China's efforts in afforestation have increased forested areas, the percentage of land they covered have made the country an international leader in the field, an official in charge of the state's forestry said in Lhasa Thursday.

Addressing a forestry training program in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Li Yucai, deputy director of the State Forestry Administration (SFA), said China's 46.7 million hectares of man-made forests make up one-third of the world total.

Li noted that the afforestation campaign in China has helped the country's forest coverage rise from 8.6 percent in the early 1950s to the present 16.55 percent, bringing it to 159 million hectares.

Citing the great achievements in afforestation from projects in north, northeast and northwest China, Li said they have played a significant role in the control of desertification and conservation.

Afforestation has also contributed to China's economic growth and helps farmers to get better off, Li said. Annual timber production from commercial forests in the country now amounts to over 67 million tons, the largest in the world.

Meanwhile, Li said, China will shift to a "striding forward" strategy in forestry development, and aims to achieve sustainable development in forestry in the near future by optimizing forestry structure and technology. In line with this strategy, the SFA will focus on six major projects including the conservation of existing wild forests, returning farmland to forests, planting shelter-belt forests, controlling desertification and conserving wildlife.

The "striding forward" strategy is divided into three time-lines, Li added. The national forest coverage is expected to reach19.4 percent by 2010, 24 percent by 2030 and over 26 percent by 2050.

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2002)