Tree planting transforms mountains, lives in Xizang

LHASA — For Dorje, every day from mid-June to late August, his major assignment is transporting saplings up Shigar Mountain in Lhasa, capital of the Xizang autonomous region.

It's a task he's done for over a decade, though the way he does it now has completely been altered.

"Initially, we carried these saplings to the top on foot, which took up to eight hours. Later, we relied on mules, which took a couple of hours," the 40-year-old said. "Now delivering 20 saplings via the cableway can be done in a little more than 10 minutes, pretty fast and efficient."

What he has been doing has also transformed the area. Before, sheep and cattle were unwilling to explore the barren mountain with exposed rocks.

Now, the over 133 hectares of trees planted in the area have completely replaced signs of blight with greenery.

Shigar Mountain's evolution is part of a regional afforestation project launched in 2012 to green mountains in Lhasa, to conserve water and soil sources, reduce carbon emission and improve air quality in an effort to create a livable environment for residents.

In 2021, a new round of the project set a further goal to grow over 133,000 hectares of forests within the next 10 years. Between 2022 and last year, more than 26,000 hectares of trees were planted in Lhasa, with an overall survival rate of over 85 percent, according to the regional forestry and grassland bureau.

The project has also been extended to the mountains near Lhasa.

Planting trees has become a full-time job for Tenzin Dundrup, a 33-year-old villager from the city of Shigatse, who can earn more than 70,000 yuan ($9,800) a year.

"My elder brother and sister-in-law also work here, and their annual income exceeds 200,000 yuan a year," Tenzin Dundrup said.

Phurbu Tashi, Party chief of the nearby Sholkang village, said: "More than 20 years ago, this place was barren and windy with lots of sand and dust. Now it's lush with much fewer sandstorms and better soil and water conservation."

At first, only a few households participated in tree planting. The number has since surged significantly, and the project offers more than 4,300 job opportunities daily, Phurbu Tashi added.

After conducting a re-inspection, Tsering Norbu, a forest ranger responsible for inspecting areas near the Lhasa Gonggar International Airport, is content with the result — about 92 percent of the planted saplings have survived.

"For tourists, this might be the first scene people see upon arrival. Impressing them with such a chunk of greenery is very meaningful," Tsering Norbu said.

Xinhua