Lush natural forests photographed under the blue sky in Jilin province [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Northeast China's Jilin province is set to adopt a comprehensive protection model for natural forests, with strict systems and laws in place to protect and restore natural forests and maintain natural forest ecosystems in the province, according to local media reports.

Recently, the Jilin Provincial People's Government issued its "Opinions on the Implementation of the Natural Forest Protection and Restoration System Plan", which clarified the periodical goals of the natural forest protection and restoration program in Jilin province and the policy support system.

According to the plan, by 2025, all 93.82 million mu (6.25 hectares) of natural arbor forests, 800,000 mu of natural shrub forests, and 340,000 mu of natural sparse forests in Jilin will be effectively managed and protected, and a relatively complete natural forest protection and restoration system will be formed.

By 2035, the total area of natural forests in the province will be around 93.82 million mu, and the ecological carrying capacity will be significantly improved.

By the middle of this century, a fully functional forest ecosystem with natural forests as its main body will be established in an all-round way.

Jilin is rich in natural forest resources. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Jilin province is rich in natural forest resources. Natural forests are primarily distributed in the eastern Changbai Mountains. The area of natural forests accounts for 75.4 percent of the forest area of Jilin province, ranking fifth among the 31 provinces in the country.

Natural forests play an irreplaceably important role in conserving water sources, improving water and soil, coping with climate change, and protecting biodiversity.

Jilin began to implement its natural forest resource protection project in 1998, and by 2015, commercial logging of natural forests was completely stopped.

After 23 years of work, the coverage of forests in the province has increased, and the functions of the forest ecosystem have been gradually restored, which has played a key role in building the forest ecological barrier of the Changbai Mountains.