Beijing will continue a forestation project through winter in a bid to present a good city look for next year's Olympic Games, local newspapers has reported.

The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry planned to plant trees and grass of 50 ha., which is scheduled to finish by April 30 next year, besides more than 410 ha. of ground cover plants and 2 million trees already planted, The First news paper reported.

Zhou Jianping, an official with the Bureau said 85% of the Olympic forestation project had been finished and they would focus on growing plants around the Olympic sites and media village this winter.

"The media village, Athletes' Village and the Olympic park as well as a number of Olympic venues will see a total of 50 ha. of forestation," Zhou was quoted as saying, adding that 4,500 workers were in the full swing of the project.

"Although it is winter, we believe our project will not be affected by the low temperature," he said.

"All the trees are indigenous species, provided by plant nurseries in Beijing suburbs. The trees were all picked after careful selection," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency December 26, 2007)