Contribute leaves to mend forests 2025 - Journey to sow seeds of life for a green Vietnam

"Contribute leaves to patch the forest 2025" aims to plant 60,000 trees, covering 100 hectares of protective forest in Pha Luong village, Chieng Son commune, Son La province.

From the tree to hope

Placing the young seedlings in the small hole she had just dug, Ms. Ho Thi Dua gently piled up each layer of soil and then carefully compacted it. The sun and wind of Son La in the summer did not make her feel tired, but instead, it was radiant and filled with hope for the green shoots she was cultivating. For her, the forest is not only a source of life but also “shade and beauty”.

Traveling more than 6km of forest road from her house to the tree planting site to participate in the program "Contribute leaves to patch the forest 2025", Ms. Dua understands that each tree she plants today will contribute to the development of the green forest of the future, and at the same time affirms that she is "ready to do everything to protect the forest".

Every seedling planted in the ground today will begin the journey of greening the future. (Photo: PanNature)

Not far away, Giang A Soi stood quietly reading each line on the warning sign about forest protection. Like Dua and hundreds of others participating in the tree planting program, his thin shoulders felt light when carrying the sling full of small pots of trees, and Soi could not hide his joy at being able to contribute to the forest restoration.

Pha Luong village chief Giang A Soi is a person who is very passionate about forest protection. (Photo: VAN THINH)

As the head of Pha Luong village, Mr. Soi said that the village regularly organizes meetings to disseminate measures to protect the forest to the people. “Forests are important to humans and are the most precious. The forest is like a tree trunk, and human life is like a branch on that tree trunk, which needs to be preserved, nurtured and developed,” Mr. Soi shared.

People in Pha Luong village, Chieng Son commune (Son La) enthusiastically participate in forest planting. (Photo: VAN THINH)

The forest is gold, small leaves will become big forests

For more than 7 years as a forest ranger, Mr. Le Viet Chung, a forest ranger at Xuan Nha Special Use Forest Management Board, has experienced many difficulties in the process of forest management and protection. Once, Mr. Chung had to climb a cliff of more than 30m in the middle of the night to carry out fire prevention and fighting work. His love for this land has never faded.

Born and raised in Moc Chau (Son La), his childhood was associated with the image of the majestic Northwest forests, perhaps because of that, Mr. Chung clearly understands the value of forests. Mr. Chung confided: Forests are gold. Small leaves will become big forests. Contributing leaves to patch forests is a meaningful program, which will help limit the damage caused by storms and floods to people, as well as minimize the negative impacts of climate change and the greenhouse effect.

Forest ranger Le Viet Chung always believes that "Forest is gold, protecting the forest is contributing to protecting human living environment".

According to Mr. Chung, the government and the people need to work together to protect the forest. Only when people’s awareness is raised and there is close direction and coordination with the government, can forest protection and restoration work be highly effective.

The cooperation between people and the government is an important factor contributing to the success of forest protection and restoration.

Meanwhile, Ms. Ly Thanh Tam, a member of MoMo enterprise, could not help but be proud to have accompanied the program "Contribute leaves to patch the forest" from the very first days.

Traveling more than 1000km from Ho Chi Minh City to Son La to participate in the program, this is the second consecutive year that Ms. Tam has participated in the project, despite the difficulties of geographical distance and harsh weather.

Ms. Tam believes that forests are not only majestic landscapes in books and newspapers, but also an accompanying ecosystem. They are animals and plants, forest products that are closely linked to people's livelihoods, and forests also protect them from flash floods.

"There are values that cannot be measured in kind, because forests are closely associated with mountain people for their entire lives, providing people with both material and spiritual support. Therefore, there is no better way to protect forests than raising awareness among local people, so that they can proactively participate, proactively maintain and nurture the seedlings throughout their future development," said Ms. Tam.

Sustainable value lies in raising people's awareness of forest protection, Ms. Ly Thanh Tam shared.

Don't let the forest die, for a green and sustainable Vietnam

Pha Luong Village, Chieng Son Commune is located in Xuan Nha Special Use Forest. This area has a total planning area of 18,173 hectares; of which 10,185.35 hectares are in the strictly protected area; 7,981.16 hectares are in the ecological restoration area, and 6.5 hectares are in the administrative service area. This is home to more than 1,100 species of plants and more than 400 species of wild animals.

Xuan Nha Special-Use Forest plays a vital role in protecting watershed forests, regulating climate, and maintaining long-term livelihoods for indigenous communities living permanently in the buffer zone. However, this area is being degraded, affecting habitat connectivity and ecosystem balance throughout the region.

Implementing the program "Contribute leaves to patch the forest 2025" not only helps to gradually restore habitats but also helps maintain biological connections between conservation areas such as Xuan Nha and Hang Kia-Pa Co, Son La province, to restore long-term sustainable ecosystems.

In particular, the program's planting of dozens of native tree varieties including Doi, Canarium, Cho Chi, Gu Huong, Cinnamon, Chestnut, etc.; promoting the role of local people in forest restoration activities initially brought important success to the project, not only helping people have economic income in the future, but also helping to restore lost forest areas.

Representatives of the leaders of participating units opened and handed over plant varieties in the program "Contribute leaves to patch the forest" in 2025.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cong, Deputy Head of the Forest Protection Department of Region XVI and Xuan Nha Special-use Forest, said that most of the people's livelihood activities currently still rely on forests, and reforestation not only helps reduce pressure on natural forests. Reforestation today will help cover bare land, and after a period of good forest growth, people can enjoy forest environmental services and in the future, carbon credits. This contributes to improving people's livelihoods.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Truong Van Linh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Chieng Son Commune, said that the campaign "Contribute leaves to patch the forest 2025" has contributed to efforts to respond to forest degradation, promote forest restoration, protect biodiversity and support livelihoods for local communities. Linh also pledged that the authorities and people of Chieng Son Commune will actively participate in, care for and protect the planted forest areas.

As the main sponsors and active members of the program, representatives of Vietnam Airlines leaders shared: Participating in “Gốp lá mặt lâm” (Contributing leaves to mend the forest) demonstrates the responsibility, pride and enthusiasm that we put into each tree and each leaf. The unit believes that great values always start from small actions. A small leaf can also mend the tear in the forest. And millions of small leaves will revive an entire forest.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dinh Sy Nhat Quang, Director of Aviation Business of MoMo expressed: “We sincerely thank our partners for accompanying us over the past two years in sharing the mission of protecting the environment; thereby contributing to protecting the peaceful life of people in the highlands. The activities we are implementing are even more meaningful when in recent days, natural disasters such as storms and floods have raged in the northern mountainous provinces, greatly affecting people's lives”.

Reaffirming the value of solidarity and joining hands to protect forests, Mr. Trinh Le Nguyen, Director of PanNature emphasized: “When communities, businesses and conservation units join hands to cooperate, we not only plant trees, but also sow hope for the forests to become green again.”

More than ever, the journey to repaint the beauty of the green forest requires the cooperation of the entire social community, not only for today... but also for the future.

VAN THINH-LE DUC

Source: https://nhandan.vn/gop-la-va-rung-2025-hanh-trinh-gioi-mam-song-vi-mot-viet-nam-xanh-post899725.html