这两张照片拍摄于同一地点：辽宁省阜新市彰武县欧里山。左边的拍摄于2018年，右边的拍摄于2022年。



辽宁省阜新市彰武县欧里山对比照，左图摄于2018年，右图摄于2022年

Photos taken at the same location on Ouli Mountain in Zhangwu county, Liaoning province, in 2018 and 2022 show a striking transformation from barren land to a green oasis.

辽宁省位于我国最大的沙地科尔沁沙地南缘，是我国沙化危害严重的省份之一。据《彰武县志》记载，解放初期，彰武占全省沙化面积达524.2万亩，占全省的1/4。

“一碗米半碗沙，五步不见爹和妈。有风沙遮日，无风一片白。这是彰武当年的真实写照。”彰武草原生态示范区管委会副主任王国辉介绍。

There was a saying goes: "In a bowl of rice, there's half a bowl of sand. Five steps apart, you can't see where parents stand. When the wind blows, the sand blocks out the sun. When there's no wind, white sand covers everywhere."

他指着眼前一大片的绿树说，“现在目之所及满眼绿色，都是‘三北’防护林工程体系”。

辽宁省林草局副局长姜生伟说，防沙治沙难在保存率。在沙化地区造林，一个地块里经常会有“老少几辈”不同树种、树木大小不一的情况。这是因为防沙治沙难在保存率，种下的树经常遭破坏，新树、老树都栽在了一起。

Jiang Shengwei, deputy director of the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Liaoning province, highlighted the significant challenge of maintaining survival rates in desertification control efforts.

固定沙地需数十年反复多次不懈努力，“我们可能用了几十年把流动沙地变成固定沙地，但一天的时间可能就把几十年的成果给毁掉了”。

"In arid regions, it is common to see various generations of trees within a single plot, with different species and sizes reflecting the ongoing battle to sustain vegetation. Trees are frequently damaged, necessitating the planting of new ones," Jiang explained.

彰武县大德镇林草站站长屈利平是土生土长的当地人，从小就感受到这种漫天风沙对人民的生产生活造成的困扰。

Witnessed the relentless sandstorms since childhood, Qu Liping, head of the forestry station at Dade town, Zhangwu county, experienced the vast change of his hometown.

1997年，屈利平刚从林校毕业开始从事治沙造林工作时，彰武气候干旱，风沙漫天。“第一天刚栽下树，第二天风就被沙子淤平了，还必须得接着干。”那时工具简陋，没有机动车等现代工具，老百姓们靠着马车、牛车或者人挑浇水，就这么一点点干，将沙地慢慢变成现在的绿洲。



无人机航拍图

Reflecting on his early years in reforestation after graduating from a forestry university in 1997, Qu recalled the harsh conditions of drought and pervasive sand.

"After marking a spot for planting, the next day, the pit we dug would be filled with sand again, and we had to redo it", he said, describing the rudimentary tools and reliance on horse-drawn carts, ox carts, or manual labor for watering.

屈利平的父亲1961年从林校毕业就主动申请回到家乡，参与防沙治沙工作。而今，他也接过父亲的接力棒，从事防沙治沙工作已26年。

“我们目前这2000多亩的林地，原来全是沙丘沙地，经过20多年的努力，全部变成绿洲，这是最好的见证。”

Qu introduced that the current area of over 2,000 mu (329 acres) of forest land was originally all sand dunes and sandy land. Now, after more than 20 years of effort, it has all turned into an oasis, "this is the best testimony."

现在，彰武的沙化土地面积已减少到199.66万亩，“三北”防护林带已向科尔沁腹地推进13公里。全县森林覆盖率已由2.9%增加到31.47%，扬沙天气已由1953年的43天减少到近10年的平均5天。

树成多是人先老，留得清阴与后人。防沙治沙久久为功、代代相传。从黄沙到青山再到现在的金山，屈利平说：“我的梦想是让山变得更绿，水更清，没有一亩沙化土地。”

"My biggest dream is to make the mountains greener, the waters clearer, and eliminate all desertified land," Qu said.