China's planted forests have significantly increased in area and carbon storage from 1990 to 2020, with the area doubling to 903,099 km² and carbon storage rising from 675.6 ± 12.5 Tg C to 1,873.1 ± 16.2 Tg C. This increase is mainly due to the expansion of planted forests, which contributed 53% of the total carbon storage increase. The study used satellite and field data to map the spatiotemporal dynamics of planted forests, revealing that the area expansion was primarily from croplands, shrublands, and grasslands. The carbon storage in planted forests increased by about 40 Tg C per year, with the highest increase rates in the southern and southwestern regions. The study also found that the conversion of croplands, shrublands, and grasslands to planted forests contributed significantly to the increase in carbon storage. The results highlight the importance of planted forests in carbon storage and their role in achieving China's Carbon Neutrality Target by 2060. The study provides a comprehensive dataset for understanding the impact of China's planted forest expansion on climate change and sustainable development. The study also acknowledges the limitations of current maps and the need for high-resolution, national-scale research to accurately quantify the spatiotemporal dynamics of planted forest conversion. The study used Landsat data and field samples to generate high-resolution maps of planted forests and analyze their carbon storage. The results show that the expansion of planted forests has led to a significant increase in carbon storage, with the majority of the increase coming from the expansion of planted forest areas. The study also found that the growth of young planted forests contributes significantly to carbon storage. The study highlights the importance of planted forests in carbon storage and their role in climate change mitigation. The study provides a comprehensive dataset for understanding the impact of China's planted forest expansion on climate change and sustainable development. The study also acknowledges the limitations of current maps and the need for high-resolution, national-scale research to accurately quantify the spatiotemporal dynamics of planted forest conversion. The study used Landsat data and field samples to generate high-resolution maps of planted forests and analyze their carbon storage. The results show that the expansion of planted forests has led to a significant increase in carbon storage, with the majority of the increase coming from the expansion of planted forest areas. The study also found that the growth of young planted forests contributes significantly to carbon storage. The study highlights the importance of planted forests in carbon storage and their role in climate change mitigation.China's planted forests have significantly increased in area and carbon storage from 1990 to 2020, with the area doubling to 903,099 km² and carbon storage rising from 675.6 ± 12.5 Tg C to 1,873.1 ± 16.2 Tg C. This increase is mainly due to the expansion of planted forests, which contributed 53% of the total carbon storage increase. The study used satellite and field data to map the spatiotemporal dynamics of planted forests, revealing that the area expansion was primarily from croplands, shrublands, and grasslands. The carbon storage in planted forests increased by about 40 Tg C per year, with the highest increase rates in the southern and southwestern regions. The study also found that the conversion of croplands, shrublands, and grasslands to planted forests contributed significantly to the increase in carbon storage. The results highlight the importance of planted forests in carbon storage and their role in achieving China's Carbon Neutrality Target by 2060. The study provides a comprehensive dataset for understanding the impact of China's planted forest expansion on climate change and sustainable development. The study also acknowledges the limitations of current maps and the need for high-resolution, national-scale research to accurately quantify the spatiotemporal dynamics of planted forest conversion. The study used Landsat data and field samples to generate high-resolution maps of planted forests and analyze their carbon storage. The results show that the expansion of planted forests has led to a significant increase in carbon storage, with the majority of the increase coming from the expansion of planted forest areas. The study also found that the growth of young planted forests contributes significantly to carbon storage. The study highlights the importance of planted forests in carbon storage and their role in climate change mitigation. The study provides a comprehensive dataset for understanding the impact of China's planted forest expansion on climate change and sustainable development. The study also acknowledges the limitations of current maps and the need for high-resolution, national-scale research to accurately quantify the spatiotemporal dynamics of planted forest conversion. The study used Landsat data and field samples to generate high-resolution maps of planted forests and analyze their carbon storage. The results show that the expansion of planted forests has led to a significant increase in carbon storage, with the majority of the increase coming from the expansion of planted forest areas. The study also found that the growth of young planted forests contributes significantly to carbon storage. The study highlights the importance of planted forests in carbon storage and their role in climate change mitigation.