SW China's Natural Forest IncreasedNatural forest in Sichuan Province in southwest China has increased due to logging bans issued by the provincial government in 1998.Since then, 280,000 hectares of trees have been planted and 1.5 million hectares of mountains sealed to protect trees. According to provincial forestry department, by the end of 1999, 172 counties had stopped logging primitive forest and tens of thousands of lumberjacks became tree planters. The department has made the protection of primitive forest one of its two key projects. The province will plant 140,000 hectares of forest and seal mountains to protect 690,000 hectares of forest a year. Due to excessive logging in the past, Sichuan's primitive forest has decreased year by year, resulting in serious soil erosion. About 600 million tons of mud and sand are washed into the Yangtze River each year. |
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