"Forest is treasure"

(Baonghean) - In Cua Rao village, Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong district, there is a rare regenerated clove forest protected by the people. The benefits from forest protection bring stable lives to the people.

Leading us to visit the regenerated forest area, Mr. Nguyen Huu Trung, the head of Cua Rao village, said: Before 1979, this area was covered with rare primeval clove forests. The old and young people here all called the clove trees "old", because the tree trunks were tall and rough, there were even trees so big that two people could not hug them. The "old" cloves were all "long-lived" at over several hundred years old. Then, this rare forest was cut down by people from all over the country, and in no time the hill was bare without a single tree. The hill was bare, so the water source for daily life and production was also lacking, making the lives of the Kinh and Thai people here even more difficult. Especially in the rainy season, landslides often occurred, threatening the lives of the people. Therefore, the villagers understood that forest protection was very important to their lives. So when the clove forests began to revive, all the people in the village were aware of each other and committed to protecting the forest. Kinh and Thai people in Cua Rao village preserve the forest as if it were a treasure...

People in Cua Rao village intercrop xoan dau trees in the clove forest.

In the village covenant, the convention of Cua Rao village states: It is strictly forbidden for people to go into the forest to cut wood to build houses, all villagers have the responsibility to protect the clove regeneration forest. This unwritten convention has been implemented by the villagers for many years and even the children herding buffaloes in the village are always conscious of protecting the forest...

Then, with the "assistance" of the State in supporting the people of Cua Rao village with over 30 million VND each year to "enclose and protect the regenerated forest", the clove forest is becoming greener and greener. The regenerated clove forest is over 32 hectares wide, the self-managed forest protection team has 11 members, each member living nearby is responsible for a forest area, assigning a management plan to each specific member. In which, weekly patrols are conducted to protect and prevent forest fires. Even the family members of the self-managed team members are aware of protection, if they go to work in the fields, see people entering the forest to collect firewood... they are responsible for reminding and reporting to the self-managed team. Among the forest protection members, a typical example is Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong who volunteered to be the "core" of the "mobile" patrol to protect the forest day and night.

Meeting Mr. Cuong when he was "on duty" in the clove forest; he said: "I have been assigned to protect the forest for 4 years now, now I know by heart every path in the forest, every tree in the forest, and know how fast it grows. The regenerated clove forest is 35 - 37 years old, many trees have a diameter of 80 - 100 cm, so it is inevitable that loggers will watch. From 2012 to now, we have discovered 4 cases of loggers bringing chainsaws into the clove forest to cut and steal. Thanks to timely information from the people, we have reported to the Tuong Duong forest rangers to coordinate to repel them. The small remuneration supported is sometimes not enough to cover the cost of gas, but we always keep in mind that we must protect the regenerated clove forest well to preserve the "green lung" to protect the living environment for our own people and in the future it will be a valuable asset...".

Following the members of the self-governing forest protection team, we “crossed” the clove forest. The deeper we went, the thicker the clove forest became, the tree trunks were towering, the branches and leaves were luxuriant, this season the purple orchids hanging on the clove tree trunks were so beautiful. Birds and trees were thriving. The people of Cua Rao village affirmed that since the clove forest was well protected, the ecological environment was guaranteed, the water source in the stream was stable, and the people had water for wet rice cultivation. In particular, for many years, the people did not have to worry about landslides, many tourists traveling on National Highway 7A stopped to take pictures and admire the regenerating forest.

Visiting the clove regeneration forest, we also learned that many people have done a good job of protecting the forest, eliminating poverty and getting rich under the canopy of this regenerated forest. Ms. Dinh Thi Hoa in Cua Rao II village - Xa Luong commune confided: “My family has 5 hectares of forestry land located in the clove regeneration forest area. We have taken advantage of the vacant land to make a comprehensive farm, intercropping short-term crops under the clove regeneration forest; built a barn to raise over 100 goats, over 1,000 chickens, 3 cows, each year earning from 200 - 250 million VND under the canopy of the clove forest. This forest has protected the villagers from harsh nature, so generations of children never cut it down to sell. We are determined to preserve it and consider it a treasure of the village”.

... I am so happy that the rare forests are preserved, happy that the people of Cua Rao village have considered the forest a treasure...

Van Truong