A total of 2008 trees will be planted at a park in Beijing this month to express the support of locals for Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

The large-scale volunteer activity at the Olympic Green theme park is in keeping with the city's pledge to host a "Green Olympics.'' Officials from the central government, State Forestry Administration, Beijing municipal government and other units, will take part in the event, which will form a mini-forest.

Significant achievements have been made during the past five years in tree-planting in the nation's capital.

Beijing's forest coverage reached 43 percent in 2000 from 36.3 percent in 1995. The amount of public parkland per person rose from 7.08 square meters to more than 10 square meters in the five-year period.

The city's forest coverage will reach 50 percent by 2005, according to director of the Beijing Forestry Bureau, Song Xiyou.

With an annual investment of 600 million yuan (US$72.3 million) from the municipal government, three different green belts will be developed to protect the nation's capital over the next five years.

President Jiang Zemin and other senior Chinese leaders planted trees at the Olympic Green in northern Beijing, currently under construction on the 17th Voluntary Tree-planting Day on Sunday.

(China Daily 04/03)