I wonder if the trees can survive the pollution long enough to grow and be effective...
http://aqicn.org/city/nanjing/
https://www.intechopen.com/books/the...ospheric-pollu
http://www.conserve-energy-future.co...ate-matter.php
While I understand that a lot of these trees and plants will be transplanted, but the prominent type of pollution in China has a detrimental impact on vegetation, specifically:
Vegetation effects
Mortality – Stomatal openings are clogged, leading to failures during the photosynthesis process
PM 2.5 literally chokes the plant to death, not to mention the retention of heavy metals and carcinogenic compounds aren't healthy either. They may get retained by the plant, have a neutral or detrimental effect, or pass through and be concentrated into the environment. The soil would have to be remediated eventually or the plants and surroundings would suffer.
Its a cool idea, I mean they have to try something new. It would be better if they weren't furiously burning coal like they are trying to heat Hell, but hey... who am I to say...
I don't mean to misrepresent science by saying that all pm is bad for all plants. There are plants that will cope with it well enough and even thrive, but then there is the secondary consideration of the presence of the plant itself, its impact on air quality (pollen being a big one), and its ability to be controlled (hi Kudzu), and such.
Another good summary: http://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=rjes.2014.356.372