In a landmark environmental feat, China has emerged as the undisputed champion of global reforestation, with forest coverage expanding at an unprecedented pace. The National Forestry and Grassland Administration reports that China’s woodland now covers 3.614 billion mu, reflecting decades of strategic green initiatives.
Over the recent 14th Five-Year Plan, the country planted trees across 185 million mu, matching the size of Fujian province and solidifying its position as the fastest-growing green area worldwide. A groundbreaking 2025 Peking University study by Guo Qinghua’s team counted nearly 142.6 billion trees by 2020 – equivalent to 100 per Chinese citizen. Employing cutting-edge ‘drone + LiDAR + algorithm’ methods on 76,000+ plots, this was the first comprehensive national tree census.
The ‘100 trees per capita’ goal vividly illustrates China’s ecological prosperity, combining preservation with massive planting drives. From 2012 onward, Beijing has contributed to greening 1.1 billion mu (73.3 million hectares), representing about a quarter of global new forests. According to the FAO’s 2025 report, China’s yearly forest gain averages 1.69 million hectares from 2015-2025, outpacing all nations.
This achievement arrives amid global calls for carbon neutrality and biodiversity protection. China’s approach – integrating high-tech monitoring, national campaigns, and policy incentives – demonstrates how determined action can reverse environmental degradation, inspiring international efforts to restore our planet’s lungs.