Volunteers for the 2019 China Forest Tour Festival present their uniforms at the launch ceremony in Nantong on Sept 7. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

A volunteer team for the 2019 China Forest Tour Festival was officially established in Nantong, in eastern Jiangsu province, on Sept 7. A training course for volunteers was also launched that day.

Officials said the festival is expected to attract 8,000-10,000 participants from around the world, with 3,500 people having confirmed they are to attend the opening ceremony.

Some 300 volunteers will serve in major events staged during the festival -- including the opening ceremony, promotional conferences and academic forums -- while more than 3,000 volunteers will participant in a set of sub-sessions, including an international marathon, a food gala and a dragon boat race on the Haohe River.

The 2019 China Forest Tour Festival will be held in Nantong on Oct 18-21. The festival has been organized by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration every year since 2015.

Nantong is the first prefecture-level city to be host, following previous events staged in Wuhan, the Changbai Mountains, Shanghai and Guangzhou.