The package included parks, public greenbelts and roadside trees. It's the first time the city put roadside trees in bidding, officials with the Shanghai Green Land Administration Bureau said.

Totaling 300,000-square-meter green areas and 1,300 trees will be covered.

Park areas, including those in Shanghai Arboretum, Shanghai Zoo and the Gongqing Forest Park, totaled 20percent of the bidding area.

Officials said such practices will be expanded in the years to come to help improve green land quality. It's aimed that an unified and opened market in the sector will be initially formed by 2004.

(eastday.com March 29, 2002)