The western shelter forest along the Jinjia Highway in Jinta county, Jiuquan, Gansu province, enters its most beautiful season. [Photo/Gansu Daily]

In late October, the western shelter forest along the Jinjia Highway in Jinta county, Jiuquan, Gansu province, entered its most beautiful season. Rows of Euphrates poplars, now a brilliant gold, stand like immovable guardians at the edge of the Gobi Desert, protecting the city and oasis and forming an autumn landscape that blends ecological function with striking visual beauty.

As a key area under China's Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, Jinta county has consistently implemented the philosophy that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets". Guided by the principles of adapting afforestation to local conditions and balancing water resources with sustainable management, the county has systematically advanced greening efforts, improved irrigation, and planted drought-resistant native species like Euphrates poplars. These measures have steadily transformed former desert margins into green zones.

Today, this western shelter forest not only serves as a vital ecological barrier against sand and wind, but also acts as a "golden corridor" every autumn, offering a vivid symbol of Jinta's achievements in environmental management.