China plants 7.67 million hectares of forest in 2024: National Forestry and Grassland Administration
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 the country, exceeding the 3.998 million hectares afforested in 2023, 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 percent and total forest stock volume beyond 20 billion cubic meters, according to report.
In 2024, afforestation enhanced urban and rural landscapes, making cities and villages greener and more livable with more than 6,200 pocket parks around urban areas built, and over 7,300 kilometers green belt in cities constructed. The country also promoted the improvement of rural living environment by setting up farmland shelterbelt networks. While more than 50,000 kilometers of highways were greened last year, the nationwide railway greening rate reached 85.9 percent.
Efforts to protect and restore ecosystems intensified, with 27 projects of the holistic protection and land restoration during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period promoted. More than 5 million hectares of land underwent ecological restoration.
In a significant step toward combating desertification, around 3.80 million hectares of sandy and stony land were rehabilitated last year 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 of China, which is close to half the size of the country and is the world’s largest desertification control project.