Red pine, scientific name Taxus wallichiana Zucc., belonging to the Thanh tùng family (Taxaceae), belonging to group IA (extremely endangered, at high risk of extinction), is an endemic species named in the Vietnam Red Book and is strictly protected.
At the beginning of the new Binh Ngo spring, many people and tourists came to admire the Voi mountain complex (Hiep Thanh commune, Lam Dong) with about 1,000 red pine trees.
In the red pine forest, there are about 400 ancient trees aged from several hundred years to 2,500 years, distributed in sub-zones 268 and 277A, belonging to the forest area managed by the Duc Trong Protection Forest Management Board.
The 2,000-year-old red pine tree on Mount Elephant has a trunk diameter of nearly 2 m, a circumference of about 4.5 m, a height of over 30 m, standing majestically at an altitude of over 1,400 m above sea level. A large root branch of a thousand-year-old ancient tree curves on the ground.
The indigenous K'Ho people proudly call this red pine tree "Thần mộc" or "The divine tree" of Voi Mountain. According to the people, every time they pass by the forest, they stop to ask about the "health" of the tree, and at the same time check the condition of the "Thần mộc".
Mr. Vu Quoc Khanh, official of Duc Trong Forest Protection Department (Lam Dong), said that the 2,000-year-old "Thần mộc" red pine tree, over 30 m tall, is currently located in the area assigned to LTC Company to use in combination with tourism development and forest protection.
Coming to Elephant Mountain, after admiring the 2,000-year-old red pine tree, visitors continue to move up high and will encounter the 2,500-year-old "Magnolia tree" growing lushly.
Representatives of LTC Company said that the unit always strictly implements forest protection work, minimizing activities that may affect the growth and development of trees.
Due to growing in a mixed forest environment, many red pine trees have vines wrapped around their trunks.
The rare red pine population is considered a treasure. Forest rangers coordinate with forest owners and contractors to strengthen protection and prevent acts of encroachment on forest products. Forest patrols and fire prevention and fighting are carried out regularly.
Mr. K'Ten (K'Ho ethnic person, residing in Hiep Thanh commune) said that his life has been associated with the red pine population for decades.
He and the villagers always consider red pine trees as the "God of Wood" of the village, and also their "close friend".
Every week, Mr. K'Ten makes a few trips to the forest, checking how each red pine tree grows, whether there are signs of damage or not. Each tree is numbered in order for convenient monitoring.
According to documents from the Tay Nguyen Sub-Institute of Biology, red pine leaves and bark contain the active ingredient taxol at high concentrations, which is considered a precious medicinal substance that can be used to prepare drugs to support cancer treatment.
The "Gods of Wood" of thousand-year-old red pine trees on Voi Mountain are particularly valuable assets of Lam Dong in particular and the whole country in general.
