City in Tibet was treeless, but no more

Official says 98 percent of new trees survive despite harsh climate

Garma Rinchen didn't see trees until he was 15, when his father took him to visit Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region.

"When my father pointed out the bus window at the green trees and explained what they were, I was amazed - as if the air was sweeter and cleaner. I wondered when my hometown would get trees," said Garma Rinchen, 53.