Chongming’s forest coverage has reached 30.05%, becoming the greenest area in Shanghai. Chongming Island has 528,000 mu of forest. During the 14th five-year plan period, Chongming will take advantage of the situation and make persistent efforts to promote the modernization of forestry governance system and the governance capacity and further improve the quality of ecological environment.

Shanghai's "lung" strengthened

Over the years, Chongming has adhered to the concept of green development, vigorously promoted the ecological industry, and the excellent ecological environment is becoming the core competitiveness of Chongming's green rise. In 2020, the average value of PM2.5 in Chongming is only 29, 14.7% lower than that in the same period of the previous year; the total number of days with excellent ambient air quality is 335, with an excellent rate of 91.5%, increasing by nearly 6%. Chongming is one of the areas with the best air quality in the city.

On New Year's day this year, Chen Xiaomin, who came to Chongming for the second time from Beijing, said that the green of Chongming blockbusters was the reason why she chose Chongming as her destination again, and the fresh air made her feel comfortable. Chongming was like a "paradise" in a prosperous metropolis. Walking in the woods, green plants were seen everywhere.

All these benefited from Chongming's green project. "Afforestation is a process of dynamic balance, and we need to seek "growth" in "stability." An official of Chongming District Forestry Station told that in 2020, Chongming forest area would increase by 47,000 mu, public welfare afforestation would be vigorously developed, 298,000 mu of ecological compensation public welfare forest would be included, with a net increase of 25,000 mu compared with 2019.

From "construction" to "management"

Afforestation is not only as simple as planting trees, it needs to optimize the comprehensive functions of forest land and make Chongming more livable, so that the public can see green and enjoy green. With the acceleration of urbanization and the improvement of living standards, people's demand for improving the ecological environment is becoming more and more urgent. Meeting people's desire to get close to the forest and return to nature has become the meaning of green development.

"From this year, the focus will shift from large-scale afforestation to improving the quality of woodland and building woodland landscape," an official said. Since 2003, nearly 300,000 mu of Engineering Afforestation has been completed in Chongming. Going forward, efforts will be made to improve the level of greening, color, value and benefit, and jointly make the environment more beautiful and the residents happier.

Holding the 10th China Flower Expo is Chongming's ecological dream. In order to hold the flower expo well, Chongming will carry out the reform of open recreational forest land, thin the "dense forests" and renew the "old forests", so as to improve the quality of forest land and further broaden the ecological service function and ecological benefits of forest land. By building the rest stations, leisure seats, rain shelter corridors and others, the ornamental value of woodland can be improved. In addition, ornamental shrubs will be planted, fitness trails, solar lights at night and other facilities will be added to disperse the pressure of people influxes in the scenic area, and meet the leisure needs of local residents in Chongming.

Exploring the balance of forest ecosystem

Chongming has a higher goal. In the future, Chongming will. synchronized with the construction of open leisure forest land project, take ecological recreation as the management goal, use the concept of “be close to nature forest management”, build “close to nature” mixed forests, build open leisure forests, and form the rudiment of forest park.

Maintaining the ecological law and exploring the balance of forest ecosystem are important conditions for the sustainable development of forest resources in Chongming. To achieve this goal, we still have a long way to go. The forests are luxuriant, the flowers and plants grow freely, the rivers are clear, the birds sing and the flowers are fragrant everywhere, which makes Chongming become a big garden of "independent breathing". The structure and function of forest land reach a relatively stable state. The forest ecosystem has the ability of self-regulation and maintaining a balanced state, which is the future development goal of Chongming.

March 12, 2021 is the 43rd tree planting day in China. It is also the beginning of afforestation in the new year. Chongming will adhere to ecological priority and green development to lay a solid foundation for the next five years.