Search

Delving into the intricate roles of oil prices holds the key to attaining sustainable growth of forestry investment in China. Utilising the full- and subsample approaches, this article aims to reveal the dynamically evolving relationships between oil price (OP) and forest investment (FI) in China. The quantitative outcomes underscore the complex interplay between OP and FI, highlighting favourable and unfavourable impacts. Notably, the findings indicate that a substantial surge in oil prices could potentially pose obstacles to forestry investment in China, whereas a decline in OP could serve as a stimulus. Nevertheless, it is imperative to acknowledge that this inference is not uniformly applicable when the effect turns positive, primarily influenced by sluggish economic conditions resulting from the global trade wars. Conversely, FI positively influences OP, underscoring that the decline in forestry investment in China could drive down oil prices through psychological and environmental factors. Amid escalating economic and energy uncertainties globally, essential policy suggestions will be proffered to China, aiming to ensure the robust development of the oil market and forestry investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Land-use changes significantly impact soil properties in forests, which is an area of concern. Therefore, the effects of changing forest types on soil microbial communities and their functions in northern subtropical forest regions need to be further researched. Methods: We used 16S rDNA sequencing and Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa (FAPROTAX) to assess the variation of soil bacterial communities and potential functions related to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in two soil layers (0-10 and 10-30 cm) after the conversion of the secondary masson pine (Pinus massoniana, PM) forest to plantations of slash pine (Pinus elliottii, PE) and Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata, CL) located in Jingde County, Anhui Province, China. Results: The study found that converting coniferous secondary forests to coniferous plantations resulted in a notable increase in soil pH and a decrease in nitrate nitrogen and organic carbon contents. Additionally, soil microbial diversity increased significantly, and microbial community structure changed, particularly in the topsoil. These changes might affect the C- and N-cycling mediated by soil bacteria. The analysis revealed a significant decrease in the abundance of functional groups associated with C-cycling and a significant increase in the abundance of functional groups associated with N-cycling, particularly those associated with denitrification. Soil organic carbon, pH, and ammonium nitrogen were the most critical variables affecting changes in the soil microbial community. Discussion: These findings provide valuable information for ecological restoration and future sustainable forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Global climate change is one of the major challenges facing the world today, and forests play a crucial role as significant carbon sinks and providers of ecosystem services in mitigating climate change and protecting the environment. China, as one of the largest developing countries globally, owns 60% of its forest resources collectively. Evaluating the carbon sequestration cost of collective forests not only helps assess the contribution of China's forest resources to global climate change mitigation but also provides important evidence for formulating relevant policies and measures. Results: Over the past 30 years, the carbon sequestration cost of collective forests in China has shown an overall upward trend. Except for coastal provinces, southern collective forest areas, as well as some southwestern and northeastern regions, have the advantage of lower carbon sequestration costs. Furthermore, LSTM network predictions indicate that the carbon sequestration cost of collective forests in China will continue to rise. By 2030, the average carbon sequestration cost of collective forests is projected to reach 125 CNY per ton(= 16.06 Euros/t). Additionally, there is spatial correlation in the carbon sequestration cost of collective forests. Timber production, labor costs, and labor prices have negative spatial spillover effects on carbon sequestration costs, while land opportunity costs, forest accumulation, and rural resident consumption have positive spatial spillover effects. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate regional disparities in the spatial distribution of carbon sequestration costs of collective forests, with an undeniable upward trend in future cost growth. It is essential to focus on areas with lower carbon sequestration costs and formulate targeted carbon sink economic policies and management measures to maximize the carbon sequestration potential of collective forests and promote the sustainable development of forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest stock volume (FSV) stands as an important indicator in evaluating the potential for carbon sequestration. It is crucial for forest resource management at local, regional, and national scales. In order to achieve an accurate estimation of FSV, this article takes Mengyin County, Shandong Province, China as the research area, builds a random forest (RF) model for four tree species based on airborne Lidar data, and forms a monitoring system of "individual tree - grid - county" granularities. The results demonstrated that all four models exhibited excellent generalization capabilities, with no signs of overfitting. In the test phase, the R2 of the poplar and pine models exceeded 0.9, while the R2 of the cypress model was 0.81, and the rRMSE was controlled within 20%, indicating that the fitting effect of the three tree species models was better; the accuracy of the robinia pseudoacacia model was relatively poor, with R2 of 0.60 and rRMSE of 20.60%. This study provides a feasible method for estimating forest stock volume within the county, which provides strong technical support for forest resource management and planning, and helps promote sustainable forestry development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article intends to explore the sustainability accounting practices that emerge from the business of artificial forestry in the Qingshui River society of southwest China in the 18th-19th centuries. Design/methodology/approach: Using a historical approach, we set out to discuss the systematic use of "folk contract" as a tool of tracing accountability in timber trading and in the collective management of community forests in this region, based on the archives of Qingshui River Manuscripts. Findings: The findings indicate that active transactions of small forest plots facilitated by the prevalent use of folk contracts allow both the landlords and the tenants to easily acquire cashflow needed any time before the harvest, and in turn prevent premature logging and deforestation for crop farming. An "open ledger" bookkeeping system emerged from the extensive