Editor's note:
On June 6, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of key ecological projects such as the "Three Norths" in Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and delivered an important speech, issuing a mobilization order to fight the tough battle of the "Three Norths" project and strive to create a new miracle of desertification prevention and control in the new era.
As the main battlefield of the Yellow River's "bend" battle, Biguan County of our city has kept in mind the entrustment, stood up and took responsibility, unremittingly planted trees and improved the ecology, and achieved phased results in mountain control and greening, water culvert and sand fixation, and strived to write a new chapter in the construction of the "Three Norths" project.
Today, "Xinzhou Daily" published the article "Green Answer Sheet on the Yellow River" Bend, which was the backbone of the construction of the "Three Norths" project in Biguan County, and the full text is now compiled and distributed as follows for the benefit of readers.
A dry stone for 50 years, planted into a fragrant tree full of green mountains.
In summer, the Qingyang Ridge in Biguan County is full of greenery. Looking from the mountain, the mountain wind blows through the green ripples of the hillside, the sound of pine waves in the ears, and the surrounding mountains are covered by pine and pine sylvestris, and there are wild flowers that can't stand loneliness. A roe deer sheep galloped past, breaking the silence of the forest, startling the birds in the trees and flying away.
The reporter is at the highest altitude in this remote county, and a picture of the country and mountains is in full view.
However, it is hard to imagine that under the boundless green in front of me is a dry stone mountain that is difficult to grow; It's hard to believe how desolate and arid it was 50 years ago.
The afforestation and greening campaign to change the ecology of the partial pass was started from the area of Qingyangling and Nanbaozi, and soon swept the whole county, and triggered a green relay that lasted for 50 years, casting the spirit of "green soul" of "more real competition and no bitterness, real poverty and real hard work".
After 50 years of afforestation, the partial section of the "Three Norths" shelterbelt project has begun to take shape, and the barren mountains are covered with green, and the greening rate of 40% of the county has built a solid ecological protection barrier in the Yellow River Basin. Photo by Zhang Cunliang
On June 6, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected and presided over a symposium on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of key ecological projects such as the "Three Norths" in Bayannur, Inner Mongolia, and pointed out that it is necessary to make every effort to fight the tough battle of the "bend" of the Yellow River. As the main battlefield of this battle, Biguan County kept in mind the entrustment of the general secretary, focused on the "three greens" strategy, unremittingly planted afforestation, improved the ecology, and planted a high-quality development ecological background, and achieved phased results in mountain control, greening, water culvert and sand fixation, and completed the phased tasks of ecological protection and restoration in key national areas as scheduled. From 2022 to 2023, 98,300 mu of artificial afforestation, 60,000 mu of degraded forest restoration projects, and 22,500 mu of forest tending will be completed.
From less than 4% to 40%, the county's greening rate increased by 36 percentage points. "One term after another" has turned the land in Biguan County from yellow to green
The green dyes the mountains and rivers and everything is new, and "planting" this green adds a new look.
The tree-lined county town of Biguan County. Photo by Zhang Cunliang
On April 13, more than 600 cadres and volunteers from government agencies in the county were participating in voluntary tree planting. Wielding shovels and shovels, straightening seedlings, cultivating soil cofferdams, and carrying water for irrigation, the newly planted saplings stand upright in the wind, showing vitality.
"Cadres of county-level organs have taken the lead in voluntary tree planting in Biguan County for 50 years. Since 1974, successive county party committees and county governments have adhered to the belief of 'changing the secretary without changing the mind, changing the county magistrate without changing the proposition, working one term after another, and doing the work at the first level for the first level', and taking it as their own responsibility to turn the 'poor mountains and bad waters' into 'green mountains and clear waters', and insisting on carrying out afforestation and ecological construction. Up to now, the greening rate of the county has reached 40%, which has built an ecological barrier for the partial pass and paved the green background for the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. Yang Xiaohong, secretary of the Biguan County Party Committee, said.
According to the data, the history of afforestation in Biguan County can be traced back to 1942. At that time, the anti-Japanese government of Pianguan County made the decision of "planting a seedling tree and protecting a forest for each household", and mobilized the people of all villages along the Guan River to use the edge of the river to plant poplar willow trees. In 1955, Biguan County adopted the method of afforestation of 3 yuan per mu and 5 cents for planting a tree. In 1975, the county put forward the ecological governance goal of "thousands of ponds, billions of pits, and ten thousand acres of fields" and the idea of "building earth dams at the bottom of ditches and greening on slopes", eager to realize the dream of "green and yellow land, rich and partial people".
