Carbon storage through China's planted forest expansion

China's extensive planted forests play a crucial role in carbon storage, vital for climate change mitigation. However, the complex spatiotemporal dynamics of China's planted forest area and its carbon storage remain uncaptured. Here we reveal such changes in China's planted forests from 1990 to 2020 using satellite and field data. Results show a doubling of planted forest area, a trend that intensified post-2000. These changes lead to China's planted forest carbon storage increasing from 675.6 ± 12.5 Tg C in 1990 to 1,873.1 ± 16.2 Tg C in 2020, with an average rate of about 40 Tg C yr−1. The area expansion of planted forests contributed ~53% (637.2 ± 5.4 Tg C) of the total increase in carbon storage in planted forests compared with planted forest growth. This proactive policy-driven expansion of planted forests has catalyzed a swift increase in carbon storage, aligning with China's Carbon Neutrality Target for 2060.