Let’s go back to talking about Paulownia, an extraordinary plant known for rapid growth and the ability to improve the quality of soil and air (while presenting some critical issues) and we do it by presenting the case of the reforestation of the county of Lankao, in the province of Henan , in China, which took place in the 1960s.
The Region, once devastated by desertification and extreme environmental conditions, has known a rebirth thanks to the introduction of this arboreal species. The impact of the Paulownia on Lankao He was of enormous importance: he was the protagonist of the regeneration of the territory and had profound economic and social repercussions, transforming the fate of the local community.
The environmental degradation of the county of Lankao
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Chinese county of Lankao was one of the poorest areas of the country, deeply marked by the phenomenon of desertification. The sandy soil and the scarcity of water made cultivation difficult, while the sandstorms and seasonal floods constantly threatened the stability of the local population. Environmental difficulties translated into extremely precarious living conditions, with scarce economic opportunities for the inhabitants, who, also following the 1962 famine, began to leave the area to seek fortune elsewhere (especially farmers).
In such a dramatic context, the “miracle” took place, thanks to the intuition of the secretary of the local Chinese Communist Party, Jiao Yulu, who decided to start a large -scale reforestation project to combat the unwary of the ground and improve agricultural productivity .
The choice of the arboreal species to be planted proved to be vital for the success of the plan, and still today the content of Lankao benefits from the intuition of Jiao Yulu.
The choice of Paulownia
There Paulownia Tomentosa And other similar species were identified as the ideal solution for the environmental problems of the region. The plant, originally from China, is famous for the rapid growth, the ability to resist drought and the extraordinary effectiveness in holding the soil thanks to the deep and robust radical apparatus.
One of the main advantages of Paulownia is the ability to improve soil fertility. The leaves, rich in nitrogen, when they fall quickly decompose, cases that enriches the land of essential nutrients. In addition, the wide and dense crown of the plant provides shade, effectively reducing the evaporation of the water and creating a more favorable microclimate to the growth of other plant species.
The implementation of the reforestation
With the support of the local government and thanks to the tireless commitment of Jiao Yulu, thousands of paulownia trees were planted throughout the county. The process of reforestation It was not easy: the inhabitants of Lankao faced a series of large -scale challenges, including the difficulty in finding resources and initial resistance of the most skeptical farmers, even if over time, the benefits became more and more evident.
Paulownia not only curbed the advance of desertification, but also improved the quality of agricultural land, allowing the cultivation of cereals and other food plants. The growth of trees also reduced the frequency and intensity of sandstorms, protecting local homes and infrastructures.
Paulownia for the production of traditional musical instruments
As mentioned at the opening, the introduction of the imperial tree has also generated significant economic development, given that Paulownia wood is particularly appreciated due to lightness and resistance, characteristics make it an excellent material for the production of musical instruments and mobile , as we will see soon.
One of the most fascinating uses of Paulownia lies precisely in the production of traditional musical instruments. At the county of Lankao, more than 200 companies produce dozens of traditional tools of Chinese culture, for a turnover that occupies about 33% of the internal market. The Guqin, an ancient seven -string cetra (represents one of the most important symbols of Chinese culture, together with chess, calligraphy and painting), found the perfect material in Paulownia: light, resistant and with an extraordinary resonance capacity (the sale price of an guqin is around 60,000 yan, 8,000 euros).
As for the manufacturing industry of furniture, Lankao hosts over 6,000 companies that deal with production and sale, with an impressive turnover: about 60,000 jobs and a turnover that in 2023 touched 42, 3 billion yuan (about 5.5 billion euros).
Between past and future
Almost sixty years after the death of Jiao Yulu, his spirit continues to live between the trees of Paulownia and the locals. His vision has transformed Lankao into a economic and cultural center, demonstrating how perseverance can subvert an adverse fate and also re -riofire a land apparently condemned to oblivion.
