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Forest coverage expands in China's largest forest zone

Xinhua, March 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Arxan national forest park in the Greater Hinggan Mountain. [File photo]

The forest coverage of northeast China's Greater Hinggan Mountain forest zone, the country's largest, has been expanding thanks to better protection and a ban on commercial logging in natural forests.

The growing stock in the forest area reached 571 million cubic meters in 2015, up 8 percent over that in 2010. The forest area in the region reached 6.84 million hectares in 2015, up 1 percent from 2010, according to the Greater Hinggan Mountain prefecture resources administration on Monday.

The forest coverage rate stood at 81.86 percent in 2015, up 0.91 percent over that in 2010, according to the administration.

To protect nature, the central government plans to ban all commercial logging in natural forests by 2017.

Tens of thousands of former lumber workers have become forest guardians. More than 17,000 people based at 359 protection stations are responsible for protecting forests in the area.

By 2020, commercial logging of state forests will be reduced by about 20 percent and total forests are expected to increase by more than 6.6 million hectares, an area more than twice the size of Belgium. Forest growing stock will increase by more than one billion cubic meters.