North China's Shanxi province completed the 2020 afforestation goal of the Taihang Mountains Greening Project at the end of November, newly growing over 96.53 square kilometers of forests, according to Shanxi Forestry and Grassland Bureau on Dec 4. 

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), the project completed afforestation of an area of 427.53 sq km in Shanxi province. 

The project increased the planting of mixed forests, cash forests, colorful-leaf tree species and native tree species. It reinvigorated degraded forests and adjusted the tree species, forest density and the forest structure during the period to create a healthy, stable, high-quality and efficient forest ecosystem. 

Due to the greening project, the area of soil erosion in the regions involved in the project was reduced year by year. The local biodiversity was protected, with the population of rare species expanding annually over the past five years.

In addition, the industrial structure was readjusted and optimized in the Taihang Mountains due to the implementation of the greening project -- with the walnut, forsythia and apricot kernel industries now in rapid growth.