Gov't car users obliged to plant trees in Chenzhou

Authorities in Chenzhou, a city in central China's Hunan Province, said Wednesday that government car users are required to plant trees for carbon sinks.

According to the regulation on compulsory tree planting released by the city government on Oct. 9, officials who are allocated government-financed vehicles are obliged to plant a certain amount of trees. The amount of trees to be planted depends on the engine displacement of the vehicle he is entitled to use, said an official.

Those who are using cars with a 1.8L engine or under should plant trees covering 3 mu (0.2 hectares), those with 1.8L to 2.5L engines should plant 4 mu of trees and those with engines over 2.5L should plant 5 mu of trees, according to the regulation.

Officials failing to plant trees due to seasonal and other factors can pay 300 yuan (48 U.S. dollars) per mu as a substitute, it said.

Company vehicle users and private car owners are also encouraged to plant trees, but they are not obligated to do so.

The regulation also requires city residents to plant three to five trees or do three days of gardening every year.P Chenzhou, known as a "city in forest," was hit hard by an ice and snow disaster in 2008 that damaged or destroyed thousands of trees. The regulation aims to restore the city's forestry ecology, the official said.