With the concept of "planting trees is planting history, humanities, and political achievements, and afforestation is creating ecology, green, and wealth", and driven by the voluntary tree planting of government cadres, the leading groups of the successive county party committees and county governments have carried out the national afforestation campaign, the afforestation professional team fighting, the household contract management of small watersheds, the World Bank project, the ecological afforestation project, the forest and grass ecological poverty alleviation project, and other projects to improve the ecological environment, and launched the people's campaign of "river and mountain greening" covering the whole county at the foot of the Great Wall, on the banks of the Yellow River, and in the Liangyuan Mountains.
"By the end of 1977, the greening rate of Biguan was less than 4%, and in the past 50 years, in order to do a good job in the overall campaign of afforestation and greening, the whole people of Biguan County have been mobilized. Every spring, rainy season and autumn, the cadres of the organs drive thousands of households to go to the mountains to plant trees, and successively plant trees in more than 10 places, such as Huotougou and Shidongwa in Xixi Village, Lougou Township, Nanshan in Chenjiaying Township, and Fenghuang Mountain in Laoying Township, with a total of more than 60,000 acres of afforestation. A retired cadre who has been engaged in forestry work for many years in Biguan County said.
"Now, we must grasp the green baton that has been passed on for 50 years, fully implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, focus on fighting the 'bends' of the Yellow River, rationally lay out green space, vigorously promote ecological construction, green the west gate of Shanxi, establish a new image of partial passes, and ensure that 'a clear water flows into the Yellow River'." Gao Yuelong, the magistrate of Biguan County, said.
Focusing on the "bend" of the Yellow River, Biguan County put forward the "12433" work goal. That is, to build a "barrier", on the basis of consolidating the original greening project, in accordance with the pattern of "integration of new and old projects, ecological corridors, beautiful villages, and scenic spots", build a solid ecological protection barrier for the Yellow River and the Great Wall; Create "two corridors", with the Yellow River and the Great Wall as the axis of the two No. 1 tourist highways, to create a multi-functional ecological corridor integrating ecological landscape, cultural and tourism integration, leisure and health care; Lighting the "four channels", focusing on the construction of ecological and cultural tourism demonstration zones, promoting the integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism industries, and lighting the four channels of the Yellow River No. 1, the Great Wall No. 1, National Highway 209 and Provincial Highway 249; Focus on the "three combinations", adhere to the combination of greening and income increase, green and efficiency increase, and green and landscape enhancement; To achieve the "three unifications", through the use of green to increase the landscape, with green to increase production, relying on green to increase income, to achieve the unity of social, economic and ecological benefits.
After 80 years of arduous exploration and 50 years of continuous relay, the barren mountains and bald mountains of Biguan County have been dyed with layers of green.
In the past, the Guan River, where the sediment rolled when it rained heavily, is now clear and clear. With that stubbornness, the people planted saplings all over the dry stone hillside, locked the water and soil, and restored the ecology
People who have lived in the county town for a long time still remember the great flood that occurred in 1979. "At that time, the water of the Guanhe River outside the south gate of the county soared, and the flood peak carried a large amount of sediment across the embankment, and rushed directly into the county, and many families were affected." Li Renhou, an old man who lives in the county seat, still has lingering palpitations when he mentions the disaster.
According to the measured data of the hydrological station, the maximum peak flood flow reached 2,140 cubic meters per second that year, and the sediment content was extremely high. As a county river and a first-class tributary of the Yellow River, the Guan River, which used to tumble with sediment when it encountered heavy rains, now rarely floods and the water flow is clear.
"At that time, there was a lack of vegetation cover on the mountain, and there was heavy rain and soil erosion. Now it is much better, although many of the saplings have not yet reached forest, but the effect of protecting the soil and reducing soil erosion is already obvious. Wang Yi, deputy director of the Forestry Bureau of Biguan County, pointed to the arborvitae that has not yet grown tall on the hill of Madaozui Village, Laoniuwan Town.
"Most of the area of Biguan County is a dry stone mountainous area, and the mountains are full of stones, and if you want to plant trees, you can only dig pits on the stones." Gao Zhanhu, head of the county's Zhanhu Afforestation Cooperative, who is leading workers to plant trees on the mountain, said, "If you use cannons and electric drills to drill tree pits, you can make 20 or 30 tree pits a day, and then collect the thin soil around the tree pits into the pits. The same goes for water, where there are conditions, pull the root pipe for watering, and if there are no conditions, you can only rely on people to carry water. Gao Zhanhu, 60, has been involved in reforestation since he was in junior high school.
"Now the roads are clear, and there are all kinds of vehicles and equipment to help. When the large-scale afforestation began, the conditions were much more difficult than they are now. The road is not good, the seedlings have to be carried by mules, and they walk almost 10 miles a day to do only one thing, which is to plant trees. The mountain is often windy and sandy, and there is no daylight, and many people are tired and crying, but after crying for a while, they continue to do it. Gao Zhanhu wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled.
