Tree of life

Lin Zhihai, 60, of Caoyangtai village, Wuqi county, is looking forward to harvesting his first batch of apples later this year.

In 2014, the local government began subsidizing farmers who planted apple trees as a means of expanding the area covered by orchards, reducing soil loss and raising incomes.

After three years of hard work, Lin's trees, mostly the Fuji hybrid, have finally matured and are ready to bear fruit. He planted around 0.6 hectare of trees, and expects to make between 40,000 yuan and 60,000 yuan ($6,330 and $9,494) this year, in addition to the money he makes from growing almonds and peaches.

"In previous years, we could only earn about 2,000 yuan a year by planting corn. We had to work day in and day out and hope bad weather would not destroy our crops," he said.

"Growing apples is very easy because the government subsidizes the seeds and fertilizer, and also trains us to cultivate the trees."

Lin has lived in Yan'an all his life, which means he has witnessed how "the mountains changed from barren to green".

"When I was about 8 years old, I was a shepherd, and our sheep would eat the sparse vegetation that grew in the valley," he said. "Every time the wind blew, sand and dirt would blow in my face. We loved singing while herding, but we could not even open our mouths."

Since 1999, the government has intensified efforts to transform farmland into forests in an effort to restore the environment on the Loess Plateau and reduce flooding along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. By 2016, the policies had created more than 718,000 hectares of woodland in Yan'an, and by last year, about 68 percent of the city was covered with greenery.

"This has changed our lives dramatically," said Lin, who lives with his wife and mother in a large house in the village and drives a minivan.

"We used to plant crops because we had nothing to eat. Now, we don't worry about food because we can earn much more by planting trees and selling the produce, and I can use the extra money to buy food. The apple trees will make my life even better."