News from the recent national "Three-North Regions Buckthorn Resources Construction Working Conference" says: After a dozen years of efforts, great results have been achieved in the "Ecological Project" of China's exploitation of buckthorn resources. The current total area planted to buckthorn in the regions of north, northeast and northwest China has exceeded 20 million mu (15 mu = one hectare).

Buckthorn has the characteristics of resistance to drought, barren, summer heat and severe cold, and of growing fast. It is an effective tree variety which can quickly restore vegetation in the dry and chilly north regions.

Seven years after buckthorns were planted somewhere near the Jungar Banner of Ih Ju League, Inner Mongolia, the vegetation coverage rate in the region has reached 61 percent, and the erosion modulus has decreased from the annual 40,000 tons per sq. km to 5,000 tons, demonstrating great water and soil conservation ecological benefits. Currently, the area planted to buckthorns in Ih Ju League has reached 800,000 mu. The banner's experience is spreading to sandstone areas in Shanxi and Shanxi

provinces and other regions.