Beihu district locates in the central part of Chenzhou city, Hunan province, covering 8 counties and 7 sub-district office, one national landscape, one Hunan provincial town industrial zone with over 1.25 million mu land areas. It was reported that forest coverage rate of Beihu district is about 67.3%, covering 0.87 million mu. It is one of the key forestry districts of Hunan province. Followed with the requirement of “solutions on closing hillsides to facilitate afforestation in Beihu district” issued in March, 2011, all cadres and Beihu district people carried out the afforestation work well to upgrade the ecological condition accordingly.

First, more measures to close hillsides

To close the hillsides is foundation of afforestation. On this point, Beihu district carried out many different measures with scientific plans and achieved good results. First, enhanced propaganda work was handled out in Beihu district. Besides publishing more brochures and posters to make the afforestation work well-learned by all people, TV, newspapers, radio, network and some other ways were used by the district to encourage more people join in the afforestation work actively. Second, medium-term and long-term plans were figured out to handle the afforestation management on Beihu district’s practical condition. Third, lines were drawn out to specify the areas where were closed for afforestation and where were forbidden to graze.

Second, enhanced management to ensure the afforestation work

To reach better afforestation effect is the purpose for closing hillsides. Combined with some activities as “establishment of national forest city”, “three-year greening project”, etc. carried out in Chenzhou city, Beihu district developed its unique sustainable forestry method on afforestation. First, good quality afforestation was obtained by Beihu district.

According to the data, more than 0.1 million mu forest tending work have been done by Beihu district in recent two years, 15,000mu of which was enrolled in the list of central subsidized projects with over 1.50 million yuan subsidies. Large scale afforestation work was carried out by the district to make sure no forestry land to be abandoned. With all the efforts, forest growing stock was increased from 1.24 million cubic meters to 1.32 million cubic meters in two years, up 6% and forest coverage rate was increased to 67.3%, up 0.8%. Second, good profits were obtained by Beihu district. Some leading forestry enterprises were developed with the afforestation work and some ecological industries were developed on the process, which helped to increase the total out-put value of forestry to one billion yuan. Third, more features were obtained by Beihu district. Some featured measures, more forms of investment and more ways of funds collection were figured out on the development of afforestation work, which helped to consolidate the achievements obtained for afforestation.

Third, strict regulation to prevent disaster

Besides the closing and tending work of forest, strict regulations are required to protect and ensure the achievements of afforestation. Some of the regulations are as follow: first, prohibiting cutting and stealing trees- heavy punishment would be implemented on the illegal behaviors to cut and steal trees in the specified areas. Special actions were carried out to deal with the illegal behaviors. With two years efforts, the condition becomes much better now. It was learned that the forestry administrative cases decreased to 32pcs currently which was much less than 112pcs in 2011. Second, preventing disasters with fire bans- enhanced propaganda, team construction, patrol mechanism, treatment measures, and etc. were prepared in advance to make sure the security of forest. Followed with the requirements of fire bans and notices, much less fire cases happened in 2013. Third, better pest control was implemented to upgrade the prevention of plant diseases. At the meantime, illegal behaviors on hunting wild fauna and flora were forcefully stricken by relative departments to popularize the ecological forestry and promote biodiversity.