Forest Areas in Guangdong on IncreaseForest resources in south China 's Guangdong Province are on the increase in the past 15 years, according to Guangdong's Forestry Department.The province's forest area had more than doubled, from 4.6 million ha in 1985 to 9.3 million ha last year. Its forest coverage rate had also increased from 27.7 percent to 56 percent in the same period, statistics show. The province launched a ten-year afforestation program in 1985, and since then its forest area has scored a year-on-year increase of 660,000 ha. Up to now, Guangdong's forest increase has surpassed forest consumption on a yearly basis. The province has now established a sound ecological system consisting of water-conserved forests covering 70 percent of the provincial area, 3,400-km coastal protection forests, and shelter forests in 208,000 hectares of farmland in 35 counties. The provincial government has issued a series of regulations to punish those involved in destroying forest resources or other related illegal activities. Meanwhile, forests for commercial use have also been planted, including 830,000 ha of forests for lumbering, 330,000 ha of fast- growing eucalyptus forests and 930,000 ha of woods with high economic value like tea, fruits and bamboo. |
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