Photo taken on July 29, 2020 shows a tree with a tag and QR code in Yanqing, located in the northern suburbs of Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Beijingers have taken part in various voluntary tree planting activities and planted over 210 million trees over the past 40-plus years, local authorities said Saturday.
China designated March 12 as National Tree Planting Day in 1979.
Liu Lili, an official with the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau, said that from 1980 to the end of 2021, the forest coverage rate in Beijing increased from 12.8 percent to 44.6 percent, and the urban green coverage rate increased from 20 percent to 49 percent with the per-capita park green area now reaching 16.6 square meters.
Liu said Beijing has allocated 1,100 mu (73 hectares) of land for citizens to participate in voluntary tree planting activities this spring. Cultural activities are also planned in parks for citizens to experience a green lifestyle. ■
