New hope in Shahai Oasis —— Chronicle of Alashan military and local governments in Inner Mongolia working together to control desertification and afforestation and promote rejuvenating the border and enriching the people ■ PLA Daily reporter Si Lilong correspondent Lu Xudong special correspondent he Zhiguo On March 5, the insects were awakened. Just before dawn, Bao Changming, a forest ranger in Alxa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia, took all the watering tools and drove a tricycle. From a distance, the ecological forests are full of vitality and filled with the breath of spring. Walking through the forest, Bao Changming carefully observed the growth of the seedlings, watered the seedlings with the bucket brought with the car, and a stream of sweet springs slowly flowed into the roots of the seedlings. More than a meter high red willow, its branches swaying with the wind, and its bulging bud grinned with a small mouth, revealing a little light green. "Watering in early spring is conducive to the growth of new branches." Bao Changming, 42, is usually responsible for the management and maintenance of 15000 mu of ecological forest. This 15000 Mu ecological forest is the epitome of Alashan military and local governments working together to control desertification and sow green for more than 20 years, and it is also the green hope sown by the military and local governments. Since 2001, Alxa military has continued to control desertification and afforestation, promoted the project of rejuvenating the border and enriching the people, and built a number of co construction bases such as "August 1st student ecological forest" and "border defense military and civilian ecological forest". With the joint efforts of Alxa military sub district and relevant local departments, a green corridor about 4000 meters wide and 30000 meters long has been formed on the eastern edge of Tengger Desert, which has become a green ecological barrier in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. Hand in hand, in order to find the oasis In March, 72 year old Li Dansheng felt waves in his heart, as if he heard the call of Northern Xinjiang again. He knew that in a few days, like him, many comrades in arms would travel from all over the world, like migratory birds, to Alxa, which is located at the intersection of Tengger, Badain Jaran, ulanbu and the three deserts, to participate in the annual desertification control and afforestation activities. After retiring from the post of commander of Alxa military division, Li Dansheng has completed 16 "migrations", and his "love relationship" with Tengger desert has never been interrupted. "The sea is like a pearl and the Gobi is like jade. This is the hometown..." this ancient and beautiful Alashan folk song depicts the beautiful scene of Alashan's abundant water and grass. However, due to the fragile ecology, the former natural pastures were gradually buried by yellow sand. "There are no birds in the sky, sand and stones running with the wind, one color in four seasons, and no place to find people", which has become a true portrayal of the natural and geographical environment of Alxa in recent decades. In order to recover the former oasis, in the spring of 2001, Li Dansheng led the officers and men of the Alxa Army division to fight for many days, planted 30 mu of drought resistant shrubs on the eastern edge of the Tengger Desert, and launched an ecological campaign of "greening the desert and curbing dust storms". In the spring of the next year, the scattered green buds brought infinite hope and motivation to the officers and soldiers. In that year, the afforestation area increased to 400 mu. Since then, on the edge of the Yellow sandy desert, the surging green figure has become the most moving scenery of the Gobi desert. In December 2004, Li Dansheng, who lives in Beijing, retired. The plan of desertification control has not been completed. He said, "the sand is wrapped around my legs, and I can't pull it out.". He resolutely stayed and became the "commander of desertification control" after the liberation of armour. Later, Huang Gaocheng, former commander of Inner Mongolia Military Region, and Zhang Xinhua and Li Dehai, former commanders of Alxa military division, just took off their green military uniforms and threw themselves into the green battlefield to fight with the local people on the front line of desertification control. When you are sincere, gold and stone are open. The achievements of the officers and soldiers of the Alxa Army division in combating desertification and sowing green have greatly stimulated the confidence of the local people in protecting the ecology and building a better home. Everyone's desertification and sowing green everywhere has gradually become everyone's consensus. A mass activity of combating desertification and sowing green is in full swing on the land of Alxa. 30 mu, 400 mu, 2000 mu... With the rich planting experience and the increase of social participants, the afforestation area of officers and soldiers in the military division has increased year by year, and the "youth century forest" first built has expanded from the initial 50 mu to 