Forestry authorities will pour a record 220 million yuan (US$26.5 million) into a massive afforestation plan aimed at turning China's barren and arid western regions into green areas, it was recently announced. "The funds granted for the plan will be used during the 2000-10 period, with priority given to new scientific methods in afforestation," said Zhu Lieke, director of the department of science and technology of the State Forestry Administration (SFA).