Spring has just arrived, wild flowers have begun to bloom in the vast frontier. In the canopy of the old forest, the footprints of the forest patrollers are still imprinted on the trails.
In the first days of the new year, we (PV) had the opportunity to visit the border area of Sop Cop, Son La, where the forests in the Northwest border the Lao PDR.
Here, one can see the firebreak paths winding through the old forest. With each swing of the knife and the hoe, each section of forest is neatly cleared, opening the way for patrolling footsteps.
That is the familiar work of forest rangers and people of Nam Lanh commune, Sop Cop district, Son La when the dry season comes.
By the flickering fire in the bitter cold, in the spring story, they told each other stories about preventing "fire" - simple, easy to understand but deeply penetrating into every thought and every action.
Vu Ba Cau, a resident of Banh Han village, Nam Lanh commune, proudly shared: “The forest that the State assigned to my village to manage has never been burned. I go to check it once a week, buy knives, hoes, and shovels to clear firebreaks, and be ready to put out the fire if it breaks out.”
For the people of Nam Lanh border commune, forests are not only nature and shade but also livelihood. More than half of the households in the commune are living off the forest, planting forests to develop the economy. In recent years, the policy of paying for forest environmental services has helped many families have additional income, cover their living expenses and contribute to the common activities of the village.
Not only in Banh Han village, but also throughout Sop Cop district, mass forest protection teams are increasingly playing a role.
Mr. Mong Van Enh, head of the forest protection team in Banh Han village, said: “Our team has 12 people, assigned to patrol, protect, and prevent fires. The village also received nearly 200 million VND in forest environmental service fees, used to open firebreaks, build roads to production areas, and purchase firefighting equipment.”
In border areas, in addition to mass teams, there are also forces from the Sop Cop Special-Use and Protective Forest Management Board, Nam Lanh, Muong Lan and Muong Leo Border Guard stations working side by side with local forest rangers.
Quang Van Minh, a forest ranger of Nam Lanh commune, shared: “We guide people to develop plans for forest fire prevention and control, and incorporate propaganda into village meetings. Especially in the dry season, when people burn their fields, we go there to instruct them on how to burn safely, choosing times with less wind such as early morning or late afternoon.”
Sop Cop - a remote border area, where ethnic minorities make up the majority, but still firmly maintains the green color of the great forest. With the second highest forest coverage rate in the whole Son La province, nearly 49%, the people and authorities here are managing nearly 150,000 hectares of natural forest, of which nearly 70,000 hectares are forestry land.
Mr. Tran Ngoc Doan, Head of Sop Cop Forest Protection Department, Son La said: "We assign forest rangers to be on duty 24/7 during the dry season, including holidays and Tet. At the same time, we encourage people to sign a commitment to protect the forest, from households to village chiefs, from village chiefs to commune authorities."
Thanks to that, stories about livelihoods and the green border continue to be told and preserved over the years in the Northwest highlands.
