Wufeng expands forests and carbon storage
2026-03-12 20:03:57
By Chen Si.
Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County has planted more than 40,000 trees since the beginning of 2026. The county plans to complete 64,000 mu (4,266 hectares) of afforestation this year.
Several ecological restoration projects are underway in the county, including biodiversity conservation, rocky desertification control, afforestation subsidies, sustainable forest management, and natural forest protection.
In recent years, Wufeng has added 306,700 mu of new forest, while volunteers have planted 3.5 million trees through local initiatives.
Public participation has also expanded through an online tree-planting program. The county established nine digital planting bases, and the verified planting compliance rate has reached 98 percent.
Wufeng has fully implemented the Forest Chief System, a three-tier network covering county, township, and village levels. The system includes 132 publicity boards and 578 appointed Forest Chiefs.
Wufeng works with seven neighboring counties and cities through a Forest Chief and Ecological Justice partnership. Eight townships and three state-owned forest farms have signed agreements with 15 neighboring townships and nature reserves to jointly protect forest resources in border areas.
Wufeng is home to Hubei Province’s only afforestation carbon-sink project. The county completed the first-phase assessment covering 20,000 mu, and the project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by about 124,000 tons.
New forest management regulations will open approximately 1.77 million mu for future development. Over the next 20 years, this area is expected to generate 14.5 million tons of carbon sinks. Total revenue is projected at 2.75 billion yuan (400 million US dollars). This includes 180 million yuan in taxes and 1.9 billion yuan for forest rights holders.
Song Yujie, Wang Quanji also contributed to this story.
Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County has planted more than 40,000 trees since the beginning of 2026. The county plans to complete 64,000 mu (4,266 hectares) of afforestation this year.
Several ecological restoration projects are underway in the county, including biodiversity conservation, rocky desertification control, afforestation subsidies, sustainable forest management, and natural forest protection.
In recent years, Wufeng has added 306,700 mu of new forest, while volunteers have planted 3.5 million trees through local initiatives.
Public participation has also expanded through an online tree-planting program. The county established nine digital planting bases, and the verified planting compliance rate has reached 98 percent.
Wufeng has fully implemented the Forest Chief System, a three-tier network covering county, township, and village levels. The system includes 132 publicity boards and 578 appointed Forest Chiefs.
Wufeng works with seven neighboring counties and cities through a Forest Chief and Ecological Justice partnership. Eight townships and three state-owned forest farms have signed agreements with 15 neighboring townships and nature reserves to jointly protect forest resources in border areas.
Wufeng is home to Hubei Province’s only afforestation carbon-sink project. The county completed the first-phase assessment covering 20,000 mu, and the project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by about 124,000 tons.
New forest management regulations will open approximately 1.77 million mu for future development. Over the next 20 years, this area is expected to generate 14.5 million tons of carbon sinks. Total revenue is projected at 2.75 billion yuan (400 million US dollars). This includes 180 million yuan in taxes and 1.9 billion yuan for forest rights holders.
Song Yujie, Wang Quanji also contributed to this story.