Madaozui Village, where workers planted trees, belongs to the Yangjiachuan River Basin, a first-class tributary of the Yellow River, and is the main battlefield of the "Three Norths" project of the Yellow River. Relying on the Yellow River Basin Land Greening Pilot Demonstration Project, the governance project started this spring. Gao Zhanhu set off at six o'clock in the morning every day, did not return home until seven or eight o'clock in the evening, ate some dry food and drank some water at noon, and spent the whole day in the mountains.
The greening of Pianguan County is not only plagued by dry stone mountains, but also threatened by desertified land. Caoduoshan Village, Laoniuwan Town, is a key area of desertified land in Shanxi Province, and it is also the main protection area of desertified land in Biguan County and one of the eastward passages for sand and dust. In order to prevent further desertification of land, Biguan County has accelerated the comprehensive management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and sands, and coordinated the work of sand reduction and control, sand prevention and control, ecological restoration, soil and water conservation, and pollution prevention and control.
Greening project in Biguan County. Photo courtesy of Biguan County Rong Media Center
They have implemented a comprehensive management project of desertified land in Caoduo Mountain, which improves the self-restoration ability of woodland, enhances ecological functions and improves the ecological environment through the restoration of native shrubs, the planting of tree species, and the adjustment of forest stand structure. At present, the desertified land has been converted from the original semi-mobile and semi-fixed state to a fixed state.
Windy weather has decreased, and sandstorms have almost disappeared. The spread of green builds a strong ecological barrier, resists the wind and sand, and improves the environment
When the reporter was interviewing in Tianyiwan Village, Tianfengping Town, it was raining, and the dense raindrops kept falling into the nearby side Berlin. This ungrown forest was planted in 2022 and is just over 1 meter tall. "If this rain falls on the burned forest area, it can increase the amount of rain by at least 50%, and the trees there have already become forests, forming a forest microclimate." Wang Yi looked at the saplings in front of him and looked forward to what he would look like after becoming a forest.
Greening project in Biguan County. Photo courtesy of Biguan County Rong Media Center
The burned depression forest area is in the southeast of Biguan County, with a total area of 86,000 mu, which is an artificial forest area that began to be planted in the early 70s of the 20th century. After 50 years of unremitting efforts to carry out the construction of ecological projects focusing on afforestation, three shelter forest belts with a total length of 110 kilometers have been formed in Biguan County, including the Great Wall, the Yellow River and the Guanhe River, and a number of shelter forests of more than 10,000 mu have been formed, such as Haizilou, Damiaoshan, Huozhuowa, Baiyangling, Chenjiaying, Mingdeng Mountain and Zhuerwa.
"These forest areas will increase the forest coverage rate to 8.88%, and there will be more undeveloped forests in the future, and the forest coverage rate will be greatly increased." Wang Yi is full of confidence in the land greening work in Biguan County.
Patches of green spread out, resisting the wind and sand, reducing the windy weather, the sandstorms are almost gone, and the blowing sand is rare.
At present, Biguan County pays more attention to the key links of greening such as operation design, construction supervision, and post-management and protection, and is advancing in a more pragmatic, thrifty and scientific direction.
-- Scientifically compile the design of the operation. Based on the ecological background of partial passes, with drought-resistant afforestation as the main line, focusing on wind prevention and sand fixation, and soil and water conservation, native tree species are preferred, tree and grass species are scientifically allocated, and artificial restoration and natural restoration are integrated and promoted. According to the greening of barren hills, ecological corridors, tourist attractions, garden villages, etc., different greening modes are formulated, appropriate technical measures are formulated, and detailed implementation is carried out to the hilltop plots, and the time, method, specifications and technical requirements of seedling transportation and planting are clarified, and the construction is organized in strict accordance with the design.
——Strengthen process management. Implement the forestry project bidding system, contract system, supervision system, and accounting system management, and implement the front-line work method. The leadership package and technicians are squatting, tracking services, and strict assessment to ensure the effectiveness of greening. In accordance with the principle of "surviving in the current year, checking and filling the gaps in two years, and paying the total account in three years", the project payment will be settled in proportion to the year. Implement a mechanism for rewarding and punishing afforestation cooperatives.
-- Insist on paying equal attention to construction and management. Implement the policy requirements of "first build and then seal, and must seal after construction", and implement the three-year responsibility period of the construction unit to care for and protect the system. Establish and improve the responsibility system for the management and protection of forest and grass resources at the county, township and village levels, delineate posts, contract responsibilities, and implement grid management of forest rangers; The county, township (town) and village levels have made efforts in the same direction, and forestry, emergency response, public security, and fire protection departments have coordinated operations to achieve full coverage of forest (grass) resource management and protection.
