“The new project will create forest cover in areas prone to wind and water erosion and improve the existing plantation forests by applying the latest technology and research results to modify and transform monoculture forests into mixed species forests that are better for the environment,” said Liu Jin, the World Bank’s senior rural development specialist and task team leader for the project.
The new forests will serve as wind and sand breaks; soil and water conservation basins; and farm land shelter belts for the surrounding communities.
Forests are known as formidable carbon sinks because of their ability to absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Thus, such plantations can help solve China’s burgeoning greenhouse gas dilemma.
Suitable trees and shrubs will be planted on the selected areas, while water collection wells will be established in Shanxi province to address the irrigation needs of the new forests.
Meanwhile, existing forests in Anhui and Zheijiang Provinces will be upgraded to more sustainable multifunction plantations. The forestry program aims to improve these forests’ vegetative cover, resiliency and erosion control capabilities.
It will also stimulate local community participation by providing training and technical services for capacity building of applicable skills and by involving village leaders and farmers in forest management.
Finally, the program will establish a monitoring and evaluation system, which will calculate the environmental benefits of the program and disseminate information to other provinces.
“While the previous World Bank-supported projects focused on improving timber production and plantation quality and standards, the new project is focusing on piloting solutions in managing forests with significant environment protection functions,” said Mr. Liu.
