A helicopter takes off on an aerial sowing mission to plant trees in Lhasa in the Tibet autonomous region, on June 9, 2020. It's the first time the region is using helicopters to sow seeds in an effort to grow trees that can prevent soil erosion in the cities of Lhasa and Lhokha. [Photo/China News Service]

Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region launched its first large-scale aerial afforestation on Tuesday, said local authorities.

The aerial seeding, scheduled to end on June 20, is expected to cover more than 218,000 mu (over 14,533 hectares) of land in areas including the regional capital city of Lhasa and the city of Shannan. A total of 119.3 tonnes of seeds will be used during the mission.

Forestry officials said that aerial afforestation, both fast and adaptive to mountainous terrains, can help boost efficiency and reduce the costs of work.

In recent years, Tibet has pushed ahead with large-scale afforestation plans and the forest coverage has exceeded 12 percent of the region.