Spring is the time for planting trees.

(Baonghean.vn) - In the Spring of the Year of the Rat (1960), amidst the country's protracted resistance war, President Ho Chi Minh still launched the Tree Planting Festival to preserve the country's greenery. Following his words, for 52 springs now, people all over the country, from young to old, from mountainous regions to lowlands, have enthusiastically participated in the Tree Planting Festival.

Through hard work and determination, Nghe An province has planted millions of trees over the years, contributing to beautifying the country. This Spring of the Year of the Dragon, the people of Nghe An continue to nurture green shoots on this land of storms and scorching sun, in response to the Tree Planting Festival, forever remembering President Ho Chi Minh.

At 9:00 AM on January 30, 2012 (the 8th day of the Lunar New Year), Nghia Dan district was still full of spring colors and the weather was cool, but thousands of people had already gathered at the district center to attend the launching ceremony of the "Tree Planting Festival in Eternal Gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh". Following the opening drumbeat of Comrade Phan Dinh Trac, Member of the Central Committee of the Party and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, thousands of people fanned out in all directions to plant trees. The Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committee and representatives from various departments and agencies directly planted commemorative trees along the road leading to the Nghia Dan district administrative center.

Tran Van Nam, a 10th-grade student from Nghia Dan 1-5 High School, is excitedly tending to the soil while planting trees: "This is the first Tree Planting Festival I've participated in, and it's very meaningful because when the trees grow tall, they will provide shade and beautify the central area of ​​the district." Teacher Luu Cong Linh, the principal of Nghia Dan 1-5 High School, is watering the trees and says: "This morning, the school mobilized over 1,500 students, dressed in their school uniforms, to participate in the Tree Planting Festival. After planting the trees, the students are tasked with watering them and building protective fences, then continuing to plant trees in the school grounds, striving to create a green, clean, and beautiful campus."

Mr. Nguyen Tien Ngoc, an officer from the Statistics Department of Nghia Dan District People's Committee, is gently lifting a sapling into the planting hole and carefully covering it with soil. He explains, "We have to lift it gently to protect the roots before planting it in the hole so that the tree can survive." According to Mr. Ngoc, each officer of the District People's Committee is assigned to plant one tree. To ensure the tree grows well, the staff in the department search for loose, fertile alluvial soil to fill the planting hole, providing sufficient nutrients for the tree.

Mr. Le Trung Tam, Head of the Agriculture Department of Nghia Dan District, said: The District People's Committee has selected high-quality shade tree species such as mahogany, oil palm, and black star. By 12 noon on January 30th, all departments and agencies of the district had planted 700 trees of various types, all carefully fenced off for protection. The planting locations and tree species are suitable for the ecological conditions, following a diversification approach, prioritizing shade trees.

Given that the district has just been separated and new infrastructure is being built, the provincial People's Committee's selection of Nghia Dan as the location for the "Tree Planting Ceremony in Eternal Gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh" is of great significance to the district. Planting many trees will make Nghia Dan's urban area green, clean, and beautiful, improve air quality, and provide impetus for the district to plant over 700 hectares of timber forests in 2012, concentrated in the communes of Nghia Yen, Nghia Loc, Nghia Lac, etc.

Following the launching ceremony, the District Education and Training Department will coordinate with communes and schools to plant trees in school grounds. The Nghia Dan District People's Committee has directed mining sites to focus on planting trees to reduce environmental pollution in residential areas... This year's tree-planting festival marks the beginning of a movement to plant over 12,000 scattered trees, produce over 30 million seedlings, and effectively implement the province's 2012 forest protection and development plan. After the launching ceremony, Nghe An province will begin planting approximately 5,000 hectares of raw material forests in the spring.

Van Truong