Li Haihe, a 75-year old villager in north China's Hebei Province, has planted 50,000 trees over the past 13 years.

The old man has five married sons who made their father quit farming 13 years ago. Since then, Li has planted trees along a dried-up canal near his home in Daliwen Village.

His neighbors say that the old man has always guarded the treesand would only spend half a day at home on the Spring Festival, the traditional Chinese New Year's Day.

To water the trees, Li repaired the canal and recently he dug on his own a water-storage pond, 10 m in diameter and five meters deep.

Since planting the trees, the weather had improved and birds had come back, he said.

(ChinaEnvironment.com June 27, 2002)