Preserving forest pays dividends for northern city

Surrounded by a forest in Heilongjiang province, the city of Yichun has seen its economy revive in the first half of the year, aided by sustainable utilization of the forest and clean industrial production, which is helping the city stay green.

In the first six months of the year, Yichun's GDP surpassed 9 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), an increase of 6.2 percent year-on-year, according to the Heilongjiang provincial statistics bureau.

Mayor Han Ku said the city will better utilize its vast forest by processing products from within it, rather than cutting down the trees.