36,000 saplings to surround olympic venues

Chinanews, Beijing, March 2 – More than 36,000 young trees will be planted near the Olympic stadiums and gymnasiums and along the roads to them this spring. It took nearly 6 years to cultivate these young trees, including Chinese pines and ginkgoes.   There will be launched 160 “Olympic aforestation projects” in Beijing this year, to cover the Olympic central area, Olympic park, and the areas mentioned above in greenery.   Currently, the 680-hectare north part of the Olympic park has been covered with trees, and the south part will be greened soon. The central area of the 2008 Olympic Games will soon be afforested, too.