A recent survey using remote sensing technologies shows Beijing 's forests and green belts have totaled 7,529.3 square kilometers, 44.8 percent of its entire area, Beijing Daily reported Saturday.

Hills in the outskirts are the greenest parts of the city: over 6,023 square kilometers, or 57.8 percent of Beijing's hills are covered with trees.

The green coverage in Beijing's plain area is 22.2 percent, amounting to 1,287.3 square kilometers.

About 37.5 percent of Beijing's city proper is covered with trees or grass, totaling 123.2 square kilometers, thanks to the city's sustained landscaping efforts in recent years.

In addition, the city has landscaped 96.2 square kilometers of green belts, mostly along expressways and in outer regions where residential quarters have mushroomed.

Results of the survey were generated from satellite data collected between March and April.

The survey, carried out by the municipal greening committee and information development authorities, marked the beginning of a " digital age" in Beijing's management of forestry resources.

(China Daily July 27, 2002)