STORY: Ten years on, logging ban in Khingan Mountains in NE China revives natural forests
SHOOTING TIME: March 20, 2024/File
DATELINE: March 31, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:33
LOCATION: HARBIN, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Khingan Mountains
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): QI YONGGANG, Person in charge of fire prevention in a forest farm in Mohe City
3. various of the Khingan Mountains
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): SHI RUIJUAN, Villager in Beiji Village, Mohe City
5. various of the tourism industry in the Khingan Mountains
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG FUSHENG, Employee, Greater Khingan Forest Industry Group
7. various of agricultural products
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): HE XIYAN, Employee, Greater Khingan Forest Industry Group 

STORYLINE:

China's ban on commercial logging in the Khingan Mountains has helped the red pine forest revive its former glory over the past decade. 
China is home to about 60 percent of the world's red pine trees, with more than half of them scattered in the Lesser Khingan Mountains.

Known as the "king in the forest," the red pine plays an important role in the ecosystem, helping with carbon sequestration, climate regulation, and water conservation.

The red pine resource once supported a thriving lumbering industry.

However, excessive logging over long periods sharply reduced forest resources.

After the logging ban was initiated in 2014, local workers put down their axes and took up farming or became forest rangers.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): QI YONGGANG, Person in charge of fire prevention in a forest farm in Mohe City
"Since logging was banned ten years ago, the ecology of our forest area has been gradually restored. Now our forest farm has a total operating area of 546,600 mu (36,440 hectares), and the total forest volume has increased to 3.29 million cubic meters, with a forest coverage rate of 92.66 percent."

The sound environment has boosted the local tourism industry.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): SHI RUIJUAN, Villager in Beiji Village, Mohe City
"I'm a native of the Beiji Village of the Greater Khingan Mountains. I was 30 when the logging ban was implemented. We used to make a living on my husband's job as a logger. Over the past 10 years, the forest of the Greater Khingan Mountains has become denser and the ecology has become better, which has drawn an increasing number of tourists. Now, more and more households in the village run bed-and-breakfast (B&B) businesses. Our days are getting better and brighter."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG FUSHENG, Employee, Greater Khingan Forest Industry Group
"Our deer farm has been in operation for more than 10 years. Now we have more than 70 sika deer and a dozen reindeer. Visitors from across the country flock here for a close encounter with these animals. Tourism experienced a significant surge last year, with five to six hundred tourists visiting daily."

Local residents have also boosted their income by selling high-quality agricultural products through live-streaming platforms.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): HE XIYAN, Employee, Greater Khingan Forest Industry Group
"My income has increased a lot in recent years through live-streaming. Now many of our colleagues have joined us to do live-streaming to promote local products. During our spare time, we introduce our mountain products, such as the daylily in my hand, and the wild trollflowers, to tourists. At the same time, we also introduce local customs, history and culture to our viewers."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Harbin, China.
(XHTV)