15000 mu. There is also a special aerial seeding team - a transport search and rescue group of the air force. Over the years, this team has fought side by side with the foresters, withstanding the wind and sand and the heat, from the general survey of site conditions to the investigation of the impact of climate change on aerial seeding afforestation, from seed screening to trial sowing, from aerial seeding of local trees to seed sealing and management and protection... Repeated experiments, difficult exploration step by step, and aerial seeding before the rainy season. After years of practice, we have explored a set of practical techniques for aerial seeding desertification control and afforestation, and walked out of the road of aerial seeding desertification control and afforestation characterized by "suitable land, timely, suitable species, appropriate amount and closure". The practical technology of aerial seeding desertification control and afforestation explored jointly by the military and the local government has won provincial and ministerial scientific and technological progress awards for many times. The actual effect of aerial seeding afforestation has also created a miracle in the history of sand control. After more than 20 years of relay tackling, sand control and green sowing, the majority of officers and soldiers have created a green miracle in this "life forbidden zone". Now, under the unified planning and guidance of the government, the "five bases" - Haloxylon ammodendron deserticola industrial base, desert shrub seed collection base, desert shrub seedling raising base, windbreak and sand fixation demonstration base and desert ecotourism base, which are under the leadership of Alxa military sub district, League Forestry Bureau and ecological construction professional organizations, are being constructed in an orderly manner. People do not lose Castle Peak, Castle Peak does not lose people. According to meteorological data records, since 2001, the number of sandstorms in spring in Alxa Left Banner has decreased year by year, from 13 to 12 and then to 9 in spring... After 2013, there are only a few sandstorms here, and the sandstorms in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei have decreased simultaneously. Green, rich, stable border defense It's a good time to plant Cistanche in March. Xie Baomin, the militia, put down his work at hand and made an appointment with two other militia to come to Ye Quan Township, a herdsman, and the Haloxylon ammodendron forest of Ye Dejun to help them complete the inoculation of Cistanche deserticola. "Haloxylon ammodendron is a drought resistant plant for preventing wind and fixing sand. Few people know that Haloxylon ammodendron can also breed 'Desert ginseng' Cistanche deserticola." After digging pits, inoculating, covering soil and watering, and then covering sand and stepping on the ground, Xie Baomin skillfully completed the inoculation of Cistanche deserticola. "Many farmers and herdsmen have few hands at home and don't know technology. Every year during the sowing season, I volunteer to help them plant." Xie Baomin, 41, is a "celebrity" in Badain Jaran Town, Alxa Right Banner. In 2004, he actively responded to the call for desertification control and afforestation and began to return grazing to forestry and develop characteristic ecological industries with the support of the banner government and the Ministry of people's armed forces. "In those years, due to overgrazing, the sand was bare, and there was no pasture for cattle and sheep. In order to survive, many people chose to go far away." Under the banner of the Ministry of deserticola, a group of contractors have helped the herdsmen to plant deserticola deserticola and master the afforestation technology. After years of careful management, the herdsmen's woodland is full of vitality and green. Thanks to Caragana korshinskii, licorice, Cistanche deserticola and other forest cash crops, the Xie Baomin family alone has achieved an income of more than 100000 yuan in recent years. Developing ecological sand industry by planting Haloxylon ammodendron forest and grafting Cistanche deserticola is an innovative measure for Alxa military to develop green industry and realize sustainable development based on reality. Alxa military sub district also cooperates with military and local units to help farmers and herdsmen build ecological planting and breeding cooperatives, open up the chain of "planting, breeding, breeding, ordering, transportation and marketing", form the industrial model of "base + cooperatives + farmers and herdsmen", and inject the driving force of circular development into the collective economy. With the joint efforts of the army and the local people, Alashan has become greener and people have become rich. There are more wild animals such as yellow sheep, foxes, rabbits and badgers. People who have left their hometown have also returned one after another to develop various industries and embark on the broad road of Rural Revitalization. "When people become rich, people's hearts will be stable, and everyone's awareness of consolidating and guarding the border will naturally be stronger." Wang