The Hunshandake large-scale forest farm in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region was recently awarded the title of "Top 10 Forest Farms of China National Forest Farm Association in 2022", according to information from the region's forestry and grassland bureau.

The forest farm is located at the intersection of Hexigten Banner, Duolun county and Zhenglan Banner on the southeastern edge of the Hunshandake Sandy Land.

It is an important water conservation area, a key passage for migratory birds and a breeding area for rare species which protects the ecological security of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

The forest farm obtained the honor due to new management rules and regulations, organizational forms, and business models.

Since the forest farm started construction in 2018, 1.76 million mu (117,333.33 hectares) of forest has been planted, leading to many ecological, economic and social benefits.

In so doing, remarkable results have been achieved in sandy land ecological management, growth of vegetation coverage of forests and grass, control of wind erosion, desertification and soil erosion, and biodiversity.

During the construction process, the forest farm encourages farmers and herdsmen to participate in ecological construction and sign cooperation agreements, stipulating that the land is allowed to be used for afforestation and greening, and the ownership and management rights of trees belong to farmers and herdsmen.

Meanwhile, the forest farm explores and develops industries such as economic forests, Chinese herbal medicines, edible fungi, green breeding and ecotourism.

The planting of red matsutake in the forests of Hexigten Banner has achieved strong initial results, with an output of more than 2,500 kilograms per mu and leading to an income of 25,000 yuan ($3,731.34) per mu.

In addition, farmers and herdsmen can also obtain extra income through forest ownership income and ecological forest ranger management.