Stunned by devasting floods this summer along the Yangtze River, which experts said were intensified because slopes far upstream has been stripped bare, China has banned cutting of the old-growth forests that once formed a rich green carpet over the mountains. No trees were to be cut after Sept 1 and all logs must be trucked to timber yards by Oct 31. After a half-century of rampant clear cutting, China's decision to save the remaining forests along the upper reaches of Yangtze and other major rivers represents a dramatic shift in priorities in favor of environmental protection.