Planting 1 billion new trees with the whole country

Nearly 3 years ago, on April 1, 2021, the Prime Minister signed and approved the project to implement the Program of planting 1 billion trees "For a green Vietnam" nationwide in the period of 2021-2025. Contributing to the whole country, up to now, Ninh Binh province has planted nearly 3.2/5.5 million trees as planned, ensuring the set progress.

Trees are considered the lungs of the earth. In addition to providing an abundant source of oxygen to the atmosphere to sustain life, trees also improve the climate, regulate air flows; block and filter solar radiation, reduce the greenhouse effect, disperse heat sources, limit noise, block wind and dust, especially in urban areas. In addition, trees also retain soil and air moisture, regulate groundwater levels, prevent erosion and soil leaching, thereby contributing to minimizing natural disasters and floods. In addition, trees also play an important role in landscape architecture.

However, the process of industrialization, urbanization, and the construction of more and more industrial parks and concentrated urban areas in Vietnam has caused natural elements to gradually disappear, creating many sources of pollution.

In recent years, climate change and natural disasters have been occurring in a complex manner with extreme and unusual weather factors that have widely affected all aspects of socio -economic life, the environment and ecosystems, threatening the sustainable development of the country. Therefore, promoting the development of protective forests and planting more trees is an effective solution, an important action to ensure the sustainable development of the country's socio-economy and environment.

On April 1, 2021, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 524 approving the "Project to plant 1 billion trees in the period of 2021-2025". Accordingly, the Government sets a target that from 2021 to the end of 2025, the whole country will plant at least 1 billion trees, of which 690 million trees will be scattered in urban and rural areas; 310 million trees will be planted in protective and special-use forests and new production forests to contribute to protecting the ecological environment, improving the landscape and responding to climate change, developing the socio-economy, and improving the quality of people's lives.

To achieve this goal with the whole country, while contributing to beautifying the landscape and promoting the potential of eco-tourism, the People's Committee of Ninh Binh province has issued Plan No. 70/KH-UBND on tree planting in the province for the period 2021-2025. Accordingly, the goal is to plant 5.5 million new trees and 200 hectares of forest. By 2025, the urban green area will be higher than the national average and reach 5.5 m2/person.

Teachers and students of Me Town Secondary School (Gia Vien) participate in planting trees in early spring. Photo: Minh Duong

Mr. Nguyen Van Duong, Head of the Provincial Forest Protection Department, said: In order to complete the proposed plan, in the past time, our professional unit has closely coordinated with localities and related units to organize a review of the current status of forestry land funds in the area, on that basis, develop a plan for tree planting and afforestation to ensure it is closest to reality and most feasible. At the same time, strengthen the guidance, urging, inspection and supervision of organizations and individuals in surveying, designing and selecting valuable trees suitable for the ecological conditions of each region. It is worth mentioning that in the past time, Ninh Binh has done a very good job of socializing tree planting. Through the launching of the Tet tree planting campaign at the beginning of the year, we have mobilized and encouraged a large number of cadres, party members and people in the area to actively participate in tree planting. Many agencies, units, businesses, and residential areas proactively buy trees and organize tree planting and afforestation to ensure practicality, savings, and efficiency.

Currently, the province has also developed a list of plant species classified by function and planting location so that organizations and individuals can choose suitable plants. As a result, from 2021 to the end of 2023, the whole province has mobilized more than 106,722 million VND to plant trees. Of which, the provincial budget is 7,017 million VND (accounting for 6.6%), district and city budgets: 4,374 million VND (accounting for 4.1%) and other legal sources are 95,331 million VND (accounting for 89.3%). Nearly 3,172,500 new trees were planted. The most are in the districts: Nho Quan with nearly 821 thousand trees, Gia Vien with 600 thousand trees, Tam Diep city with 668 thousand trees.

In particular, in early 2023, with funding from the Korean Government (through the Korean Forestry Service KFS), Ninh Binh launched a program to plant new and supplementary planting to restore 260 hectares of mangrove forests in the coastal area of Kim Son district. Thereby, helping to increase the protection capacity of sea dykes, effectively respond to climate change and rising sea levels, mitigate natural disasters, conserve biodiversity, create jobs, and increase income for people in coastal areas.

The remaining task from now until 2025 is to continue planting 2,375,000 more trees. In the immediate future, implementing the "Tet tree planting to forever remember Uncle Ho" on the occasion of the Spring of Giap Thin 2024, 8/8 districts and cities across the province will launch the Tet tree planting campaign, with the goal of planting 90,985 trees of all kinds. Mainly mango, yellow anise, ban, sau, bang lang, do xanh, acacia, kim giao, xanthium, camphor... to gradually move towards the goal of planting 5.5 million trees.

Because of the practical and great significance of the 1 billion trees project, from now on, every citizen should join hands to have a green, healthy living environment today and tomorrow. Each person does a small job, each person contributes to planting trees, we believe we will achieve the expected results.

Nguyen Luu

Source