Guizhou's secret of green development

Forests stretch into the distance at a State-owned forest farm in Guizhou. [Photo/colorful Guizhou network]

Southwest China's Guizhou province has seen the fastest increase in its forest coverage in all of China for several years.

Over the past 10 years, Guizhou afforested 50.97 million mu (3.4 million hectares) of forest, bringing its total forested area to 109.4 million hectares by the end of 2021. Its forest coverage rate increased from 47 percent to 62.12 percent.

Forest coverage refers to land covered in forest. According to forest law, forests include arbor forests, bamboo forests and shrubs specially stipulated by the State.

The secret to improve the forest coverage rate is the protection and cultivation of forest resources, which requires the cooperation of various forestry departments, according to the Guizhou Forestry Department.

In 2016-20, Guizhou investigated 43,507 cases related to forest resources, 27,315 of which were solved and 16,192 of which were referred to judicial authorities.

Volunteer tree planting is also a way to increase the forest coverage rate. Guizhou has been organizing volunteer tree planting activities on the first workday after the Spring Festival holiday for the past eight years.

In the first quarter of this year, Guizhou arranged for 5.2 million people to voluntarily plant 31.86 million trees over an area of 1.89 million mu, accounting for 151.29 percent of its quarterly tree planting goal.

In the past 10 years, Guizhou restored 16.95 million mu of farmland to forest, accounting for 22.75 of the country's total afforested farmland and ranking first in the country.

Guizhou also prevented or reversed the expansion of 13,100 square kilometers of stony deserts in the past 10 years, an area in which it also ranked first in the country.

By 2025, Guizhou's environmental quality is expected to be among the best in the country, and its forest coverage rate is expected to reach 64 percent.