By Xinyi Li, EDITOR
On June 4, 2019, Chongqing Land Greening Action On-site Training Conference released that, at the end of May this year, Chongqing had completed a total of 2383.3 square kilometers of afforestation. Afforestation is the process of planting trees, or sowing seeds, in an arid land empty of any trees to create a forest. How large is this? According to the standards of the FIBA and FIFA, the area of this afforestation is equivalent to 5.674 million basketball fields or 333,000 football fields.
According to the introduction of the person in charge of Chongqing Forestry Bureau, Chongqing will complete 4266.6 square kilometers of afforestation this year, and 55.9% of them have been completed already.
Chongqing has completed 2383.3 km2 of afforestation, equivalent to 333,000 football fields in the first 5 months in 2019
The city has 351.3 square kilometers of returning farmland to forests, 260.67 square kilometers of sparse forest land and uncultivated forest land, 80.67 square kilometers of rural Four-Side Tree Planting (roadside, ditch-side, canal-side, and house-side) land, 290.67 square kilometers of new agroforestry and characteristic economic forests, 454 square kilometers of transformed agroforestry and unique economic forests, 397.33 square kilometers of forests, 219.33 square kilometers of national stipulated shrubbery, and 329.33 square kilometers of young forests.
In the first half of this year, 8.925 million people in the city participated in the voluntary tree planting with an accumulative total of 42.357 million trees.
Focusing on critical projects and areas, the project highlights the most appropriate land such as 15-25 degrees plus of steep sloping arable land, valuable water sources, and severely polluted arable land. It emphasizes the development of particular forestry industry, building bases for woody oil plant, bamboo shoots, Chinese herbal medicines, precious materials, and national reserve forests. The project emphasizes quality management and adopts fine seeds and exceptional methods.
Additionally, farmers support and participate in the process of returning farmland to forests, solve the problems of afforestation and land use security. They make use of suitable wastelands for forests, sparse forest land, and uncultivated forest land, especially the rural four-side tree planting land, to carry out rural greening and beautification. The project attracts all types of social capital to invest in forestry construction, makes full use of developmental and policy-oriented financial policies to support the development of national reserve forest bases.
Relative link:
Mayor of Chongqing: Playing Important Role in Promoting Green Development on the Yangtze River Economic Belt
Source: Chongqing Morning News