CRI听力:Beijing to Plant More Trees to Curb Air Pollution

The municipal government has announced that over the next three years it will plant 160, 000 acres of trees around the suburbs, a space which is 90 times larger than the Beijing Olympic Forest Park.

To start, 32,000 acres of trees will be planted this year.

The decision is a quick response to a period of serious air pollution and smog in the city this winter.

According to official statistics, the spaces considered to be "green" in the city are more than 50 percent. That's an increase of some10 per cent from ten years ago thanks to previous planting programs. However, the distribution of green space is unbalanced. While large areas of forests are in mountainous areas, the severely polluted downtown area lacks a sufficient number of trees.

In the densely populated Dongcheng and Xicheng Districts, the total green space is less than 15 percent.

The local government says it's impossible to plant a large amount of trees in the city center due to a lack of land. Accordingly, it will forest the space between the 5th and 6th Ring Roads.

Professor Yang Jun from Beijing Forestry University says that the afforestation site was chosen with special consideration.

"If Beijing wants to expand its green space near the downtown area, the only good choice is to plant trees between the 5th and 6th ring road area. Although it is far from the dense residential communities, a large area of afforestation can curb air pollution indirectly by improving the surrounding environment and normalizing temperature and humidity."

Some residents have raised doubts about the forecasted effects, as many previously planted trees from similar projects are badly cared for.

Professor Yang Jun also expresses his concerns about the program.

"Good conservation and care for trees is just as important as planting them. This afforestation plan is a good opportunity to help Beijing reduce air pollution, so we should select sites and seeds with prudence and care."

Tong Yonghong, an official with the Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry, promises that more green space will be open to public.

"Further expansion of the city's green spaces will also involve the building of more forest parks in eleven new satellite towns. They will become valuable recreational sources for local residents."

Meanwhile, experts point out that planting trees is not enough in the fight against pollution. They believe that the most important thing is to deal with the pollution sources, which will require a much more comprehensive scheme.

For CRI, I am Wu Jia.