Afforestation efforts make Yantai greener

Yanta, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province, released an action plan earlier this year to advance afforestation and improve the living environments in both urban and rural areas, and the city will plant 3,300 mu (220 hectares) of trees this year.

In recent years, afforestation and greening efforts have been carried out scientifically in line with local conditions and suitable tree types in Yantai. Official data show that the city is now home to more than 8 million mu of forestland, and its forest coverage rate has increased to 36.28 percent, which has ranked first in the province for many years. Thanks to its continuous afforestation and greening efforts, Yantai has received many honorable titles such as National Model City of Afforestation, and National Forest City.

Yantai has launched a number of key greening projects in the past three years, and more than 2 million mu of trees have been planted, which have not only enriched the city's forest resources, but improved its ecological environment.

Local authorities said that Yantai planted 7,691 mu of trees in 2021, accounting for 148 percent of the national and provincial plans. Currently, the city boasts 20 rural forest farms and 13 forest villages and towns at the provincial level.

This year, the city will explore innovative ways to move forward with large-scale afforestation in its barren mountains and on its desolate beaches. Efforts will also be made to push forward scientific greening in an effort to increase both quantity and quality of forest and grassland resources.