Salix is an indigenous shrub that grows in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang provinces of China. Salix grows quickly, reaching 3 meters tall in only 3 years. When the tree matures, its branches can be harvested and the new branches that grow will be stronger and more plentiful than previously. As of 2007, the group has planted 20,000 mu (~1,300 hectares). In adherence to our plantation schedule, the group will aim to complete the planting of 700,000 mu (~47,000 hectares) of Salix in 2008.

Historically, Salix has been used as a cheap source of firewood for the local community but it is, in fact, a valuable ecological resource for fighting desertification that can also be used in many industrial processes. In recent years, Salix has most commonly been used as a raw material for fiber board and paper pulp for packaging materials, thus new research shows that Salix biomass can also be used to fuel power plants or be applied as an eco-friendly fertilizer. Salix is also fast becoming a serious candidate as a lignocellulosic biomass feedstock for synthesizing bio-ethanol, which can then be used as a fuel.

The consumption of wood products in China is increasing tremendously while its woodland resources are already at saturation point. Due to constraints on land use, China simply cannot meet the demand for wood products alone and is increasingly dependent on foreign imports. With the significant development of global demand, Salix is an exceptional alternative wood resources that will sustain the exponentially increasing demand for fiber-board, paper pulp and other wood markets in near future.

Salix thrives in the dry climates of the desert and arid wastelands. It is known also as the sand willow, a shrub that is an efficient wind shield preventing the erosion of fertile topsoil. Salix also has an extensive root system, approximately a foot long, which can hold the layers of soil together. Not only does this make Salix an important contributor in fighting desertification but also a main potential alternative of wood products.