BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- China's forest and grass coverage rate has exceeded 56 percent thanks to its greening efforts, according to a report released on Thursday by the National Greening Commission.

People take part in a tree planting event in Shangqiu, central China's Henan Province, March 11, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

China also celebrated its 48th National Tree Planting Day on Thursday.

China's afforestation areas surpassed 3.56 million hectares in 2025, the report said, adding that the country had also restored nearly 4.93 million hectares of degraded grassland last year.

Meanwhile, China's forest coverage rate has reached 25.09 percent, with forest stock volume totaling almost 20.99 billion cubic meters.

Last year, the output value of China's forestry and grassland industry reached nearly 11 trillion yuan (about 1.6 trillion U.S. dollars), the report revealed.

Ecotourism remained popular, recording over 3 billion trips in 2025, it said.