The Chinese capital plans to
add 4,200 hectares of trees and lawns to its urban areas by 2010, the government
said Thursday.
A report from the Beijing Municipal Gardening and Forestation Bureau said the
city's per capita "green area" would increase by four square meters to 15 square
meters in the next five years.
The host city of the 2008 Olympic Games has been working to create a greener
environment. The report said some old, dilapidated houses would be demolished
and replaced with new buildings and "green areas."
Beijing has now 38,877 hectares covered by trees and lawns, which represents
an forestation rate of 42 percent.
An earlier report from the bureau said local horticulture workers and
technicians have developed ways to enable chrysanthemums, Chinese roses and
other plants to bloom throughout the summer.
In July and August, Beijing is short of flowers due to the scorching sun but
the horticulturists expect the blooms during the Olympic Games.
