Preserving the "divine tree" on top of Bidoup

Local people consider the thousand-year-old flat-needle pine trees in Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park as gods and try to strictly protect them.

Starting from K'long K'lanh Forest Ranger Station (Da Chais Commune, Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province), along National Highway 27C towards the border area of Khanh Hoa Province, road users can easily see tall trees, 15-20 m in diameter, rising above the green forest canopy. Wrapped around these "old" trees are tangled vines and moss.

Live for a thousand years

Mr. Pham Do Ni, Deputy Head of K'long K'lanh Forest Protection Station, pointed to the treetops and told us that they were flat-leaf pine trees from Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park, at least 700 to over 1,000 years old. The trees always extend 5-10 m out of the forest canopy to catch the sunlight, so you can see them right away.

"Local people, especially the K'Ho people living around the national park, always respect these pine trees, calling them sacred trees," Ni revealed.

Flat-needle pine tree in Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park

Entering the forest, Mr. Ni and the forest rangers led us to a cluster of flat-leafed pine trees, about 30 meters high, with trunks covered in a green layer of moss. The tree roots crawled up from the ground, about 15 meters in diameter, like giant snakes; around the base was a thick layer of leaves and rotten wood.

Forest rangers explain that the diameter of the tree's roots determines the width of its canopy. The layer of humus under the tree's roots, the "coat" of moss, helps retain water and moisture for the tree.

Three forest rangers held hands around the base of the pine tree, showing that the diameter of the tree was about 1.5-2 meters. The trunk was tall and straight. Pointing to a pine tree with two flat leaves about 10 meters away, with a huge, rough trunk and dangling vines as big as a human foot, Mr. Ni said that although these trees were not as big as other species, they were estimated to have lived for thousands of years.

Among the group entering the forest was Du Na, a K'Ho Cil man who was contracted to protect the forest; residing in Da Chais commune, Lac Duong district. Du Na said that the locals call these two-leaf pine trees "re", meaning "divine trees" or "sacred trees" of the community.

Mr. Du Na said that the village elders passed down the word that the thousand-year-old flat-leaf pine trees were the dwelling place of the gods, and no one was allowed to trespass. Anyone with bad intentions who trespassed on the dwelling place of the gods "would be punished, fall ill, and die."

"Those who sincerely respect and protect the tree will be blessed with many blessings. When we patrol to protect the forest, every time we encounter a "divine tree", we hug its roots, kiss its trunk and send prayers to the tree for the family's health, to avoid bad things and receive good luck" - Du Na shared.

The nearby flat-leafed pine tree had a strange bump that looked like the face of a large monkey or a lion. Sharing this with the group in the forest, everyone said that it was natural, and that all trees usually had it when they grew up. Anyone who believed in the sacredness of the old forest could consider it a "forest eye" or "forest god" to protect the green forest from those who intended to encroach.

With the thousand-year-old flat-leaf pine trees showing signs of disease such as trunk rot, the rangers and people are always concerned and monitoring to take care of the community's treasure.

These "divine trees" are both a resting place and a landmark for rangers while patrolling and protecting the forests of Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park.

In Lam Dong, the most recorded flat-leaf pine is in Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park with two large populations. Of which, the Cong Troi forest area (Dam Rong district) and the forest area in Lac Duong district are managed by Hon Giao Forest Ranger Station.

Eat and sleep with the forest

Leaving the "divine trees", we continued deep into the forest, to a clear stream flowing through Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park.

While everyone was washing their faces, Mr. Pang Tiang Min (officer of Hon Giao Forest Ranger Station, Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park Forest Ranger Department) introduced wild vegetables that rangers can pick while walking, to save for meals in the forest, while on patrol.

"For patrolling the nearby forest, we leave in the morning and return in the evening. For patrolling the far away forest, sometimes the whole group has to go for 4-5 days, so we eat and sleep in the forest. For patrolling the far away forest, we only need to bring rice, salt, dried fish, and vegetables can be picked along the way. The rangers know which leaves are edible and which are not like the back of their hands," Min confidently said.

On the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year, in a conversation with reporters, Mr. Pham Do Ni said that day was Tet but also the time when he was preparing to return to the K'long K'lanh Forest Ranger Station to continue his work of protecting the forest. Just like that, for the past 17 years, he and the forest rangers have all celebrated Tet in a hurry. When many families gather together, the rangers say goodbye to their loved ones to go into the forest to perform their duties.

"Because the job requires it, I have to try hard. During Tet, bad guys will think that everyone is having fun and being careless, so they have to patrol and protect the forest even more. Luckily, my family always sympathizes and encourages me to do my job well," Ni confided.

During our visit to Cat Tien National Park to learn about the three hydropower projects Dak R'lap 1, 2, 3 in November 2023, we also met with the forest rangers in this area and heard a story that made us not know whether to be happy or sad. The story is that the forest ranger station here once accepted a young person as an apprentice. In the early days, this person was not used to going to the forest, so he came back exhausted. Out of pity, the station let him stay at the station to cook while everyone else went on patrol.

When they returned, the food was nowhere to be seen, and the young apprentice had also disappeared. All they could find was a cardboard box with a few words written on it, saying that he found the forest ranger job too tiring, couldn't stand it, so he left, and hoped that everyone would understand and... not have to look for him!

There were patrols where the night sky was high in the mountains and the deep forest was so cold that one could not sleep, and snakes and insects would bite at any time. Ni said that on a few patrols, the brothers unfortunately slipped and fell. The minor injuries were scratches on the body, which could be treated with first aid, bandaged, and then continued on. The serious injuries required the brothers to find a way to carry them out of the forest to the hospital for treatment. The dangers lurking in the forest were not known to everyone.

Thinking about these things, Mr. Pang Tiang Min said that forest rangers work is a silent job, living in a secluded place, with hardships that not everyone can see. "To do it and stick with forest protection, we have to try hard and overcome difficult times to continue" - Canh expressed.

Mr. Min is from Don Duong district, only about 100 km from the ranger station where he works, but he only comes home once every two weeks. On holidays and Tet, he has to arrange to leave earlier or later, depending on the assignment of patrolling to protect the forest.

Like Mr. Ni and other forest rangers, for many years, Mr. Min has spent Tet in the forest, both to prevent intruders and to prevent forest fires. Whether it is Tet or normal days, the forest is still green and no intruders invade and cause damage, and the forest rangers are happy.

"There are many years when Tet comes, when we finish patrolling the forest and return to the ranger station, Tet is over" - Mr. Min stated the reality.

Organize outdoor tours

Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park has a total area of over 70,000 hectares, bordering the provinces of Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, and Dak Lak. According to statistics from the functional sector, the park has about 2,077 species of plants, 131 species of animals, 304 species of birds, 15 species of gymnosperms, and 302 species of orchids.

Scientists have determined that many flat-leaf pine trees in Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park are between 700 and 1,100 years old. Currently, Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park has organized outdoor tours to two groups of "divine trees" for locals and tourists to experience, explore and research.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/gin-giu-cay-than-linh-tren-dinh-bidoup-nui-ba-196250301212450347.htm