Output value of China's forestry industry hits record

GUIYANG - The total output value of China's forestry industry exceeded 7.1 trillion yuan ($1.1 trillion) in 2017, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said Sunday.

The output was only about 134 billion yuan in 1994, not more than one fiftieth of the latest figure, officials from the administration said during the three-day Eco Forum Global Annual Conference that closed in Southwest China's Guizhou province on Sunday.

Trade volume of forest products topped $150 billion last year, according to the administration.

Over 52 million jobs have been created thanks to the forestry industry, which generates about 20 percent of net income for low income population in mountainous areas and has become a pillar industry in local development.

China is home to 306.7 million hectares of forest, 400 million hectares of grassland, 53.3 million hectares of wetland and another 53.3 million hectares of governable sand land, which constitutes a huge resource potential and market advantage, said Peng Youdong, deputy head of the administration.