URUMQI, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- More than five million people have volunteered in afforestation programs in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, planting a total of 92.1 million trees, local authorities said Tuesday.

China has been conducting afforestation and forest conservation programs in Xinjiang for decades to fight desertification and over-grazing in the region.

In the first nine months of 2018, the region has planted around 140,000 hectares of forests and turned almost 140,000 hectares of grain plots into forests, according to the regional Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Green coverage in the urban areas has reached 39.64 percent in 2018, presenting a steady increase, according to the administration.

Over the past three years, Xinjiang's forests have grown to 8 million hectares from 6.98 million hectares, according to the regional development and reform commission.