Three generations of forestry workers from China managed to transform 93,000 hectares of desert into the largest artificial forest in the world.
Saihanba, located in the Hebei province in northern China, managed to increase its forest coverage from 11.4% to 82% in six decades of hard and continuous work.
With this forest and patient work, China effectively managed to block the southward advance of the Hunshandak Desert, which threatened cities.
As a result, the risk of experiencing sandstorms in Beijing in spring has been reduced by 70% over the last decade.
Additionally, it created an essential green lung for the country, which today is home to a vibrant ecosystem of protected flora and fauna.
From desert to ecological barrier: the story of the Saihanba forest in China
400 years ago, Saihanba was home to abundant forest resources and great biodiversity.
However, deforestation and wars turned the area into a desert by the end of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).
The sandstorms generated there even threatened large cities like Beijing, Tianjin, and others to the north.
Therefore, in 1962 the Forestry Administration decided to create the Saihanba Mechanical Forest Farm. To do this, they sent 369 foresters to the area to begin tree planting.
Although the first generation faced extreme cold, drought, and basic tools that made the initial survival of the trees difficult, they were able to do their work.
Now, more than 60 years later, there are already 59,000 hectares covered again with forest thanks to artificial reforestation.
The results of the reforestation project in Saihanba
The total managed area reaches 93,000 hectares, of which the forest covers 75,000 hectares.
Thus, while artificial reforestation covers 59,000 hectares, the secondary forest adds an additional 16,000 hectares.
This achievement allows Saihanba to conserve and purify 137 million cubic meters of water each year.
Additionally, the forest fixes 747,000 tons of carbon dioxide and releases 545,000 tons of oxygen annually, making it a huge essential green lung for China.
Biodiversity and environmental protection in this Chinese forest
Over the years, reforestation has turned the ecological environment of Saihanba into a genetic reserve of species.
Today, the area is home to 261 species of wild terrestrial vertebrates, 32 species of fish, 660 species of insects, 179 species of macrofungi, and 625 species of plants.
Among these species, there are 47 nationally important protected animals and 9 protected plant species.
Additionally, the project currently employs 1,193 workers on the payroll and is considering the implementation of the continuous cover forestry model.
The national reforestation plan of China
Following the success in Saihanba, at the beginning of the 21st century, the Chinese government launched a reforestation plan across the country.
The goal was to turn China into an eco-civilization, covering a territory severely affected by climatic phenomena at the end of the 90s with greenery.
Thanks to this, since 2001 China has recovered an average of 50,000 square kilometers of forest areas per year, according to the State Forestry Administration.
Thus, by the end of 2020, a quarter of China’s territory was covered in green, equivalent to almost 20 million hectares.
Thanks to this plan, China went from 14% forest coverage to almost 23.04%, which is necessary to become an eco-civilization.
This implies a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 18% and a water savings of about 23%, according to the Green is gold report.
The investment in reforestation was around 70 billion euros over five years.
No other country in the world has recovered as many green areas as China in this century.
However, the country still leads the list of CO2-emitting nations and 27% of its territory remains arid.
Thus, although there is still much to be done, the efforts to decontaminate the country through green coverage are undeniable. And their effects are gradually being noticed by the population.
