BEIJING -- China will launch a nationwide initiative to tag and protect ancient and notable trees, reinforcing their status as "green national treasures" and "living cultural relics," a senior official of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) has said.

The move follows the enactment of China's first national-level regulations to protect ancient and notable trees, which will come into effect on March 15, Zhang Liming, director of the NFGA's ecological protection and restoration department, was quoted as saying by a report in the Science and Technology Daily on Monday.

Zhang said the regulations align with China's broader goals of building an "ecological civilization" and preserving cultural identity.

The regulations establish legal frameworks for resource surveys, conservation, and cultural preservation, as well as penalties for damaging these natural assets, addressing gaps in existing laws.

According to the regulations, ancient trees are those that are over 100 years old. Notable trees, which hold historical or cultural importance, play a crucial role in biodiversity, cultural heritage, and ecological sustainability.

A national survey conducted from 2015 to 2021 identified 5.08 million ancient and notable trees in China, 246,600 of which were in urban areas.

The survey results showed that the majority of China's solitary ancient trees are aged between 100 and 299 years, totaling 987,500. There are 160,300 trees aged between 300 and 499 years and 68,200 trees are over 500 years old, which includes 10,745 trees over 1,000 years and notably, five trees over 5,000 years.

Regarding the trees' vitality, slightly over one million trees are considered normal, 157,700 are weak, and 26,300 are endangered, according to the survey.

The regulations permit limited scientific and cultural utilization of these resources, such as genetic studies and eco-tourism, provided the trees' health is not compromised.

Despite progress made to protect the ancient and notable trees over the past decade, illegal logging and transplantation, irregular enforcement, regional disparities in protection standards, and occasional vandalism necessitate stronger safeguards, according to Zhang.

Next, authorities will conduct another national survey to update tree databases, implement a smart management system for "one-tree-one-file" monitoring, and mandate uniform tagging and tailored protective measures, said Zhang.

In addition, efforts should also be made to explore funding mechanisms, including insurance schemes and central fiscal support, while advancing research on conservation technologies.