"Forest"...
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Walking through the vast ancient chestnut forest, each autumn sunbeam pours honey dancing through the gaps between the leaves, bees diligently suck nectar from chestnut flower clusters, squirrels nimbly hop from branch to branch... In the air, the scent of chestnut flowers at the end of the season is as sweet as the scent of a mountain girl's skin. The chestnut forest in autumn, full of fruit, bestows "grace" on the mountainous region of Chi Linh ( Hai Duong ). The fairy tale scene suddenly returns to reality when Mr. Thang - Head of the Chi Linh Forest Protection Department, raises his voice: "Everyone, be careful, avoid stepping on the "forest's blessings"!" Forest blessings - according to him - are ripe chestnuts that fall like a carpet.
1. During a field trip, I accidentally learned that Chi Linh city (Hai Duong) has a chestnut forest of over 1,000 hectares, including ancient trees hundreds of years old. The chestnut forest is told by the locals like a fairy tale, that it was once destroyed and then revived by human hands. The chestnut trees have a strong vitality, a strange ability to grow, and repay people during the harvest season... The story attracted my curiosity, making me repeat it many times when saying goodbye to the Forest Rangers here: "Remember the chestnut harvest season, call me up to enjoy some "blessings" of the forest!" Head of the forest Thang - a person with decades of experience in the great forest, smiled gently like the breath of the forest, he answered me in a handshake: "Journalist, don't worry, remember in early August (lunar calendar) to come up here to pick chestnuts, eat grilled hill chicken, enjoy honey and enjoy the scent of chestnut flowers!"
2. As promised, near the middle of the 8th lunar month, Mr. Thang called to remind: "Uncle arrange the work here, the chestnut season is starting!" The next day, we "immediately" set off straight to Ben Tam ward, the headquarters of the Forest Protection Department of Chi Linh city. Upon arrival, 3 forest rangers of the Department were waiting to "escort" us to the chestnut forest on a picturesque winding road with a lush green forest on one side and a vast lake of cool, sweet water on the other.
Mr. Thang walked and talked, his radiant face could not hide the joy of someone who considers the forest as his own flesh: "The chestnut ripening season lasts more than a month, which is also the time when the forest becomes more vibrant because of human presence."
Because in the Chi Linh chestnut forest area of more than 1,000 hectares, many families are assigned to take care of it, some families are assigned to take care of dozens of hectares, on normal days there are only a few people looking after it, but when the chestnuts fall, it is crowded and bustling. Both the people who collect the nuts and the tourists meet unexpectedly. Most families just let tourists and locals freely collect nuts in the area they are assigned to take care of. That comfort raises people's awareness of protecting the forest. When picking up chestnuts, people also do not forget to collect dry branches and leaves to prevent forest fires.
3. Chi Linh chestnut forest has 2 types: Pure and mixed, located in 5 communes and wards: Bac An, Hoang Hoa Tham, Hoang Tien, Le Loi and Ben Tam. Under the canopy of the chestnut forest in Ho Dinh Dam area in Hoang Hoa Tham commune, the most beautiful and largest pure chestnut area in Chi Linh, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Ben Tam ward, owner of 8 hectares of chestnut forest led us through the forest with rough chestnut trees, clearly showing the traces of time, some trees with hollow trunks but still reaching high to catch the sun. The forest is wide, with only chestnut trees spreading their lush canopy, with green leaves that overwhelm the view. Every time a gust of wind blows, ripe chestnuts fall one after another, everyone bends down to pick them up and peel them to enjoy the rich, fatty flavor.
Recalling the past, Mr. Phuong felt as if he had made a mistake. He said that more than twenty years ago, every household tried their best to cut down chestnut trees for firewood to sell or switched to growing fruit trees such as lychee, custard apple, longan, etc. to nurture the hope of changing their lives. But life did not change, leaving behind a bare forest and nights of howling winds that sounded like miserable screams. Every year, chicken and pig farms died en masse from disease, as if responding to the deforestation. To make up for their mistakes (during the period 2002-2007), people devoted all their efforts and enthusiasm to reviving the chestnut forests that were on the verge of exhaustion.
From the remaining barren chestnut roots, life has sprouted and regenerated strongly, now green covers the forest land. Collective and individual forest contracting models do not need to be looked after because everyone is responsible for protecting it, the forest brings people a not small annual income. Diligent families, willing to pick from early morning until dusk, after the chestnut season, also earn several tens of millions, this source of income for "purely agricultural" workers is indeed not small.
4. Starting from the middle of the 8th lunar month, every day hundreds of people come here to collect the forest's blessings. Everyone carries baskets and bags, following the trails deep into the forest. When talking about the forest, people often think of thorns, needing the strong hands and strong physique of men, but going into the forest to collect chestnuts only requires the soft, meticulous hands and patience and gentleness of women to separate the thorny chestnuts to get the seeds. That is also the reason why the entire vast chestnut forest is filled with the pure voices and laughter of the mountain girls.
While nimbly picking up chestnuts, her smile as bright as the autumn sun, Kieu Thi Huong gave me some small, plump chestnuts and told me I could peel them and enjoy them right away.
Chi Linh chestnuts are small but powerful, small but “small as peppercorns”, it feels like no chestnut anywhere has the gentle aroma, rich and rich flavor like here. Because the nuts are small, picking them takes longer, a good picker can get five or seven kilos a day, earning a few hundred thousand. But people come here not only to make a living but also because of their love for the forest, to find relaxation, to enjoy the “blessings” the forest gives.
I suddenly realized the uniqueness of the Chi Linh chestnut forest is that the fruit season and the flower season overlap, not interrupted like other trees. When people were still busy picking the last batch of chestnuts in the early winter weather, the trees were already blooming again. Perhaps because of experiencing enough sun, rain, wind, and storms, the chestnuts have such a unique, rich and fatty flavor.
5. As a native of Hai Duong, I was really happy when the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Hoa Tham commune told me that the income of the people of 8 ethnic groups (Kinh, San Diu, Cao Lan, Hoa, Tay, Mong, Thai) living in the commune all depend on the forest, especially chestnut forests. The whole commune strives to have the rate of poor and near-poor households below 1% by 2025. According to the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Hoa Tham commune, chestnut forests not only bring economic benefits to the people but also raise chickens under chestnut trees more conveniently and effectively.
The famous Chi Linh hill chicken brand was also built under the shade of the chestnut trees. Under the canopy of the chestnut forest, the hill chickens have firm, delicious meat. Beekeepers are also excited because chestnut flowers attract bees and produce richer honey.
Saying goodbye to the chestnut forest and the Forest Ranger officers, we still felt regretful. I thought, just picking up chestnuts is so meaningful, it brings people closer together. It not only brings joy and extra income but also multiplies the love for the forest and trees. Only then, protecting the forest will come from the heart and love, not from a burden or responsibility.
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