China Tries to Build a Tree Wall

Rather than keeping immigrants out, China's new tree wall is designed to keep out the smog-producing sand and dirt that blows south into Beijing from the Gobi Desert.

     To combat pollution's health hazard and fossil-fuel causing climate change, China is employing a 3-pronged plan: 1) manufacturing electric cars and banning gas-fueled vehicles, 2) constructing towers to filter dirty air, and 3) planting a wall of pine and poplar trees.

Trees are the focus here, because electric cars powered by lithium batteries and air-filtering towers were the subjects of the earlier post, "How to Meet the Clean Air Challenge."

     Like the Sahara in Africa that even blows sand into Europe, the Gobi Desert expands into China, covering as much as 1,000 more square miles annually. Besides causing pollution, sand eliminates farming and livestock grazing land and closes roads and rail lines. By adding to the demand on groundwater and the loss of trees for firewood, population growth in Inner Mongolia, directly south of the Gobi Desert, also strips Beijing of any protection from wind blown sand. In both Africa and China, before close analysis, planting trees seems like a good solution to stabilize topsoil, absorb greenhouse gases, and even increase rainfall.

     According to an article in Mother Jones (August, 2017), Beijing's forestation efforts began in 1978 and accelerated as a government priority after 2000. Since then, up to 700,000 villagers have been forced off their family plats to make way for trees. By 2018, the government set ambitious planting targets: 32,400 new square miles worth of trees by the end of the year and an increase in the forested area of China's landmass from 21% to 23% by 2020 and to 26% by 2035. Villagers are paid to plant seedlings, and in 2018 armed police and 60,000 soldiers from the People's Liberation Army were reassigned from duty on the northern border in order to plant trees in Hebei Province around Beijing and the area where China will host the Winter Olympics in 2022.

     In response to the government's commitment to battle sand, the State Forestry Administration gained an incentive to claim the frequency of sandstorms decreased 20% between 2009 and 2014, rainfall increased almost six fold in 29 years, and a high percentage (60% to 75%) of new trees survived three years. By planting trees, running solar power fields, and attracting ecotourists, contractors, such as Wang Wenbiao, who heads the $6 billion Elion Resources Group, are making fortunes implementing these government programs. Wang also owns the Seven Star Lakes Desert Hotel and golf course which has a fountain at the entrance and a green lawn and grove of poplars.

Trees in the fast growing poplar genus include aspen trees that require an extensive root system to acquire the large amount of water desert conditions do not provide. Pictures of what are said to be poplars do not look as though they are growing the 3' to 5' annually that is expected.
     The smog reduction potential of China's electric cars, and maybe air filtering towers, seems to offer more promise than forestation.