Guizhou to increase forest coverage rate in 2022

A forest in Xinren Miao township, Qianxi city, Southwest China's Guizhou province [Photo/colorful Guizhou network]

Southwest China's Guizhou province aims to plant 2.75 million mu (183,333.33 hectares) of forest and increase the forest coverage rate to 62.8 percent in 2022, according to the Guizhou Department of Forestry.

In 2022, Guizhou will take comprehensive measures to treat 600 square kilometers of rock desertification, restore the ecology of 200,000 mu of grassland, and plant 1.8 million mu of national reserve forests.

Guizhou will also work to create and modify 1.42 million mu of featured forestry sectors, have 29 million mu of forests developing a forestry derived economy, invest 16.8 billion yuan ($2.64 billion) in the forestry industry, and achieve 400 billion yuan in forestry output.

In 2021, Guizhou restored 2.99 million mu of grain plots to forest, treated 640 square km of rock desertification, planted 2.15 million mu of national reserve forest, and achieved a 44.22-percent rural green coverage rate.

With its abundance of forest resources, Guizhou has established a forestry carbon sink research center and provincial forest carbon neutrality action alliance to help realize the goal of reaching peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality.