An investigation has been launched to determine whether
eucalyptus trees are damaging the environment.
Special task forces made up of forestry officials and experts
have been sent to the cities of Yunfu, Zhaoqing and Meizhou, where
eucalyptus trees are being planted to allow field investigations to
be carried out, according to the provincial forestry department.
Their findings will be published before the end of April.
The investigation was initiated after local deputies to the
Guangdong provincial people's congress and members of the
provincial people's political consultative conference put forward
their views?on the damage caused by eucalyptus trees to the
province's ecological environment.
Li Sidong, a member of Guangdong provincial people's political
consultative conference, urged the forestry department to
strengthen the management of tree planting.
Li, a professor from Guangdong Ocean University, said he was
worried that large-scale eucalyptus planting would reduce soil
quality, suck up moisture and create "a green desert."
The increasing number of these trees has played a part in the
worsening drought in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong in recent years, according to
Guangzhou-based New Express News.
The city government of Yunfu enforced a ban on planting
eucalyptuses a month ago. And Zengcheng, a suburban city of
Guangzhou, has decided to follow.
But many forestry experts have refused to accept that
eucalyptuses have absorbed underground water and are partly
responsible for the drought.
Xie Zhengsheng, a professor from South China University of
Agriculture, said there was not enough evidence to prove that the
trees sucked up large amounts of water.
While another forestry expert, Xu Daping, said it was not
correct to suggest that eucalyptuses had damaged local ecological
environments and that the trees were harmful to the forest animals.
"In Australia the eucalyptuses are home to many small kangaroos and
possums," Xu said.
An official from the provincial forestry department has denied
rumors that the province will ban the planting of any more of the
trees. .
Guangdong started importing eucalyptuses from Australia,
Indonesia and the Philippines in the 1980s. The province has an
area of more than 677,300 hectares of eucalyptus trees.
(China Daily April 10, 2006)