“No Pain, No Gain”.
At first, we didn't take the proverb seriously. However, when we faced heavy snow, strong winds, and even sandstorms, we all realized that the journey of planting trees was not as easy as we had thought. Sometimes, it takes a storm to create a rainbow.
A rainbow after planting trees, Photo by Kai Wang
From April 4 to 14, 72 volunteers from 9 companies and 2 schools participated in the tree planting trips in Inner Mongolia. The volunteers worked hard together to plant trees to fight desertification. In spite of the wind-blown sand, snow and rain pummeling the planting site, the volunteers planted 1077 poplars on the sandy land, and had the most unforgettable experiences.
The aerial photo of volunteer planting trees, Photo by Mattias Isaksson
After putting on gloves and picking up the shovel, volunteers walked into the bare sandy land in rows. Wild weather brought strong winds, sudden rains, hail and snow, and it’s extremely difficult to dig holes on the frozen land. It was a challenge for all the volunteers.
The volunteers were digging tree holes, Photo by Mattias Isaksson
Volunteers also visited the Taminchagan Desert and went to the MTP forest planted in 2011 and 2012 to prune trees. In the desert, strong winds rolled up sand and kept knocking hit on the faces of volunteers. In the forest, tall and upright tree rows became a natural shelter for the volunteers, protecting them from the wind.
Volunteers in the desert, Photo by Ting Chen
Volunteers in the MTP forest planted in early years, Photo by Mattias Isaksson
The volunteers were pruning trees, Photo by Jiayuan GUO
The volunteers in the heavy snow, Photo by Uncle Fisher
During the event, SRS staff introduced the backgroud information about desertification as well as what it is caused by, making volunteers understand more intuitively and realize the necessity of desertification control.
The staff was introducing the workshop on Ecological Niche, Photo by Mattias Isaksson
The staff was explaining the degraded soil in the workshop, Photo by Mattias Isaksson
On the last night of the planting trip, volunteers shared their feelings with each other. The volunteers tasted the hardship on fragile and dry sandy land and in the strong winds and heavy snow. Trees would grow and provide shelters in the future. The road of planting trees is an extremely arduous one that requires generations to work on it. But after a storm, there will always be a rainbow, and tree planting led us to a greener future.
The beautiful tree rows, Photo by Jiayuan Guo
Special thanks to Oji Paper, L’Occitane and Yellow Mountain Rose Valley Co. Ltd. for sponsoring and supporting this tree planting trip!
