Forest keeper - Da Nang Online

To keep each deep green forest and prevent the attacks of bad guys, the rangers have to eat and sleep in the wild and poisonous forests, patrolling every corner and deep cave day and night. Sometimes their shoes wear out, their feet are tired, winter nights with mountain winds and pouring rain on their worn-out backs, but as long as the forest is peaceful and there is no sign of disturbance, they are happy beyond measure.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, a forest ranger at Hoa Vang Forest Ranger Department (right cover) and his colleagues survey the Hoa Bac forest area. Photo: TV

The forest is home

Nearly 40km from the city center, passing many winding roads, through layers of green forests, I arrived at Hoa Bac Commune Forest Protection Station (Nam Yen village, Hoa Bac commune) under Hoa Vang Forest Protection Department to meet Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh (56 years old), a forest ranger of Hoa Vang Forest Protection Department. Recalling the time he spent with the forest, Mr. Thanh looked into the distance and said that in 1989, after graduating from Tam Ky - Quang Nam Agricultural and Forestry School, he worked at the PAM project management board of Quang Nam - Da Nang province. It was not until 1997 that he returned to the forest ranger profession. Up to now, he has been with the forest for nearly 30 years, devoting all his youth and energy to bombarding many forests from Ba Na - Nui Chua Nature Reserve, Son Tra Nature Reserve, Nam Hai Van Special-Use Forest to Hoa Bac Forest...

Mr. Thanh said that he has been with the forest for almost his entire life, spending more time in the forest than at home, experiencing all the hardships and difficulties of the forest ranger profession, but he has never regretted choosing this profession. Because he thinks that the jobs that everyone is afraid of are difficult and hard, who will do them, who will protect the green color of the forest. Thanks to this job, he can contribute a little to protect the forest, do the work he loves, and watch the trees and animals rejoice every day, that is more than enough.

When I asked him why he chose to be a forest ranger despite knowing that he faced many dangers, Mr. Thanh confided: “My house is near the forest, so I developed a love for nature and trees from a young age. Besides, when I was still in school, I sometimes came into contact with the forest rangers, saw them in green uniforms coming to propagate forest protection, at that moment I nurtured the dream of becoming a forest ranger.

I chose this profession because I love the forest, love the green of nature and want to do my best to protect the green color of life. I remember, when I first entered the profession, during a sweep of illegal loggers, my colleagues and I encountered the subjects, they were very aggressive and determined to fight back. At that time, they threw countless large stones at us, injuring us. Fortunately, thanks to the combined efforts of our brothers, we were able to defeat the subjects. Therefore, in addition to expertise, this profession, forest rangers must have good health, endurance, courage and a heart of iron when encountering reckless subjects.

According to Mr. Thanh, his daily work starts from 7am to 5pm, outside of the prescribed working hours, if there is an incident, he must be present regardless of day or night. In addition, every month he and his colleagues patrol deep into the forest 4 times, each time from 2 to 3 days and 4 more times in the forest near the time of day. Not to mention, every time there is a hot event, the patrol and sweep lasts for a week, he and his teammates cross hundreds of kilometers of mountain passes, eat and sleep in the forest to work. Finishing his sentence, Mr. Thanh boasted that he had just completed a 2-day forest trip in Khe Ao sub-region (TK 27) and Khe Duong (TK 29), the Hoa Bac forest area bordering Hoa Ninh commune.

“On each trip to the deep forest, we had to bring dry food, rice, shrimp paste, fish sauce, salt, hammocks, mosquito nets, sleeping bags, tarpaulins and other necessary items. Each person had to carry about 20kg and then climb passes, wade streams, cross forests, and go uphill. When we were tired, we would rest and continue. After a while, we would split fish bones to check the surrounding area. In the evening, we stopped to set up tents by the stream. The scene in the forest at night was deserted and desolate, only the sound of insects could be heard. There was no electricity or phone signal. We were exhausted from walking all day, but at night we gathered around to tell each other funny stories of the day, so all our fatigue disappeared. Because we walked like that, we suffered from scratches on our hands and feet, bee stings, leeches, and snake bites, which happened all the time. If we were not careful, we could even slip and fall into a deep abyss and face death. The Hoa Bac forest has steep slopes and deep abysses, so going into the forest has many potential bad situations. But my brothers and I always reassure each other, and with experience, we gradually get used to it. At the same time, if we are not careful when sweeping, forest rangers can have occupational accidents at any time, especially on rainy days. The dry season is still bearable, but in the rainy season, patrolling the forest is extremely difficult, especially when encountering sudden heavy rains, underground streams will rise, floodwaters will flow rapidly, threatening the rangers when moving. At that time, we are forced to stay until the water recedes before leaving the forest. Or when fighting with illegal loggers, although we are fully trained and equipped with knowledge, sometimes the illegal loggers are too excited, putting the rangers in a dangerous situation. It is so hard, but after a few days away from the forest, I miss it so much that I can't eat or sleep well," Mr. Thanh expressed.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Toan, a forest ranger of the Son Tra - Ngu Hanh Son Inter-District Forest Ranger Department, patrols the forest in the Son Tra peninsula area. Photo: TV

According to the man who has been attached to the forest for more than 30 years, the forest ranger not only protects the forest on the spot but also has the important task of preventing and fighting forest fires, and being ready to put out fires when they occur. For example, entering the dry season and holidays is a time when forest fires are very likely to occur, so the staff must take turns on duty day and night to mobilize forest owners and forestry companies to implement measures to prevent and fight forest fires. He just hopes that everyone will be aware of protecting the forest as if protecting themselves, the forest is also a means to help people eliminate hunger, reduce poverty and improve their lives.

