Wenzhou Rated Excellent in Implementing FCS

The Zhejiang Provincial Forest Chief Scheme Office recently issued a Circular on  the Results of the Specialized Evaluation on Intensive Use of Natural Resources in the Forest Chief Scheme (FCS) Implementation in 2023. The results show that Wenzhou ranked among top three cities in the province, and was recognized as an outstanding municipal-level unit, and that County-level Cities of Rui'an，Yuqing and Longgang，as well as Counties of Cangnan, Pingyang and Yongjia were listed as excellent in the province. It is reported that with the FCS as the guideline, this city has achieved remarkable results in the high-quality development of forestry since last year, with the local Municipal Natural Resources and Planning Bureau being awarded two national honors, including the National Greening Model Unit.

The comprehensive implementation of the forest chief scheme(FCS) is a major institutional innovation in ecological conservation in China. It is aimed to clarify the responsibilities of leaders at all levels in protecting and developing forest resources, and to establish a long-term mechanism of both Party committee and governments assuming responsibilities, local accountability, departmental collaboration, source governance and holistic coverage for the FCS execution. According to a leader of the Municipal Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, this city has achieved good results in the basic governance of forestry, harmonious coexistence of man and cities, enriching the people with green industries, and ecological protection since last year. The city has 17 forestry projects ranking in the top three in the province, with 7 of them rated as the first.

In order to strengthen the basic governance of forestry, the city further improved the long-term operation mechanism of the FCS last year by establishing and implementing seven rules and regulations for carrying out the FCS, and a system of four-level forest chiefs. Throughout the year, forest chiefs at the township level or above made above 2,666 times of forest inspections, and addressed 243 issues publicized for citizens’ inspection. Their work has been selected as a typical case of innovative FCS implementation in the province in 2023.

To achieve harmonious coexistence between man and cities, Wenzhou rolled out the Wenzhou Wetland Protection Measures in June last year. Last year, the city fulfilled 16 tasks under five categories in the Nomination and Certification Measures for International Wetland Cities, and increased two wetlands of international and national importance respectively. In addition, the city proactively increased greening space. It planted 22,700 mu of trees in fulfilling state forestation tasks (ranking first in the province), upgraded 514,900 mu of trees in implementing the“Zhejiang Provincial 10 Million Mu Targeted Forest Quality Upgrading Project Scheme”, established seven provincial-level forest towns, and built 24 provincial-level demonstration villages for"planting ten thousand or more trees in one village". The completion rate of the above four jobs is 508%, 150%, 140% and 120% respectively. In addition, with its related application approved, Pingyang has become the first county-level national forest county in the province.

Lucid waters and lush mountains are water reservoirs and carbon pools, as well as food and money storehouses. Since last year, the city has focused on rural revitalization and embarked on the path of getting people affluent in a environment-friendly way. The growth rate of the city’s annual total output value in  the forestry industry ranked first in the province. Taishun County was included in the second batch of provincial-level pilot counties for common prosperity by developing forestry, receiving 60 million yuan as financial support from the provincial government.

Furthermore, the sustained growth of the forestry economy has expanded  Wenzhou's forest health-keeping brand influence. Last year, the city was approved as the first national-level pilot city for comprehensive forest health-keeping in the province. Wencheng was selected as a national-level pilot construction county, and Yongjia Academy as the best forest tourism and health-keeping destination in the Yangtze River Delta region. Moreover, the city increased nine provincial-level forest health-keeping bases, rated as first in the increasing and total number in the province. The city also established 17 provincial-level modern forestry economic demonstration zones with a completion rate of 340%, built 10 high-quality forestry sci-tech demonstration bases for an output value of 10,000 yuan per mu of forest land. Wenzhou’s state-owned forest farms donated 26,800 tons of carbon sequestration to the Asian Games Organizing Committee, ranking first in the province in donation amount.(ZhongXin)