South China's Guangdong province has registered a total of 23,179 old trees following a year long "tree census."

The registered trees are at least 100 years old and have special historic or cultural value.

According to the local forestry administration, 693 of the trees are 500 years old or older, and the oldest, a 1,300-year-old litchi found in a Buddhist temple in Xinxing County, is believed to have been planted by a famous monk.

The administration found 24 endangered tree species and 22 species under special protection by the central government.

A Chinese banyan with a crown covering 1.15 hectares was found on a small island in Jiangmen City, and another Chinese banyan with a trunk circumference of 16.2 meters was discovered in Luoding County.

The tallest tree found was a 44-meter fir tree in Shixing County.

The number of old trees continues to decline due to inadequate protection, the administration said.

The forestry administration plans to establish a data bank of old trees and track all of those older than 500 years with the use of the GPS system in order to protect them as well as possible.

(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2003)