BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhuanet) -- The number of ancient trees of rare species around China is dwindling owing to rising illegal trading, the "People's Daily", the country's leading national newspaper, reported Friday.

    Some 800 years-old valuable trees, which are 1.7 meters in diameter, been transported from their habitats in outlying, secluded areas to the country's economic booming areas for trading,the newspaper said in an investigative report.

    The offering price for a special 1,000-year-old pine of 56 cm in diameter reached as high as 600,000 yuan (approximately 73,200 US dollars) at a black-market in Wujin county in southern part of eastern Jiangsu province, according to the report. The pine came from a remote mountainous area in Jiangxi province, east China.

    The pine was finally bought at the price of 650,000 yuan (some 79,300 US dollars) by a customer from Zhejiang province, east China, one of the most wealthy coastal areas in the country.

    Many invaluable ancient trees withered away on the way as theirdealers knew very little about how to protect and move these invaluable trees elsewhere.

    The report blamed city governments in numerous regions for hiking up a growing demand for those rare, ancient trees as local officials want to use these rare trees to facelift their cities.

    The huge demand and enormous profits resulted in the wanton digging and sale of these trees from deep mountains, according to the report. Some forestry officials and experts have called on the relevant government departments to promptly enact laws and regulations that specify responsibilities for protecting those priceless ancient trees. Enditem