A panoramic view in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture [Photo provided by Publicity Department oYanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture Party Committee]

The Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture – located in Northeast China's Jilin province – has been selected as one of 18 national forestry carbon sink pilots, according to a list of pilot cities or counties for the current year that was recently released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

A forest is considered to be a carbon sink if it absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases. Carbon is taken from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. 

The national forestry carbon sink pilots will use the carbon storage function of the forests to improve the ability of other forests and ecosystems to absorb and fix greenhouse gases – such as carbon dioxide – through forestry management activities such as forest protection, desertification controls, afforestation and reforestation.

Carrying out forestry carbon sink pilots can consolidate and improve the carbon sink capacity of forestry and grassland ecosystems in the country and it is considered to be an effective way to establish a mechanism for realizing the value of forestry ecological products.

Yanbian is located in the eastern part of Jilin province and is rich in forest resources, with the total area under forest management currently at an estimated 4.07 million hectares and a forest coverage rate of 81.49 percent. As such, it is deemed to be an important ecological barrier in Northeast Asia.

Moving forwards, plans are for Yanbian to undertake terrain greening and ecological restoration, and to improve its forest quality as its development direction. The main goal will be improving forest carbon sink capacity, actively carrying out the development of forestry carbon sink projects, promoting the continuous growth of forestry carbon sinks in the entire region and boosting high-quality economic development.