Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region this year won a 34.18-million-yuan (US$5.36-million) grant from the central government to care for 320,000 mu (21,333 hectares) of young forests, the local Forestry Administration said.

According to the administration, Ningxia has more than 23 million mu of forests, with young forests covering an area of 7 million mu.

Last year, the region used grant money to launch pilot forest management programs in 17 cities, counties and districts as well as four state-owned forest farms. Since then, forestry officials in the region have cared for 206,700 mu of forests, 3 percent more than the expected.

Ping Xuezhi, director of the administration's afforestation and sand control department, said the program has helped improve the forests' structure, promoting the growth of bigger, thicker trees.