Beijing (TDI): China expanded its greening efforts in 2024, adding 7.67 million hectares through tree planting and land restoration, advancing afforestation and high-quality development, according to a bulletin released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Wednesday, which is the 47th National Tree Planting Day in China.
A total of 4.446 million hectares of forest were planted in China, exceeding the 3.998 million hectares afforested in the previous year, about 3.224 million hectares of degraded grassland were restored, and 2.783 million hectares of sandy and stony land were treated, bringing the national forest coverage rate to surpass 25% and total forest stock volume beyond twenty billion cubic meters, according to report.
Last year, afforestation enhanced urban and rural landscapes, making cities and villages greener and more livable with over 6,200 pocket parks around urban areas built, and more than 7,300 kilometers green belt in cities constructed.
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China also promoted the improvement of rural living environment by setting up farmland shelterbelt networks.
While over 50,000 kilometers of highways were greened last year, the countrywide railway greening rate reached 85.9%.
Efforts to protect and restore ecosystems intensified, with twenty-seven projects of the holistic protection and land restoration during the 14th 5-Year Plan (2021-25) period promoted.
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Over 5 million hectares of land underwent ecological restoration.
In a major step toward combating desertification, nearly 3.80 million hectares of sandy and stony land were rehabilitated in 2024 as part of the effort in promoting the construction of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, a large-scale afforestation project covering 4.069 million square kilometers in the northeastern, northern and northwestern regions in the country.
