement forest protection and fire prevention plans according to the "four on-the-spot" principle; coordinate with localities to perform the function of State management of forests and forest land; organize households to sign commitments to protect forests and prevent forest fires; strengthen inspection, control, and strictly handle those who violate forestry laws... According to our findings, Quan Son district has 85,918.94 hectares of forest and forest land. Of this, the area of ​​natural forest is 71,099.50 hectares, planted forest that has become forest is 11,596.49 hectares, and planted forest that has not yet become forest is 3,222.95 hectares...

Discussing forest protection and development, Mr. Nguyen Van Sinh, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Quan Son district, said: In recent times, the Party committees and authorities in the district have intensified propaganda efforts to raise awareness among all segments of the population about the importance of forests to social life; along with mobilizing all resources to participate in forest management, protection, and development. The district has also developed programs, plans, and strategies for sustainable forest protection and development linked to forest product processing... Thanks to these solutions, the forest cover rate of Quan Son district has reached over 89%, the highest in Thanh Hoa province.

According to statistics, from 2017 to the present, localities in our province have planted 64,723 hectares of concentrated forest and more than 19 million scattered trees of various types. Annually, localities have also planted 3,500 hectares of large timber forests and converted over 700 hectares of small timber plantations to large timber production. Along with this, emphasis has been placed on the efficient exploitation and use of planted forests, linked with forest protection efforts... To date, the province's forest cover rate has reached nearly 54%; forest fires have decreased year by year; there have been no hotspots or prominent incidents of deforestation, illegal logging, or illegal transportation and trading of forest products; natural forests are strictly protected, and forest security is maintained... contributing to the greening of the forests.

Text and photos: Xuan Minh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/cho-nhung-canh-rung-them-xanh-224015.htm