The forest and pasture coverage ratio in China has exceeded 56%

The coverage rate of forests and pastures in China has exceeded 56%

    Thanks to landscaping efforts, China's forest and pasture coverage ratio has exceeded 56 percent. The National Committee on Landscaping published such data on Thursday, March 12, the 48th Day of Afforestation. In 2025, trees were planted in the country on an area of more than 3.5 million hectares, and the total production of the forestry and pasture industry approached 11 trillion yuan (about 1.6 trillion US dollars).

Key indicators of landscaping in 2025

Achievements in combating desertification

    Earlier, the State Administration of Forestry and Steppe Management of the People's Republic of China reported that China has made significant progress in combating desertification. According to the agency, since 2012, more than 24 million hectares of desolate lands have been turned into green spaces. This is one of the largest ecosystem restoration programs in the world.

Importance for the forestry industry

1. - The growth of the forest fund (20.1 billion m3) and forest cover (25.1%) is the result of long—term government investments in reforestation, commercial forests and combating desertification.
2. - 11 trillion yuan — the volume of production of the forestry and pasture industry is comparable to the GDP of many countries and confirms that forestry is one of the key sectors of the Chinese economy (see earlier — 11 trillion yuan in 2025 according to the National Forestry and Pasture Administration).
3. - Ecological tourism (more than 3 billion trips) is becoming a significant driver of rural and forest development, diversifying sources of income for local communities.
4. - Commercial forests are an important part of China's forestry. The maturation of fast-growing plantations makes it possible to increase domestic wood production, reducing dependence on imports (in 2025, production reached 144 million m3, +5% by 2024).
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Context: production growth and import decline

    As previously reported, in 2025:

•     - China's wood production amounted to 144 million m3 (+5% by 2024).
•     - The total value of forestry and pasture products has approached 11 trillion yuan (a similar figure is confirmed in the report of the landscaping committee).

    At the same time, wood imports in the first quarter of 2026 decreased by 12.4% (to 12.18 million m3), partly due to an increase in domestic production.

Key indicators of China's forestry sector:

The prospects

    China will continue to implement programs for greening, restoring pastures and combating desertification.   The state policy is aimed at:

•     - Increase the forest cover to 26% by 2035.
•     - Further development of commercial forests to meet the domestic demand for timber.
•     - Support for ecological tourism and non-woody forest products (mushrooms, nuts, berries, medicinal herbs).
•     - Conservation and restoration of natural forests, especially in tropical and subtropical regions.
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    For the global market, this means that China will remain the largest importer of wood (despite the growth in domestic production), but the import structure will shift towards higher-quality products (hardwood, engineered wood, deep-processing products), rather than mass-produced coniferous balance wood.

Tags: #China #landscaping #woodland #forest fund #commercial land #ecotourism #desertification #forestry