Forest's decay boosts risk of sandstorms

A forest planted decades ago to prevent sandstorms from hitting northern China is in a severe state of decay.

The tree line covers more than 102,000 hectares of northern Zhangjiakou, a city in Hebei province about 200 kilometers from the capital.

According to forestry officials, 92 percent of the poplars last year were "hypermature", meaning they have been decaying for a decade. A third of the forest is dead or dying and 48,800 hectares are growing poorly.