Pioneers in samu forest regeneration in Na Ngoi
In the middle of the high mountains covered in clouds all year round in Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son district, Old Man Phai Chia has spent more than half of his life quietly protecting the forest, planting trees, reviving the green color on the mountain slopes, silently regenerating the precious samu forest of his homeland.
At the age of 60, Mr. Chia still diligently goes to the fields and into the forest every day to take care of each samu tree. He said that since he was a child, he saw the samu forest covering the mountain slopes around the village. The tree trunks were tall and towering, and the fallen leaves spread like carpets underfoot. But then hunger and poverty forced people to cut down the forest to get wood to build houses and sell it to earn money for food and clothing. Samu gradually became scarce...
Around the early 2000s, when people were still struggling to make ends meet, Mr. Chia quietly began a journey to find and breed samu to regenerate the forests.
Every day, he went into the forest to pick up the remaining saplings and carried them back to plant around the house. He collected the dried fruits, separated the seeds and planted them, working and learning at the same time, failing and then trying again. There were years when the rain and wind killed all the trees, but he was not discouraged. Sometimes there was not enough rice for the family to eat, but he was determined not to sell a single samu tree. To him, samu was not only a precious wood, but also a part of the soul of the Mong people - something that could not be traded.
After twenty years of perseverance, he has built a forest with more than 1,000 samu trees, some of which are as big as an arm's embrace, with wide-spreading canopies, some of which are only as tall as a person's head, and some of which have just been planted from the soil...
“Samu wood is very rare. It is very durable, can be exposed to rain and sun or buried underground for decades without termites. In particular, samu wood has a distinctive aroma and repels insects, so it is very popular. Samu wood with a diameter of 30 cm can be exploited, but I have no intention of selling it,” said Mr. Chia.
Not only does he preserve the precious forest, Mr. Gia Phai Chia also knows how to live with the forest and make a sustainable economic profit from it. On an area of more than 10 hectares around his house, he grows bamboo shoots, bitter bamboo shoots – native plants suitable for sloping land, cold climate and especially providing a stable income.
Thanks to the bamboo forest, each year he earns several tens of millions of dong from selling bamboo shoots and bamboo, enough to cover his living expenses and send his children to school without having to cut down natural forests.
“Bamboo shoot and bamboo forests are not only a source of livelihood but also help us avoid cutting down precious trees like samu. Selling bamboo shoots and bamboo trees each year is enough to cover expenses and send our children to school.” Thanks to his way of doing things, many villagers have changed their way of thinking. From being used to burning forests to make fields and cutting down trees for timber, they now learn from him to plant trees, protect the forests, and exploit the forests in a planned manner. Green is returning to the once barren hillsides.
Mr. Chia said that working in the forest is a lifelong task and cannot be rushed. One must be patient, believe in the trees and the land. “I am old, I only hope to see the samu forest become thicker and thicker, and the villagers learn to appreciate the forest and live from it. That is what I hope for most,” he said, his eyes shining with satisfaction.
The story of Old Man Phai Chia is not just about planting trees and protecting the forest. It is a journey to preserve a part of the cultural memory and identity of the Mong people on the top of Na Ngoi mountain.
Major Gia Ba Na - Head of the Mass Mobilization Team, Na Ngoi Border Guard Station (Nghe An Border Guard) said: "Mr. Chia's quiet but persistent work shows the sustainable way for people to protect the forest is to protect themselves, make an economy from the forest, is the most fundamental and long-term way to get rich. People like Gia Chia are typical examples for the villagers to look at and follow."
Amidst the turmoil in the highlands, Mr. Chia remains silent. He only hopes that in the future, his descendants will still see the samu tree, will still appreciate the forest trees, and will know how to protect the forest, and that will be enough to make him happy...