Thanks to the adoption of quality control efforts, the survival rate of planted shelter forests across three northern areas of China is now double what it was in the late 1970s, said Lei Jiafu, deputy-director of the State Forestry Administration (SFA), at a national conference which began yesterday.

Over 80 percent of the trees planted as part of a massive afforestation effort - the world's largest ecological project - reach maturity, Lei said.

So far this year, more than 1,200 new afforestation methods have been introduced to the millions of citizens who are planting the trees. The goal is to use government investment to create a shelter forest stretching more than 400 kilometers (248 miles) in North, Northeast and Northwest China's 13 municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions, Lei said.

To date, the survival rate of the trees planted has been increased by more than 20 percent by using drought-resisting technology, quality seedlings and airplanes to drop seeds on deserts, plains and steep mountain areas.

China has also made progress in planting trees in arid areas where annual precipitation is normally less than 200 millimeters by using airplanes.

Lei attributed the success to China's decision to earmark 10 percent of the State's investment in the afforestation program to ensure the survival of the planted trees.

To further improve the survival rate, "the government will continue to implement preferential policies for those participating in afforestation and will work to bring every step of the project under strict quality control, including planning, seedling growing, land preparation, forestry operation and management," Lei said.

He made it clear that those who have planted trees and managed the trees will own the trees and benefit from the afforestation.

In addition, instead of simply relying on the State's investment for afforestation as in the past, more non-government funds will be raised, Lei said.

Some new policies, such as open bidding and contracting systems, will also be widely adopted in the years ahead to ensure the survival rate of the planted trees.

To accelerate afforestation, citizens will also be encouraged to buy waste land for the program through open auction, according to the SFA.

Last year, China kicked off the fourth phase of its long-term afforestation project, meant to intensify the fight against advancing sand dunes over the next 10 years.

In the fourth phase, a "Green Great Wall" of shelter forests is expected to be created, extending more than 4,600 kilometers (2,858 miles).

Between 2001 and 2010 at least 3.8 million hectares (9.4 million acres) of forests are expected to be planted in the three northern regions in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, and also in Beijing and its surrounding areas.

(China Daily September 4, 2002)