Shanghai to Plant More ForestShanghai, China's most prosperous metropolis, has set its blueprint of planting 33,000 hectares of forest around the city by 2005, which is estimated to cost 8.8 billion yuan (1.1 billion US dollars).The city aims to increase forests from the present 9 percent of total land area to 15 percent by 2005 when the city will have a total of 56,600 hectares of forests, said Chen Dongxin of the municipal Agriculture and Forestry Bureau. Shanghai plans to build a 500-meter wide green belt outside the 97-kilometer outer-ring road and two 50-meter wide belts running along the 187-kilometer suburban ring road. By 2005, a 30-kilometer long and 100-meter wide forest belt will be build in the upper reaches of the Huangpu River, according to the newspaper. The bureau will strive to improve forestation in suburban areas and expand fruit woods and bring in more new species. Technology will also be introduced to spur the city's afforestation campaign. As the city sits on a monsoon passage, to build large areas of forests in the city will help alleviate Shanghai's "green house effect" by allowing fresh air from the southeast into the city while keeping out cold air form the northwest, said Chen. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |