Guyuan has planted trees on more than 40,000 hectares of land a year over the past two years, while also controlling soil erosion across an average of 300 square kilometers a year, Hua said. Forest coverage has increased to 16.1 percent from just 1.4 percent in the 1970s, when the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program began. Grassland vegetation coverage now stands at 86.7 percent, while the soil conservation rate has reached 80.5 percent.

Building on its ecological resources, Guyuan is developing the Liupan Mountain National Park and pursuing recognition as a national forest city. The city is also promoting ecological industries such as forest beekeeping, mushroom cultivation, chicken farming and forest therapy tourism, helping to convert ecological gains into economic benefits.