The International Day of Forests has been celebrated on March 21 since 2012, calling people to pay attention to the green lungs of our planet. The theme this year is "forest and health," reminding us how forests purify the water, clean the air, and provide food and life-saving medicines for all living beings on Earth.

Forests cover 31 percent of the global land area. More than half of the world's forests are found in only five countries, namely, Brazil, Canada, China, Russia and the United States. Over the past decades, China has played a key role in making the world greener. 

In 1949, the forest coverage rate of China was only 8.6 percent, and the national forest area just over 80 million hectares. The implementation of big national projects like the Three-North Shelter-belt Forest Program, the Beijing and Tianjin Sandstorm Source Control Program and natural forest protection program, not only improves the ecological environment in China, but also contributes to the world's new forest area.

According to China's Land-greening Bulletin, the national forest area in 2022 has reached 231 million hectares and the forest coverage rate has increased to around 24 percent. At present, China's forest area ranks fifth in the world and China's planted forest area ranks first globally, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

"The NASA satellites have watched Earth grow greener over the last 20 years. China has added 25 percent to this global increase, and 42 percent of China's green cover comes from extensive forestation." said Zhu Qingke, Professor at Beijing Forestry University. 

The National Forestry and Grassland Administration is now compiling the Three-year Action Plan on Large-scale scientific land-greening, which specifies China's land-greening targets between 2023 and 2025. According to the plan, the annual land-greening area should be 6.67 million hectares and the annual planted forest area should not be lower than 1.33 million hectares. 

(Cover image designed by CGTN's Li Yueyun, infographic designed by CGTN's Li Wenyi)

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