The capital has witnessed impressive progress in tree planting over the past 32 years, the city's forestry authority said on Monday.

The forest coverage rate has increased from 12.83 percent in 1980 to 38.6 percent by the end of 2012. The percentage of green coverage in the urban area has risen from 20.08 percent to 46.2 percent, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry.

The per capita public green area of the city has increased from 5.14 sq meters to 15.5 sq meters.

Over 32 years, more than 78 million people have planted more than 189 million trees throughout the capital, with a survival rate as high as 88 percent, it said.

Tree planting has become a lifestyle for many Chinese people as millions of citizens are voluntarily involved with the afforestation project, said the bureau.