A man in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region has been sentenced to probation and ordered to plant trees as compensation for illegally felling 503 poplar trees without a required permit, according to the Ningxia High People's Court.

The man, surnamed Ma, was found guilty of making a profit of 130,000 yuan ($18,000) from the illegal logging. In September 2021, Ma spent 5,500 yuan to purchase poplar trees along an irrigation canal on a farm in Yongning county, Yinchuan, Ningxia. Without obtaining the necessary logging permit, he felled a total of 503 poplar trees and made a profit.

An appraisal revealed that the felled Xinjiang poplar trees had a standing volume of 112 cubic meters, with a value of 44,900 yuan. The local public litigation department initially proposed a three-year fixed-term sentence and a fine.

The case was heard at the environmental resources adjudication division of the Yinchuan Railway Transportation People's Court. The court noted that while illegal logging by Ma posed less social harm compared to general crimes against personal and property rights, the primary focus was on restoring the damaged forest land to facilitate ecological recovery.

Given that Ma was unable to repay the illegal gains, the court reached an agreement with him to plant trees or grass as a form of environmental compensation. As part of an ecological restoration agreement, Ma is required to plant 755 trees, more than the number he had cut down considering the fact that not all the trees will survive. The court will assess the results of the reforestation effort in two years.

Ma voluntarily paid a reforestation deposit of 50,000 yuan as a guarantee. In light of Ma's cooperation during the investigation and his lack of prior criminal record, the court issued a lenient sentence on June 24, ruling three years of imprisonment with a four-year probation period, a fine of 5,000 yuan, and the return of the illegal gains.

Expressing remorse for his actions, Ma stated his commitment to ecological restoration. On July 12, he began planting grass grids in the Baijitan National Nature Reserve, as this year's tree-planting season had already passed, under the supervision of court and judicial officials.