Kinmen National Park held a tree planting event in Zhongshan Forest on March 11, the eve of Tree Planting Day, where park administration officials planted indigenous and adaptive tree species, including camphor trees, Chinese tallow trees, bolly beech trees, Australian laurel and Chinese abelia. The event was part of a broader effort to create a quality leisure and recreation environment in Kinmen, while also promoting it as a low carbon island with a sustainable ecology.
The Kinmen National Park Administration (KNPA) points out that following the arrival of pinewood nematodes in Zhongshan Forest in recent years, dead trees have been regularly cut down to prevent the infestation spreading. As such, trees, shrubs and herbs are sparse in some areas of the vast forest. In addition, long periods of drought in Kinmen have also created a difficult environment for forest growth and so in order to maintain a rich eco-system KNPA has chosen to plant trees suited to the forest environment. This will create an ecologically stratified forest, while also accelerating forest restoration work, increasing forest coverage and eco-diversity.