Gar County in Xizang was once barren with scarce trees and frequent sandstorms. After decades of persistent afforestation, the county seat is now surrounded by 50,000 mu (about 3,333 hectares) of shelterbelts.Lush trees line urban roads as well as national and provincial highways.Four plant species act as the “green guardians” of Gar County: tamarisk, Populus bangongensis, Populus simonii and sea buckthorn. Look how luxuriantly the clusters of tamarisk blossoms bloom!

Editor: Zhang Qi, Zheng Yujie

Translator: Zhi Xinghua, Dan Zhen

Review: Drakpa Wangchen, Zhang Yiming