The tree fellers who became green sentinels of forests

China's decades-long forestry management programme has transformed trees from being primarily a source of timber to a multifaceted resource that can improve soil, stop the encroachment of deserts, earn income and become a focal point of tourism.

- By YUAN HUI and LI SHANGYI

Finding prosperity through protection and conservation rather than exploitation has been the core tenet of this programme.

The country’s forests now cover more than a quarter of the country’s landmass, with the stock surpassing 20 billion cubic metres. In northern China the human-made forest shelterbelt acts as agreen guardian, shielding the region from wind and sand, and combating desertification.

The forests of the Three-North Shelterbelt Programme not only create an environmental security barrier in the north but also serve as engines for green growth, fuelling local industries such as forest-based agriculture and ecotourism. This vast sea of trees protects the land and sustains local livelihoods.

Ma’anshan Forest Farm in Chifeng, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, named after the saddle-shaped mountains that surround it, covers 10,007 hectares and boasts a forest coverage rate of 95.7 per cent. The area, once desolate and eroded, has become a tourist attraction and a model for under-forest economies that benefit local people.

“When I was young, these hills were bare and scarred by severe soil erosion,” said Zhang Ruiwen, 51, a forest ranger who has patrolled the area for more than 20 years. “Now it's all green and full of life, and pheasants and squirrels are a common sight.”

The farm, founded in 1962 with less than 20 per cent forest coverage, has been transformed through the hard work of three generations of foresters. Locals, cherishing the hard-won greenery, have shifted from traditional logging to sustainable management.