Primary forest in residential area

(QBĐT) - In Dong Thanh village, Nam Trach commune (Bo Trach), there is a primeval forest located in the middle of a residential area that has been protected and cared for by the people for decades. During the years of the resistance war against the US, the forest sheltered soldiers and state agencies, and now the forest provides underground water for people's daily life and production, and is a "green lung" that regulates the air...

Historical Mark

That primeval forest is called Loi Chua with a total area of 4.2 hectares managed by the People's Committee of Nam Trach Commune (Bo Trach). The special thing about this forest is that it is located in the middle of a residential area, about 10km from Dong Hoi City and about 5km from Hoan Lao Town (Bo Trach). In the forest, there are many precious trees, tens of meters high, with a root diameter of 0.5-1.5m, such as Huynh, Doi, Ngát, Cham, Phao Lai, Bai Lai, Tram... which are still protected intact.

It is called Loi Chua forest because in the past, there was a small pagoda in the forest, which was a place for cultural and spiritual activities and meetings of the villagers. According to the elders in Dong Thanh village, every month, on the full moon day, the first day of the lunar month or on holidays and Tet, the villagers go to the pagoda to burn incense and do things according to village customs.

Mr. Vo Cong Uy, 65 years old, who has been directly assigned to protect Loi Chua forest since 2012, said: “During the war against America, the pagoda was destroyed many times by American bombs. Each time it was destroyed, the people in the area contributed rice, food, and labor to rebuild the pagoda. To build the pagoda, people went to the forest to get ironwood or cut jackfruit trees from their gardens and brought them, not cutting down trees in the forest. On every holiday or Tet, the whole village gathered at the pagoda to wrap cakes to offer and then distribute them to the people in the village.”

Loi Chua forest has many large, valuable trees.

The people of Dong Thanh village believe that Loi Chua forest is a sacred forest, so no one goes there to cut down trees. Thanks to that, the forest has grown greener and greener, the trees grow tall, and many birds and animals come to live there. During the resistance war, Loi Chua forest became a shelter and hiding place for soldiers, villagers and administrative agencies, and a resting place for units on the way to the southern battlefield...

Mr. Uy recalled: “During the years of bombs and bullets, Loi Chua forest provided wood for soldiers to build tunnels and shelters to fight the enemy. But at that time, people only cut down trees that were close together, not all at once. Now, under the forest canopy, there are no traces of the pagoda anymore, but there are still many tunnels, artillery positions, and tank shelters that soldiers dug and built to fight the Americans.”

Determined to protect the forest

According to Mr. Uy, Loi Chua forest has been protected by the people for decades. In particular, when the demand for wood for houses and construction works of the people in Dong Thanh village increased, the forest was at risk of being encroached. To protect the forest, since 1970, the people in the village have pooled rice to hire forest rangers, and later converted the rice into money to hire forest rangers. The daily work of forest rangers like Mr. Uy is to go into the forest to check, remind people to limit bringing flammable materials into the forest, not to cut down trees, and not to hunt birds and animals in the forest. If there is any case of intentional violation, he reports it to the authorities for handling.

“In more than 10 years of forest protection, I have only encountered one case of forest destruction. That was in 2017, when a local resident secretly entered the forest to cut down a tree and used a buffalo to transport it out. After discovering it, I reported it to the local authorities, made a record and imposed an administrative fine. Since then, there have been no more cases of forest destruction,” said Mr. Vo Cong Uy.

“When summer comes, Loi Chua forest is bustling with many union members, youth and students from schools coming to visit and practice forestry, farming... Currently, the People's Committee of the commune has the idea of calling for investors to build Loi Chua forest into a park and eco-tourism area. To do that, every year the commune plants more Huynh, Doi, Vang Tam trees... to enrich the forest. In the coming time, the People's Committee of the commune will direct the Military Command of the commune to plant about 1 hectare of native trees around to expand the forest area", Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Trach commune Doan Ngoc Nhan added.

Mr. Bui Quang Tao, Deputy Head of Song Dinh Forest Ranger Station, in charge of Nam Trach Commune, said: “To protect Loi Chua forest, the station has advised the Commune People's Committee to develop a forest fire prevention and fighting plan, build a forest protection belt, establish a commune forest protection committee, and village forest protection teams; develop a coordination regulation between the Forest Ranger force, Commune Police, and Commune Military Command in patrolling, controlling forests, and preventing and fighting forest fires. Thanks to that, the forest here is well protected, and in recent years there have been no forest fires, deforestation, or illegal encroachment of forest land.”

Thanks to the good protection of Loi Chua forest, the forest brings practical benefits to the people. Currently, the entire Dong Thanh village has 197 households using well water. It is worth mentioning that the well water is clear all year round and never runs out. The forest has also provided underground water to irrigate 4 hectares of rice fields of the villagers in the village.

Mr. Vo Tuan Chung, a resident living near the forest, shared: “Although my house is right next to the forest, I have never entered the forest to cut down trees, collect firewood or hunt animals. Thanks to that, the forest has grown better and better, preserving underground water sources and agricultural production for generations.”

Walking around under the canopy of Loi Chua forest, looking at the tall, straight Huynh trees, listening to the birds singing, one can see the value and meaning of the forest. Vice Chairman of Nam Trach Commune People's Committee Doan Ngoc Nhan confided: "People in the commune always consider Loi Chua forest as a "treasure", the "green lung" of the village, a green wall that blocks the cold wind in winter, and cools the hot summers. That is why for generations, not only the people of Dong Thanh village but also the people of Nam Trach commune have been determined to protect the forest"...

Spring King

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