Mount Tai boasts a forest coverage of 95.8 percent. [Photo/WeChat account: hitaishan]

Mount Tai, one of China's Five Sacred Mountains, located in Tai'an in East China's Shandong province, boasts an impressive forest coverage of 95.8 percent thanks to the dedicated efforts of generations of forestry workers.

With its natural and cultural values well interconnected, Mount Tai was listed as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage site by UNESCO in 1987, the first ever in China. It is home to nearly 4,500 species of flora and fauna. 

The mountain was an important object of the cult worship of mountains starting 2,000 years ago, when emperors paid tribute to the mountain during Fengshan sacrifices to inform the gods of their success in ruling China.

In recent years, the Mount Tai scenic area has been making greater efforts in environmental conservation by upholding the principle of sustainable forest management. With a focus on nurturing healthy scenic woodlands, it aims to create a distinct natural forest by preserving ancient trees, combating harmful organisms, protecting biodiversity, and conducting scientific research and monitoring. 

The Mount Tai Forest Farm has integrated production, teaching, research, technology promotion, and forest tourism. 

In a bid to further enhance the verdant beauty of Mount Tai and enable the public to actively participate in afforestation, the Mount Tai scenic area launched the internet-based "Cloud Tree Planting" initiative on Sept 30, 2021. To date, thousands of individuals have participated in online tree adoption through the "Mount Tai Cloud Planting" WeChat mini program. All funds raised through the initiative will be used for afforestation and tree maintenance.