The State Forestry Administration declared on Mar.21 - the World Forest Day - that China planned to afforest an area of 110 million mu (about 7.33 million hectares) in 2005.

Cao Qingyao, spokesperson for the State Forestry Administration, said China realized forestation of 108 million mu (7.2 million hectares) in 2004 increasing total forest area to 2.62 billion mu (about 175 million hectares) - the fifth in the world. China's forest coverage rate is 18.21 percent with a forest stock of 12.456 billion cubic meters. China's plantation area is 799 million mu (about 53 million hectares), which tops the world. Most of the nearly 190 rare and endangered tree species on the national list of key wild plants have been effectively protected.

Cao Qingyao said overall inadequacy in forestry resources, imbalanced distribution, low quality as well as lots of forest land being shifted to other uses and overexploitation of forests are still serious challenges to the protection of China's forestry resources.

In general, Cao said, "overall deterioration and local improvement" is still China's ecological situation. Damage and control are locked in a stalemate at current stage. In the future China will continue to prioritize the protection and management of forest resources, constantly improve the quality of forestry, perfect forest resource management system so as to boost the sustainable development of forestry.

By People's Daily Online