SHENZHEN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Six national forest city groups will be built across China by 2020, according to a meeting held by the State Forestry Bureau in Shenzhen.

Nine cities on the Pearl River Delta in south China will become the country's first national forest city group demonstration zone, according to the meeting held Friday.

Deputy director of the bureau Peng Youdong said over 20 provinces are involved in the building of 15 national and provincial forest city groups and the work should be completed by 2020.

Besides the Pearl River Delta city group, the other five city groups are planned in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta, Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan in central Hunan Province, the central plains, as well as northwestern Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.