The city of a thousand years can't plant a tree: Reward 1 billion for successful 'rescue'

Our earth is always full of surprises. For example, the desert is one of the driest places, but there are still plants growing and multiplying. However, in China, there is a very strange city, that is, for thousands of years this land has not had a single tree. Even the city government has offered a reward of 300,000 yuan (more than 1 billion dong) for anyone who can plant 1 tree, but so far this amount is still intact. So what's so special about that city that no trees can live?

Can't plant a tree for thousands of years

The city we are talking about today is Nagqu. "Nagqu" in Tibetan means "Black River, Black Water". Nagqu is a prefecture-level city in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Although Nagqu covers an area of ​​more than 450,000 square kilometers, the population of this city is less than 400,000 people. Nagqu is a city with wildlife, unspoiled grasslands and rural culture still intact.

Nagqu is a city of wild animals and grasslands in Tibet, China.

Nagqu City is like a jewel of the Tibetan Plateau. Because it has many attractive tourist attractions such as Changtang grassland, Yamtung reserve, monasteries, sacred lake Namtso. In addition, there are many hot springs and a sanctuary for animals. wildlife and plants. There are more than 1,000 large and small lakes scattered across the grasslands of the Nagqu plateau. However, although Nagqu has beautiful scenery, with vast green grasslands, it is difficult to find a tree in this city.

There are many reasons why trees cannot exist in Nagqu.

The first factor hindering the growth of trees is the permafrost in Nagqu. In the book "Qua Thac Da Planting Trees" describes the essentials of growing a tree as: "The first thing to do is to make sure the roots are tight and the soil is compacted." However, Nagqu is located on the Tibetan plateau, which is one of the regions with the largest distribution of permafrost in China. The climate here is so cold that the ice is hard to melt and the plants can't take root.

Nagqu has a very beautiful view, but the whole city does not have a single shade of green trees.

The second obstacle that makes it impossible for plants to survive in Nagqu is that the air is too thin. As we all know, any plant or animal that wants to grow healthy, air is the most necessary element. Because air is the component that determines whether the respiration process of organisms takes place smoothly or not. Scientists have shown that the amount of oxygen in the air directly affects the growth and survival of plants. When the oxygen concentration is lower than 20%, the respiration process of the plant begins to decline, resulting in restricted growth.

The Tibetan Plateau is on average 4,200 m above sea level. The oxygen content here is only about 20%, while Nagqu lies entirely in the plateau, so the oxygen content is lower. In Nagqu, even the minimum oxygen content for plant survival is difficult to achieve. Therefore, it is understandable that trees are difficult to grow in Nagqua.

Nagqu has too low an air content that plants cannot grow.

In addition to the above two factors, trees also face another difficulty in surviving in Nagqu because the wind is too strong. This is the typical weather pattern of the Tibetan Plateau. The climate is dry, little rain, big temperature difference between day and night, especially this place often has strong wind.

Every year from November to March next year, Nagqua City will enter a dry period and high winds bring sand and dust. According to calculations by scientists, the wind in Nagqu is so strong that even giant sycamore trees can be uprooted or broken horizontally. Therefore, the trees that grow here cannot escape the "tragic fate". Especially during the monsoon season, the vegetation in Nagqu will disappear without a trace.

Even at the mildest time from May to September, trees still cannot grow. Because the rainfall in Nagqu is so little, only about 400 mm a year, the presence of a green shade is even more difficult.

Too little rainfall and high winds are also factors that make it difficult for trees to grow in Nagqu.

According to Xinhuanet, the absence of trees in Nagqu makes it difficult for many people who come to work here to adapt. Many people even take advantage of the day off to catch a bus to Lhasa city just to find a shady tree and sit there.

However, the people of Nagqu still do not believe in this fact. The city government wants to find a way to solve this situation. They even offered a reward of up to 300,000 yuan (more than 1 billion dong) for anyone who successfully planted a tree in Nagqu.

Determined to go green

Stemming from the above desire, many officers of the Forest Department, soldiers stationed in Nagqu and many scientific researchers have carried out a tree planting project here. First, they planted a test plant on 2 acres of land. They selected plants that can withstand cold and wind such as willow, cypress, sammu, and spruce to plant.

Many researchers along with the people of Nagqu have determined to green this city.

The researchers tried to provide the best environment for the experimental growing of these plants. But, unfortunately, despite the careful care, only 14 young trees survived. It seems that the efforts of scientists to plant trees have not yet paid off.

By 2016, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China launched a greening project in Nagqu. The goal of the project is to focus on the research and development of tree planting technology and greening models in Nagqu city.

Seedlings in Nagqu are also applied many meticulous and careful care technologies.

The researchers decided to use a number of woody plants that can withstand extreme climates such as spruce, cypress, willow, desert willow, honeysuckle and a variety of shrubs. These plants are all collected seeds from the wild, then screened, nursed and selected the best seedlings for hybridization. The measures used in the project include planting trees under the grass, mixing vitamins into the soil, watering plants with warm water, protecting plants with greenhouses.

According to information from the website of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, scientists then built solar panels to produce electricity that is transmitted down to a network of copper wires placed on the ground to generate heat. As the temperature of the soil increases, the ice melts before the plant can take root. In the end, they were successfully bred.

The number of seedlings in Nagqu has reached more than 300,000 trees.

The survival rate of the seedlings at the trial facility in Nagqu reached 75%. They successfully overcame the harsh winters in this area and performed miracles. Currently, the number of seedlings in Nagqu has reached more than 300,000 trees. The presence of trees could already be seen in some parts of the city.