Close up: Northern Xinjiang Forest Farm Talk about Forest Protection in the Three North | Project | Forest Farm Talk

The Hetao Plain in June is full of vitality and vigor. Entering the state-owned Xinhua Forest Farm in Linhe District, Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, one can see lush trees and swaying branches and leaves. The village and farmland seem to rest in a lush cradle.

The towering poplar trees cast shade on the sandy land, and the knee high purple locust trees hung with wind chime like flowers. Forestry workers led reporters into the depths of this forest in northern Xinjiang and talked about the process of sand control and afforestation in the forest farm.

This is a scene taken on June 5th at the state-owned Xinhua Forest Farm in Linhe District. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Zhipeng

This forest farm is located in the hinterland of the Hetao Plain. The Hetao Plain is an important grain and oil production base in China, but farmland was once plagued by problems such as salinization and desertification. "In the 1970s and 1980s, yellow sand flew all over the sky in the spring and autumn seasons. The seedlings of the crops planted had just grown one span high, and when the sandstorm came, they were all buried. The crops needed to be planted three or four times to survive," recalled Du Wenhua, the director of Xinhua Forest Farm.

"In order to protect farmland and increase grain production, we must control desertification and reforestation." Xinhua Forest Farm was established in 1960. In 1978, it took desertification prevention and control as its main direction. It has successively carried out ecological projects such as the "Three North" shelter forest system project and the control of Beijing Tianjin sandstorm sources, with a cumulative afforestation area of 39000 mu. At present, the forest coverage in the forest farm has increased to 65%.

Touching a poplar tree that was over 20 meters tall, Du Wenhua said, "This tree was planted in 1978, which was the year when the 'Three North' project began. For decades, through the efforts of three generations of forest farm workers, this lush forest has emerged."

On June 5th, workers at the state-owned Xinhua Forest Farm in Linhe District were managing and protecting trees. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Zhipeng

In the year of its establishment, Li Guihe became the first generation employee of the forest farm. In the 1960s and 1970s, tree planting relied entirely on human labor. Li Guihe and his colleagues were like tireless old scalpers, bending over in the sand day and night to dig pits, plant trees, and water. At that time, he developed a back pain problem. Forestry workers describe that "planting a tree requires knocking three heads". Due to harsh conditions and low survival rates, people are eager for young seedlings to grow into small trees in the sand as soon as possible.

Li Changqing, the son of Li Guihe, came to the forest farm in 1986, took over the shovel and bucket from his father, and continued to plant trees. "The spirit of the older generation of forestry workers who bravely shoulder their missions and are not afraid of hardships has always inspired me. Everyone knows the hardships of afforestation, but in order to prevent our children and grandchildren from suffering from the environment, we must persist in afforestation work."

With the integration of modern technology into afforestation work, the efficiency and quality of afforestation have been greatly improved. Li Changqing said that when my father dug a 60 centimeter deep tree pit, it took at least ten minutes. We could dig a tree pit in 20 seconds with a pit digger. The Beidou satellite navigation system is also involved in afforestation work, providing reference for forest resource planning and design, and conducting navigation positioning during forest fire monitoring.

Throughout the year, holding saplings and fighting against sandstorms, forestry workers have developed a set of afforestation methods that are in line with local conditions. Around the tall poplar trees, there are small sandbags over one meter high, with shrubs growing on them. Ge Wenbin, Deputy Director of Xinhua Forest Farm, pointed to these small sandbags and said, "There is a lot of wind in the northwest of this place. We have planted tree species between the sand dunes at the lower wind, and the small trees are like water gates blocking the flowing sand. As the sand accumulates more and more, the low-lying areas between the sand dunes become mounds, achieving sand edge control.".

"Previously, the survival rate of afforestation was less than 50%, and some people questioned that planting trees was a waste of effort. However, we believe that since there are trees that can live, it means that this land can be planted with trees, but we have not yet found a scientific method." Du Wenhua said, "Through continuous attempts, we have finally found a set of methods that are tailored to local conditions, emphasizing the height, thickness, and combination of trees and shrubs, and the survival rate is also constantly improving."

On June 5th, forest rangers from the state-owned Xinhua Forest Farm in Linhe District boarded the watchtower to prepare for patrol work. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Zhipeng

As he was speaking, there was a rustling sound coming from the bushes. Du Wenhua smiled and said, "Perhaps the rabbits have come out for a walk." With the increase in forest coverage, the ecological environment in the area where Xinhua Forest Farm is located has significantly improved, with 84 species of wild animals such as foxes and spotted doves, 36 species of wild plants, and more than 10 species of fish settling down in the forest farm.

Clusters of white flowers dance in the wind in the sand, soft and resilient. "This is the traditional Chinese medicine ingredient Kudouzi. Farmers often say, 'Kudouzi grows in a place where you can cultivate crops.' The soil environment in this area has been improved and is no longer barren sand. 'Looking at the Kudouzi in front of us, Du Wenhua remembered the future of the forest farm.' The forest farm is planning to develop the economy under the forest, where you can plant Cistanche deserticola and goji berries, as well as raise cows and fertilize trees with cow manure. '"

Xinhua Forest Farm is a vivid portrayal of desertification control and afforestation in northern Xinjiang, China. Wang Zhaosheng, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said that there are a total of 292 state-owned forest farms like this in Inner Mongolia. From 1978 to 2020, the whole region has completed 119 million mu of construction tasks of the "Three North" shelter forest system project, accounting for 25.1% of the country.

"We forestry professionals will continue to work tirelessly and persistently to build the Green Great Wall and ecological security barrier in northern Xinjiang into a fully functional and unbreakable structure," said Du Wenhua firmly.