In order to prevent fire, theft, and animal damage, Biguan County uses scientific and technological means to protect forests and prevent fire. Thirty early warning and monitoring systems have been installed in green areas, and the construction of emergency command terminals has been completed. 130 voice prompters for forest protection and fire prevention were installed in key areas, mountain entrances, scenic spots, etc. in the demonstration area. In order to prevent livestock from deforestation, mechanical fencing has also been implemented in key areas of the demonstration area and areas where livestock can easily enter the forest land. They protect every inch of green with the "most affectionate" love.
Establish afforestation professional cooperatives, set up forest ranger posts, build economic forest bases, and develop understory economic ...... Promote the effective connection between forestry ecological construction and consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, so as to achieve green land and increase farmers' income
Water and soil management should not only protect the lucid waters and lush mountains, but also create "wealth" for the people.
"The forest fruit on the top of the mountain increases income, the gentle slope terraces grow grain and oil, the steep slope forest and grass solidify the water and soil, the bottom of the ditch is dammed to store rainwater, and the water is saved and irrigated to ensure a bumper harvest." At the same time of large-scale land greening, Biguan County adheres to the organic integration of soil erosion control, rural revitalization and beautiful rural construction, and implements classified and precise policies for one mountain, one ditch and one industry, and one village and one product.
Mingdeng Mountain, Biguan County. Photo courtesy of Biguan County Financial Media
Especially in the most critical period of poverty alleviation, 80 afforestation professional cooperatives in Biguan County drove the poor households in the county to increase their income and get rid of poverty in planting greenery and protecting greenery. This approach also organically combines tree planting and greening to improve the ecology and poverty alleviation to achieve a win-win situation.
With the improvement of afforestation technology, the reputation of the professional team of afforestation is also increasing. Nowadays, the surrounding counties, including counties and cities outside the province, are willing to find a remote afforestation team to undertake greening projects. "They don't need to pull a rope to put the line when they plant the tree, and when they look at it, they plant it as neatly as a contour line." This is the evaluation of the people of the neighboring county on the afforestation team in the remote area. The "Partial Afforestation Team" has become a brand of local labor export.
At the same time, the county also encourages cooperatives to improve the breadth and breadth of forest and grass ecological construction, supports cooperatives to diversify from single afforestation to afforestation, grass planting, management and protection, and management, continues to carry out afforestation and greening technology training, strengthens the brand building of "afforestation craftsmen", and guides cooperatives to the market and continue to grow and develop.
At the same time, Biguan County actively develops understory breeding and understory planting to improve the added value of forestry resources. 1,100 ecological rangers have been placed, and 120,000 acres of sea buckthorn bases, 25,000 acres of apricot dried fruit economic forest bases, and 450,000 acres of caragana biomass energy bases have been cultivated, covering 70% of the villages and increasing farmers' incomes.
Vigorously develop the complementary industry of forestry and light, the 24 MW agricultural and forestry biomass cogeneration project in Biguan County is financed and constructed by the county Jindian Chemical Co., Ltd., with an annual power supply of 168 million kilowatt hours, a heating capacity of 1.52 million square meters, and a comprehensive utilization of 211,000 tons of agricultural and forestry biomass straw.
The implementation of the transformation and restoration of caragana forest, through the interlaced ribbon stubble, inter-belt and open space in the forest to replant tree species, and stubble branch recycling, the formation of stubble regeneration and rejuvenation, replanting to improve the structure, recycling branch biomass utilization, driving labor income increase of the whole chain effect, the initial realization of ecological greening, enterprise efficiency, farmers income increase win-win goals. Combined with the wishes of the masses, we should select tree species such as oriental cypress, Pinus sylvestris, sea red fruit, mountain apricot and apricot, which can increase farmers' income, not only plant trees but also get rich, and explore a new way to increase greenery and income and sustainable development.
"Govern a piece, get rich". This is a vivid interpretation of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".
The slender forest is thin, and the trickle is more than the river.
Spanning 50 years of wind, frost, rain and snow, from the yellow sand to the green, from the mountains of stones to 10,000 acres of woodland, from the vast wilderness to the ecological treasure land, several generations of people have been striving for self-improvement and hard work, writing a green legend that has changed the world on the dry stone mountain, and has created a touching and inspiring spirit of "green soul".
This spirit will be engraved on the banks of the Yellow River, in the ravines at the foot of the Great Wall, engraved in the increasingly dense trees, jungles and seas, engraved in the hearts of the cadres and the masses, and encourage the cadres and masses in Biguan County to unswervingly take the road of ecological priority and green development, continue to plant trees and protect forests, and make every effort to fight the "three norths" project of the Yellow River, ensure that "a clear water flows into the Yellow River", and build a solid ecological protection barrier in the Yellow River Basin.
Partial planting greenery, inheriting the past and forging ahead into the future.
Source: Xinzhou Daily