It is now March when spring begins to shine its rays and young sprouts start to shoot. At this time of season, the whole country is busy planting trees on the occasion of the Tree Planting Day.

Whenever we greet this day, we look back over the practical example of patriotism shown by respected Comrade Kim Jong Un on the first Tree Planting Day after the demise of Chairman Kim Jong Il in order to make the socialist lands lush and green, cherishing the noble patriotic desire of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il who devoted great efforts into turning all the country’s mountains into dense forests.

It was on March 2, 2012, that respected Comrade Kim Jong Un inspected one of the units of the Korean People’s Army.

On that day, he said that the day marks a historic occasion when President Kim Il Sung , despite his busy schedule with many state affairs after liberation, climbed Moran Hill together with Chairman Kim Jong Il and Mother Kim Jong Suk and ignited the first torch of tree planting for the country’s welfare and development and lasting prosperity. Then, he planted the trees he had brought with him in company with the service personnel to this place permeated with the warm footmarks of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il .

On that day, looking back on the noble patriotic life of the Chairman who loved every blade of grass and every tree of the country, he said that it is the firm decision of our Party to energetically undertake tree planting as a mass movement so that the hills and fields of the motherland turn into a socialist fairyland thickly covered with trees. And he mapped out the grand plan to dynamically arouse the whole country to reforestation.

In hearty response to the grand plan and call of respected Comrade Kim Jong Un , reforestation- war against nature- was energetically carried out for the past ten years. During this period, great advances have been made in afforestation and forest protection by dint of army-people unity, self-reliance and self-development.

In the all-state and all-people struggle, large areas have been newly afforested and modern tree nurseries where production of tree saplings is put on a perfect scientific, industrial and intensive basis were built in all parts of the country. Mass movements such as movement for winning the title of Forest of Socialist Patriotism and movement for winning the title of Model County in Afforestation were vigorously waged fully displaying their might. As great efforts were also channeled to forest protection, big successes were achieved in the work for eliminating forest destruction caused by reckless felling of trees, taking adequate measures for preventing damages from blights and sufficiently solving firewood problem.

A turf institute specializing in turf research was newly organized at the State Academy of Sciences and good turf species were propagated widely. Now the mountains and fields of our motherland are changing into green forests being propelled by the work to plant trees of good species.

All of such achievements have been made possible thanks to the energetic leadership of respected Comrade Kim Jong Un who holds dear the lovely mountains of our motherland – the patriotic legacy of our great leaders – and devotes his heart and soul to looking after them.

The young trees he planted that day have now grown into tall and green ones, inspiring all the people across the country with zeal of patriotism and love for the native land.