Wei, political commissar of Alxa military sub district, said. "My father taught me from an early age that the PLA is our benefactor. I hope I can wear military uniform when I grow up." This is Huang Jiabao, the backbone of the Alxa Right Banner militia emergency company. He is responsible for regularly carrying out border patrol tasks and strengthening the border protection network. Huang Jiabao still remembers that when he was a child, due to drought and water shortage, the number of livestock in his family decreased year by year and his life fell into difficulties. After understanding the situation, the garrison took the initiative to help their family out of difficulties and set up a camel milk base. After years of operation, the base has more than 700 sheep, more than 100 camels, more than 70 donkeys and more than 50 horses. The old sadness dissipated, and the laughter returned home. In September 2017, Huang Jiabao joined the army and became an armed police soldier. After retirement, he took the initiative to apply to join the Alxa Right Banner militia emergency company. Due to his excellent quality and serious and responsible work, he soon became the backbone of the militia emergency company. At the end of 2021, he was rated as "excellent squad leader" by the Ministry of National People's armed forces. "Every yurt in the northern border of the motherland is a post guarding the thousands of miles of border defense..." in recent years, like Huang Jiabao, more and more farmers and herdsmen in Alxa have joined the militia. The 26 "yurt posts" in Alxa have also become a unique scenic spot along the Inner Mongolia border, and the "herdsman sentry" has become an important force to consolidate the stability of border defense. Assemble from northern Xinjiang to the north and south of the river "Do you want to wear this handsome camouflage suit when you grow up?" "Think!" The loud and neat children's voice came from a classroom of the Mongolian primary school in Alxa Right Banner. On the podium, Xu Borong, Vice Minister of the people's armed forces of the flag, warmly interacted with the students, telling stories and talking about tradition. At the beginning of this year's school season, the people's Armed Forces Department of the banner carried out national defense education in primary and secondary schools with the help of the first lesson, so as to enhance teenagers' national defense awareness. In recent years, the Alxa military sub district has widely invited outstanding officers and soldiers and militia as off campus counselors to regularly carry out national and border education lectures to tell the story of the army and the people working together to control desertification and afforestation, consolidate the border and prosper the border. Every year during the tree planting season, the military sub district and the Ministry of people's armed forces organize teachers and students to the ecological construction base to participate in afforestation activities, so that teenagers can receive national defense education and strengthen the concept of border consolidation in personal practice. Peaches and plums speak for themselves. For more than 20 years, the officers and soldiers of the Alxa army sub district and resident troops have adhered to the warm-hearted action of combating desertification and afforestation and helping the masses, which has produced a good radiation effect of national defense education. The power of this spirit crosses the "colorful land" of Alxa and is transmitted to all parts of the country. March 1 is the school day of Beijing Bayi school. On a display screen, a video of "August 1st student ecological forest" is playing, which attracts many students. They are trying to find the tree they planted by themselves. Beijing Bayi school is Li Dansheng's alma mater. The alumni learned that he was controlling desertification and afforestation in Alxa and joined the ranks one after another. Some alumni proposed to name their alma mater and build a "August 1st student ecological forest". The school readily adopted this suggestion and actively participated in the activities. Every year during the tree planting season, representatives of teachers and students will go to Alxa to participate in afforestation activities. In autumn and winter, the school also sent a camera team to the ecological forest inspection to see the growth of trees, and made a video to be broadcast on the school day. At present, the ecological forest has a scale of about 3000 mu. "This is not only a concrete action to practice the concept of national ecological civilization construction, but also a vivid lesson in national conditions and national defense education." Niu Zhenyun, Secretary of the Party committee of the school, has a deep understanding, "through the children's personal participation, they can more intuitively realize the national conditions of our vast country and unbalanced regional development, and more deeply realize the sublimity and greatness of border guards, so as to establish a correct concept of national defense." Alxa local government and military sub district will also send representatives to Beijing regularly