Song"s story is becoming more common in China"s forestry sector. Forests are increasingly being managed not only as ecological assets, but also as living systems that can support biodiversity, store carbon, provide legal timber and create income for local communities.

　　Since 2011, Wangyedian has partnered with the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation, known as APFNet, on three phases of multifunctional forest management demonstration projects.

　　The projects have restored 760 hectares of degraded forest land, rebuilt about 67 hectares of mixed forest demonstration sites on logged areas and established 133 hectares of forest management demonstration sites.

　　"Red pine mushroom cultivation in Wangyedian has expanded to about 133 hectares, with an annual production of over 5,000 metric tons, making Wangyedian the largest production base of its kind in North China. It also generated over 1,000 job opportunities for local communities, with each laborer seeing an income of over 20,000 yuan," said Ma Chenggong, deputy director of the Wangyedian Forest Farm. The practice has helped turn growers into participants in forest protection, while linking enterprises, research institutes, cooperatives, households and nature education.

　　During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), China"s forest coverage reached roughly 25.1 percent, while its forest stock volume rose to almost 21 billion cubic meters, meeting ahead of schedule the 2030 nationally determined contribution target related to forest stock volume, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

　　Tourists set up tents at a campsite at Huanglong forest farm in Tongcheng, Hubei province, in August last year. LIU JIANPING/XINHUA