Plant 10,000 Trees in Northern China

From July 10 to July 26, 2025, the  Million Trees Project team visited Inner Mongolia forest sites and conducted surveys on growth, soil, tree cores, and ecology. In the first week, with the assistance of six volunteers, the team surveyed the forest sites that had been planted for over 10 years and were in a stable phase. This included three parts: growth data, soil sampling, and tree cores. The growth survey measured tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), basal diameter, and tree row spacing. Collecting this data allows for a clear understanding of the forest site growth status and what needs to be considered in subsequent forest maintenance.

The soil survey mainly investigated the accumulation and changes of soils in the forest sites. This included determining the basic soil type, collecting and weighing the surface crusts on the surface, and analyzing the rate of decomposition.

The tree core survey was conducted for the first time this year. By drilling holes in the tree trunks to collect core samples, the team analyzed and determined the tree's growth rate, age, firmness, environmental pollution, and nutrient transport.

In the second week, eight volunteers participated in the ecological survey. Each day's survey began with a hike of several kilometers through sandy terrain, traversing countless rows of trees to find markers for previous sampling points. Once a sampling point was found, the team used a one-meter square sample frame to obtain important data such as plant species diversity and vegetation structure.

From October 14 to November 1, 2025, the Million Trees Project organized and employed three local farmers to conduct random sampling measurements on all the forests planted between 2013 and 2025. During the survey, 22 forest plots were visited, and measurements of over 2,800 standing trees were completed, including measurements of tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and basal diameter. It's show that the overall average survival rate of the surveyed forest plots reached 74.53% in 2025.

Links:

• http://www.mtpchina.org/blog/2025-notes-on-2025-inner-mongolia-summer-forest-survey

From April 4 to 14, 72 volunteers from 9 companies and 2 schools participated in the tree planting trips in Inner Mongolia. The volunteers worked hard together to plant trees to fight desertification. In spite of the wind-blown sand, snow and rain pummeling the planting site, the volunteers planted 1077 poplars on the sandy land, and had the most unforgettable experiences.

After putting on gloves and picking up the shovel, volunteers walked into the bare sandy land in rows. Wild weather brought strong wind, sudden rains, hail and snow, and it’s extremely difficult to dig holes on the frozen land. It was a challenge for all the volunteers. 

Volunteers also visited the Taminchagan Desert and went to the MTP forest planted in 2011 and 2012 to prune trees. In the desert, strong winds rolled up sand and kept knocking hit on the faces of volunteers. In the forest, tall and upright tree rows became a natural shelter for the volunteers, protecting them from the wind. 

During the event, the staffs from SRS introduced the backgroud information about desertification and what it is caused by, making volunteers understand more intuitively and realize the necessity of desertification control.

On the last night of the planting trip, volunteers shared their feelings with each other. The volunteers tasted the hardship on fragile and dry sandy land and in the strong winds and heavy snow. Trees would grow and provide shelters in the future. The road of planting trees is an extremely arduous one that requires generations to work on it. But after a storm, there will always be a rainbow, and tree planting led us to a greener future.  

(The photos are taken by Mattias Isaksson, Ting Chen, Jiayuan Guo, Uncle Fisher)

Links:

• http://www.mtpchina.org/blog/2025-inner-mongolia-planting-trip-of-2025