China will plant another 26 billion trees in the next decade to further carry out the compulsory tree planting campaign, which began in 1979, according to a forestry official.

Jia Zhibang, head of the State Forestry Administration said on Sunday that by the end of 2020, some 223 million hectares or more than 23 percent of China's land mass will be forested.

According to Jia, forests have become the fourth most significant source of energy after coal, oil and natural gas, and play an increasingly significant role as an alternative energy source, especially during the current worldwide predicament in energy resources.

The campaign has become the most effective mass movement in the world in terms of time and participation, with 61.4 billion trees planted and some 13.3 billion people participating since the 1980s, according to Jia.

Besides accelerating the afforestation of barren mountains and wasteland, the campaign has also improved the environment in urban and rural areas, and maintained the sustained growth of the country's forest resources, he said.