Mr. Thanh led me to a few sections of the forest in Hoa Bac commune, but after only about ten minutes, I was exhausted. That made me feel more grateful to the forest rangers who carried dozens of kilos of luggage on their shoulders, cutting through thorny bushes, crossing steep forests, not to mention facing many uncertainties, but they still devoted their whole lives in deep forests and deep waters to protect the green lungs. Saying goodbye to Mr. Thanh, looking up at each edge of the forest, I had indescribable emotions. I thought that the forest ranger profession was too arduous, their silent sacrifices were few people understood, and it was only with people like him that the forest could be kept intact over the years.

According to Mr. Ngo Truong Chinh, Head of the Son Tra - Ngu Hanh Son inter-district forest ranger department, the department currently has 9 forest rangers, managing nearly 2,520 hectares of natural forest. In recent years, forest rangers have received a lot of attention and support from all levels in terms of salary, benefits and investment in many necessary forest-going equipment. Although the forest area is large and the number of rangers is small, everyone puts aside their difficulties to contribute a little to the work of protecting Son Tra forest.

Pride in the profession

Leaving Hoa Bac forest, I went back more than 40km to the Son Tra Ngu Hanh Son District Forest Ranger Department to talk with Mr. Nguyen Duc Toan (56 years old). Like Mr. Thanh, Mr. Toan also rotated to all the forests in the city. He said that he had been in the profession for nearly 30 years, experiencing many ups and downs, hardships such as wearing a raincoat to sleep by the stream during the rainy season, forest thorns piercing his skin... but he was always proud of the profession of forest ranger. In fact, forest rangers in the city have less hardship than those in the mountainous areas and border provinces because people are aware of forest protection, but in general, being a forest ranger is a job that requires one to stay in the deep forest, facing many dangers that no one can predict.

The job has been repeated for the past 30 years, but he has never felt bored or had any intention of quitting. “Forestry work requires us to go to the forest to know which areas have signs of impact and which are in the safe zone. Every week, we will proactively patrol the forest all day 2 to 3 times. Early in the morning, we pack rice balls, water, and forest tools such as gloves, pliers to remove traps, and go down the mountain in the evening, covering nearly 10km of forest road back and forth. Many days when we have to travel far, we don’t have time to rest at noon, just have a quick meal and continue walking until the afternoon.

The terrain of Son Tra mountain is very steep and rocky, so we often fall and sprain our ankles. We joke that if we don't sprain our ankles, we're not forest rangers. Sometimes it takes a week for the injury to get better. Then there are some sections of rattan that block the path, and if we clear them, it can take a whole day. We have to swing on ropes at a height of about 30m to get down the mountain. Besides the hardships, my colleagues and I also have joy in the job, such as experiencing streams and trees, gaining more knowledge about the ecosystem and life experiences to make up for the disappointments of the job," Mr. Toan confided.

According to Mr. Toan, in Son Tra forest with 90km of forest road, anyone can enter the forest by sea or road, not just one person but many people, so it is very difficult for forest rangers to monitor. “In addition to going to the forest during the day, we also have to increase night patrols throughout the Son Tra peninsula area, we have to go when we receive a report from the hotline. Many days, criminals leave their motorbikes on the side of the road and sneak into the forest to set traps, if they leave early, my colleagues and I will return early, but if they stay overnight, we have to stay in the forest all night to capture the subject.

Therefore, whenever we encounter illegal forest intruders, we must stop them. If there is a violation, depending on the severity, we will impose administrative fines, confiscate the evidence, or transfer it to the authorities for serious handling. Despite being informed, for their own benefit, many people still deliberately enter the forest to hunt animals. They are very reckless and ready to fight back. Therefore, we tell ourselves not to be afraid. If we are afraid, we have failed in our profession,” Mr. Toan asserted.

As for Mr. Ngo Ngoc Tan (31 years old), a forest ranger of the Son Tra-Ngu Hanh Son inter-district forest ranger department, he said that his love for the forest has been in his blood since he was a child, so he tried to become a forest ranger to devote his efforts and intelligence to protecting the forest. Young people rarely choose this profession because of low income, strict working hours, and being on duty 24/7 regardless of holidays and Tet, but just protecting each tree branch to be safe and the animals to run freely in their space is an incomparable joy for him. "I believe that there are still many people who cannot stay with the profession, but for those who are determined to stick with it, no danger can make them afraid, no difficulty can make them falter," Mr. Tan affirmed.

Mr. Le Dinh Tham, Head of Hoa Vang Forest Protection Department, said that Hoa Vang district has 38,593 hectares of natural forest, 17,344 hectares of planted forest. This is the city's key forest area with many primeval forests rich in resources, rich and diverse flora and fauna ecosystems, but the forest area is scattered, bordering many provinces, close to cultivated land and agricultural production of the people. Therefore, the work of forest management and protection is very stressful for the forest rangers. The nature of the job requires facing many dangers, but the forest rangers always strive to complete their tasks well.

HUYNH TUONG VY

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