National forest cover continues to increase

China's mass greening projects have made remarkable achievements over the years and increased forest resources have boosted the country's green economy, the forestry authority announced on the International Day of Forests this Monday.

Between 2016 and 2020, China planted 64 million hectares of forest, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA).

With 220 million hectares of forests and forest coverage at 23.04 percent according to the administration, last year alone, 3.6 million hectares were added, more than double the area of Beijing.

China also has the fastest growing forest resources in the world. In 2019, NASA satellites showed that the world is literally greener than it was 20 years ago, and that China is leading the increase.

By the end of last year, national forest stock reached 17.56 billion cubic meters with a carbon storage value of 9.2 billion metric tons, according to the administration.

"Afforestation not only helped China become greener but has also contributed to the improvement of living conditions," said Zhang Wei, director of the administration's environment protection and restoration department.