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From desert to forest: The green transformation of Xining

By Cui Can: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, August 9, 2018

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In March 2014, Xining sets a requirement that the area of green landscape in the North Mountain Forest Park must remain at a minimum of 400 hectares. [Photo courtesy of Xining Forestry Administration]

However, planting trees in the mountains, where the annual rainfall is 32 centimeters while the annual evaporation rate reaches as high as 130 centimeters, is a tricky proposition.

"Here, planting a tree is harder than raising a child," said Wei Minlao, a 62-year-old veteran tree planter who has worked almost 20 years in the north mountain.

Wei recounted the early days when he arrived in the mountains. "It was mid-April, but deep in the mountains winter was still battling for its last strong hold. We put on everything available, from cotton-padded overcoats to leg wraps. Ice formed on our clothes, turning them into hardened armor under which we sweated," he said. "Many of us, me included, developed severe rheumatism as a result."

Despite the harsh working environment, what worried Wei most was the lack of water in the soil. "Water shortage was one of the biggest problems. The steep hills and stony soil, which cover nearly 90 percent of the mountains, could not provide enough water and nutrition for trees to grow."

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