Shanghai's forest area has expanded to 1.93 million mu (128,667 hectares), achieving a forest coverage rate of 18.81 percent, according to the latest statistics released by the Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau on March 11.

This progress was partly due to the collective efforts of the city's residents who participated in various volunteer tree-planting activities organized throughout 2023, said the city's greening authority.

During this period, Shanghai significantly bolstered its green initiatives, adding 4,466 hectares of forest, 1,044 hectares of new green spaces, 231 kilometers of greenways, and 430,000 square meters of three-dimensional greening. Additionally, 162 new urban and rural parks were established.

Since 2017, the National Greening Commission has introduced policies for managing voluntary tree-planting, outlining eight forms of voluntary tree-planting responsibilities: afforestation, nurturing and management, natural conservation, adoption and care, facility construction, donations, volunteer services, and more. Eligible residents can choose the suitable responsibility based on their circumstances to fulfill their tree-planting obligations.

Shanghai has been a pioneer with its "Internet + Voluntary Tree Planting" program, providing convenient online adoption and care services through multiple platforms, including the "Government Online-Offline Shanghai" app, the "Green Shanghai" WeChat public account, and the official website of the Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau.

The platforms streamline the process of tree adoption and care online, enabling one-click completion of tasks such as selecting the area, tree species, and payment, making the adoption process more transparent and convenient.

To encourage year-round participation, Shanghai's greening departments at both the municipal and district levels will host multiple public offline activities to facilitate voluntary tree planting throughout the year.

Interested residents can sign up to participate through the "National Voluntary Tree Planting" website (https://www.yiwuzhishu.cn) or the WeChat public accounts of various levels of the city's greening departments.

Source: eastday.com