BEIJING -- The output of China's forestry industry reached 7.56 trillion yuan (about $1.08 trillion) in 2019, according to data from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The output is expected to hit 8.1 trillion yuan this year.

China's foreign trade of forest products amounted to $160 billion last year. Economic forests covered more than 40 million hectares, while over 1.8 billion eco-tourism trips were made to forests, data showed.

The industry has become a key engine of poverty alleviation in rural areas, helping over 3 million poor people increase their income or get out of poverty.

Over the next few years, more efforts will be made to develop economic forests, eco-tourism and the forest economy, and strengthen cooperation with e-commerce platforms.