No massive deforestation on forest farm in NW China's Gansu: Report

Gansu provincial government released an investigation report on Tuesday that said investigators found no massive deforestation or cases of cutting down thriving forests for grape planting for profit in the province's Yangguan Forest Farm.

On Jan 20, a news report by Economic Information Daily said that according to on-the-spot interviews, the forest has shrunk by more than half as the farm expanded its pillar industry of vineyards. The report and photos of deforested spots sparked a wide public outcry online. 

The investigation result cited satellite remote sensing images from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment to show that since 2000 no massive deforestation occurred in the farm. 

However, investigators found several problems reflected in the news report.

From 2007 through 2017, there was a 66-hectare decrease of tree plantation area after dead trees in the area were dug out and replaced with bush-like plants, such as Haloxylon ammodendron, Salix and other shrub species. That led to the drop in tree coverage during that time. In 2018, three hectares of good forest were removed to renovate the farm's irrigation facilities. Recently, some farm workers illegally felled more than 10 full-grown trees, about 3 cubic meters in size which turned out to be alive when logged. 

In response to the vineyard expansion issue in the news report, the result said in 2012, a wine company that rented 133 hectares of land from the farm transformed 27 hectares of deteriorated forest into a vineyard. After then, since 2013, the farm has never added vineyard coverage.

The farm, located on the edge of Kumtag Desert, occupies 1,700 hectares of land, of which 465 hectares are for forests that prevent sandstorms from approaching towns and cities, including Dunhuang, a historical city 70 kilometers away, which is well known for the Mogao caves and collections of Buddhist art. 

The farm was State-owned, in charge of public forests but then shifted to earning revenues on its own by developing the land properly while protecting the forest. To increase income, it leased vineyards to its staff members and 333 hectares of land to three private enterprises, including the wine company. 

Compared with plants used for combating desertification on the farm, grapes can consume up to 12 times as much water, research by the Gansu Sand Control Research Center said.

"Due to the scarcity of water resources in the area, vineyards have taken the forests' share of water and affected forest cultivation," the investigation report said. 

Guo Chunwang, a senior official from Gansu provincial government, said at a news conference on Tuesday that no obvious signs of desertification appear in the Yangguan region so no ecological threat is posed to Dunhuang. 

"The local government will increase the region's forest coverage, enhance supervision over illegal logging, and stop the abuse of water resources," he said. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, no response has been made by Economic Information Daily or its reporters.