XI'AN, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The forest coverage rate of northwest China's Shaanxi Province will reach 45 percent by 2020, according to Shaanxi forestry bureau.

The province's forest growing stock volume will reach 500 million cubic meters by 2020, with areas of nature reserves under protection accounting for over 7.4 percent of its land area. The area of its wetlands will reach 308,000 hectares.

Shaanxi saw a rising vegetation cover in 2018 as the province continues to plant more trees and combat desertification, said Xue Jianxing, director of the province's forestry bureau.

Xue said Shaanxi's forest area increased by nearly 500,000 hectares last year, and its decertified land has shrunk by over 70,300 hectares.

Meanwhile, Shaanxi Province has enhanced its protection of the Qinling Mountains, a natural boundary between northern and southern China. Advanced technologies including satellite remote sensing are introduced to protect forest resources.