On 22nd November, 2016, from the press conference held by the Forestry Bureau of Yichang, which is named “Highlight the Characteristics of Greening and Beautification, the reporter learned that Yichang has taken the lead in the “Green Hubei Province Plan” and accomplished the full forest coverage task, which was issue by the provincial government, one year ahead of the schedule. The work done by our city has made a wonderful subscript to “Ecological Three Gorges, Trial in Yichang”.

　　2At the end of 2014, Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government of Hubei province decided to accelerate the task “Green Hubei Province Plan” and requested all the districts of Hubei to realize the high forest coverage within three years. Under the direction of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government of Hubei province, Yichang has carried out innovative measures to realize high forest coverage and beautification. At the present, the total investment of such plan has reached 4.916 billion yuan and 645 relevant projects have been put into effect and the total length of high quality greened channel reaches 4048 km with 9 million trees planted voluntarily every year and 0.17 million of seedlings planted in the urban area of Yichang. Within two years, Yichang has accomplished 0.37 million mu of forest coverage and greening, accounting for 132% of the plan which is issued by Hubei province specified in the three-year “Green Hubei Province Plan”. According to the inspection feedback conducted by the Provincial Forestry Bureau of Hubei on 31st October 2016, Yichang is the first one, among the rest of districts of Hubei province, who realized the task of “Green Hubei Province” one year ahead of the schedule.

　　Great changes have happen in Yichang since the strategy “Green Hubei Province Plan” and the “Greening and Beautification” actions were implemented. Yichang has launched and accomplished the infrastructures such as larger unban ecological forest, metropolitan park and green way system (including the Park of Moji Mountain, the Park of East Yichang, the Green Way of Dongshan Road, the Green Way of Bingjiang Road, the Green Way of East Yichang ). Laws have been legislated to give life-long protection to the 34 lands of park green space which covers 944 hectare, 8 massifs with the coverage of 1517.73 hectare and 2 water areas. The policy has made sure that the residents of Yichang can “see green plants the moment they step out and enter the park within 5-min walk”.

　　The forest coverage rate of Yichang has reached 65.7%, ranking the first among other cities of Hubei province. 3 counties of Yichang have been awarded “Ecological Pilot County”, 7 villages and towns are “the Forest Village and Towns” and “Green plants Pilot Village” have been awarded to 162 villages.

　　“The Green Hubei Province Plan” has beautified the rural and urban areas and raised the salary of the residents. Quite a few peasants become well-off and healthier because of the forest. During the whole process of implementation of the plan, the municipal party committee and municipal government attach importance to the improvement of people’s livelihood and the construction of well-off society of the whole rural areas. The municipal government has issued the Opinion on Accelerating the Development of Forestry-featured Industry, which focuses on introducing the development measure and incentive methods to promote the characteristic forest industry, giving priority to the development of walnut, camellia and other woody oil plants, developing featured economic forest industries such as the flower seedlings and woody herbs, dried and fresh fruits, developing other emerging industries such as forest economy and forest food, forest tourism and ecological rehabilitation and accelerating the development of forest industry and improving people’s lives.

　　Up to now, in Yichang, the base of oleaginous forest hit one million mu and 0.1845 million mu of planting and flowering base with 128 leading enterprises of forestry industrialization. Yichang’s gross forestry output value amounts to 32.585 billion yuan in 2015, a fulfillment of the aim of “development in ecology, industry and agro-forestry” from which people have reaped great benefits. (Reporter: Li Pengfei Correspondent: Ke Xiaoyu)