Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region plans to extend the region's timberland by 1.5 million mu (100,000 square meters) this year to improve the region's ecological environment, including 900,000 mu of newly planted trees and 600,000 mu of seedlings fostered on enclosed hills, said Wang Delin, Regional Forestry Bureau Head.

Wang said this year's forestation will also highlight planting trees along the east stretch of the region's Helan Mountain and the Yellow River's irrigational zone.

According to Wang, the region recorded 1.523 million mu of new timberland last year, with a total of 20 million trees voluntarily planted by local residents.

Statistics show that Ningxia registers 32.66 million mu of timberland, including 9.27 million mu of forestland, which accounts for 11.89 percent of the regional land.