HARBIN — Northeast China's Heilongjiang province saw its forest coverage rate rise to 47.3 percent in 2020 from the former 46.8 percent, thanks to its afforestation efforts, according to the provincial forestry authority.

In the past five years, the province afforested 388,000 hectares of land, raising its forest stock volume from 1.99 billion cubic meters to 2.24 billion cubic meters, according to the Heilongjiang provincial bureau of forestry and grassland.

The province also restored 212,000 hectares of degraded grassland, increasing the average vegetation coverage of its pastures to over 75 percent.

During the period, the province banned commercial logging in nearly 20 million hectares of its natural forests and intensified the crackdown on wildlife hunting and other environmental crimes.

Heilongjiang has announced a target to raise its forest coverage rate to 47.32 percent by 2025.