Xinhua News Agency, Chongqing, August 11 (Reporters Li Xiaoting, Zhou Wenchong) The reporter learned from the Chongqing Jinfo Mountain National Nature Reserve Administration that silver fir is called "the giant panda among plants" because of its scarcity and difficulty in breeding.
The latest investigation shows that there are a total of 572 wild silver fir trees with a height of more than 1 meter in the reserve.
Silver fir is a national first-level protected plant, a rare species unique to our country, which grows on steep ridges above 1,000 meters above sea level.
According to Zhou Hongyan, an engineer of the Chongqing Jinfo Mountain National Nature Reserve Administration, the reserve launched the third wild silver fir population survey in March 2018, and field investigations were conducted on 21 peaks suitable for silver fir growth.
Recently, field surveys and data collation and archiving have been completed.
The survey results showed that the number of wild silver fir communities in Chongqing Jinfo Mountain National Nature Reserve increased to 9, with a total of 572 wild silver fir trees over 1 meter tall, of which the tallest tree was 16 meters high.
Compared with the survey data in 2015, this survey has increased by 187 plants, including 1 new wild silver fir community, which is composed of 16 silver fir.
During the investigation, the staff measured and recorded the growth location, tree height, and diameter at breast height of each silver fir, and listed them for protection one by one.
Since the establishment of the Jinfo Mountain Nature Reserve in 1979, three surveys of wild silver fir have been carried out.
At the same time, in order to expand the population of silver fir, the Jinfo Mountain Nature Reserve began artificial breeding of silver fir in the early 1990s.
At present, more than 3,000 seedlings have been cultivated, and more than 1,700 have returned to the wild.