From April 10 to 20, 2026, 131 volunteers from 13 companies and 5 schools participated in the tree planting trips organized by Shanghai Roots & Shoots in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia. While Southern China was already bathed in the warmth of spring, Inner Mongolia remained a desolate landscape. So, volunteers planted 1,569 poplar trees by hand, determined to deeply embed the green hope that represents spring here.
The aerial photo of volunteer planting trees
Shovel by shovel, volunteers turned over the parched soil of the Horqin Sandy Land. Once a lush, vibrant grassland, this land had lost its vitality to desertification—the unintended consequence of decades of over-development.
The volunteers were planting trees
Tree by tree, the volunteers tenderly set young saplings into the ground. The grueling labor of digging into the stubborn earth under harsh conditions gave them a newfound respect for the desertification fighters who have spent decades fighting the sands in even grimmer environments—steadfast and without complaint.
The volunteers with the saplings they planted
Beyond planting, volunteers also visited the Taminchagan Desert and returned to the MTP forest planted in 2012 for pruning. On the desert’s edge, volunteers found young trees planted by their predecessors; despite exposed roots and battered trunks, these saplings were still fighting tenaciously for life.
Volunteers in the desert
Poplar seedlings were growing tenaciously in the desert
In the 2012 forest, what were once frail saplings have transformed into towering trees over a decade of growth. Standing there, the battle against wind and sand became tangible, and the long-term impact of afforestation was clear for all to see.
Comparison of forest planted in 2012 in different stages
The volunteers were pruning trees
On the final day, the land of Inner Mongolia played another trick on us. Overnight, howling northern winds brought a massive sandstorm, turning the sky yellow and the landscape into a wintry void. Yet, amid the wind and sand, spring refused to be hidden: tiny green buds were quietly blooming on the branches. Standing firm against the gale, these sprouts carry the collective hope for a greener future.
Sandstorm hit the tree planting trip
Poplar buds silently bloomed
Special thanks to Oji Paper, L’Occitane and FIMAN for sponsoring and supporting this tree planting trip!