contracting practices guarantees the functioning of a dualistic accountability system, where both market value of timbers and "face" value of community members' reputation are preserved for long-term sustainability of local economy, society and ecological environment. Originality/value: From the perspective of economic anthropology, this study forms the link between the folk contract practice in sustainable forestry of the Qingshui River society and the emancipatory accounting literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the income and assets of forest farmers is the basis for realizing the sustainable development of forestry. In this paper, we tested the impact of membership in herbal medicine planting cooperatives on forest farmer household income and assets using the propensity score matching (PSM) method and household surveys of the study area. The results showed that cooperative membership can greatly improve forest farmer household income and assets; the higher the accumulation of forest farmer household social capital and human capital, the more farmers were inclined to participate in cooperatives. Householders who were migrant workers were more likely to make the decision to participate in cooperatives compared with those without migrant work experiences. The results of ATT further verified the conclusion that cooperative membership can significantly improve income and assets, which increased by 7.04% and 4.19%, respectively. In addition, according to the survey, the current development of cooperatives in the forestry area experienced problems such as inconsistent quantitative and qualitative development, insufficient driving force, irregular operating mode, inaccurate policy support, and inadequate guidance mechanisms. This paper focused on innovating cooperation mechanisms, enriching joint forms, enhancing driving capacity, stimulating internal driving forces, strengthening system construction, improving standards, enhancing guidance services, and strengthening institutional guarantees. These recommendations have been put forward to guide policy for sustainable forest development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affluence and planned urbanization may have a crucial role in conserving forests and decreasing forest footprint with rising awareness and human development. Productivity rise from technological progress is key to facilitating the underlying mechanisms of theoretically expected changes in all those processes. They are seen as an alternative way to transform the current habits into one that is conservative and respectful to the environment while keeping the economic welfare at the same time. By following the theoretical underpinnings of such expectations, this article investigates how the development changes of China have impacted on the forest footprint. In this frame, the study is an attempt to empirically inquire underlying mechanisms of the forest transition hypothesis, which supports the idea that affluence, urbanization, human capital, and productivity can help to save forests. The transition process is depicted by a hump‐shaped curve mostly attributed to the Environmental Kuznets Curve in the literature. The period 1961–2017 is particularly relevant as it precedes and follows the Chinese open‐door policy of the 1980s. This study reaches robust findings and new insights for sustainable forest management. Results show that income growth did not contribute to reducing the forest footprint, as the forest footprint has increased with income rises. On the contrary, urbanization, human capital, and total factor productivity have reduced the forest footprint. Based on the evidence provided, policymakers should devote increasing attention to education that serves human capital formation, and efficiency gains for sustainable forestry simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background-It is of great significance to understand the afforestation policies in various stages and the reasons for their changes, and to sum up experiences and draw lessons from them, which will promote the greening of land and green development, improve ecological security and people's well-being in the new era. (2) Methods-The policies and regulations on afforestation were collected through field investigations, interviews and files access, and then the evolution logic between policies was explored by using historical method. (3) Results-Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, afforestation has gone through four stages: the period of afforestation by the whole people to serve the national construction ( 19491978), the period of afforestation by the Three-North shelter forest program to serve the reform and opening up (1978-1998), the period of natural forest protection and returning farmland to forest to serve the ecological construction (1998-2012) and the period of systematic governance to serve the ecological civilization (20122022). In the past 73 years, there have been three afforestation upsurges: the first upsurge was in 1956-1959, the second upsurge was in 1981-1986, and the third upsurge was in 2000-2005. The total forest coverage increased by 15. 42%, and the total forest stock increased by 7. 893 billion m3. From 1949 to 1978, the objective of afforestation was to serve the national construction, and its focus was in the areas severely affected by storms, sand, floods and droughts, in order to safeguard farmland and increase grain output. The forest coverage increased by 3. 4 percentage points and the forest stock decreased by 1. 34 billion m3. Since the reform and opening up, China attached equal importance to economic development and ecological protection, launched large -scale shelterbelt projects in ecologically fragile areas, and developed economic forests and timber forests in areas with good hydrothermal conditions. The forest coverage increased by 4. 55 percentage points and the forest stock increased by 1. 01 billion m3. At the turn of the century, China transformed its economic development mode to reduce resource consumption and promoted the sustainable development of forestry through such measures as returning farmland to forests, natural forest protection projects, classified management and ecological compensation. The forest coverage increased by 5. 08 percentage points and the forest stock increased by 5. 06 billion m3. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, concepts such as systematic governance, the "Two Mountains Theory" and the life community have been developed, some key projects have been continuously promoted, and more attention has been paid to urban and rural greening, carbon sinks trading, rest and health, forest culture, etc. The forest coverage increased by 2. 39 percentage points and the forest stock increased by 3. 063 billion m³. (4) Proposals-First, we should take into account the actual social, economic and ecological conditions, keep pace with The Times, and constantly adjust the afforestation policy. Second, the ecological projects are an effective way to implement afforestation policies. We should actively carry out a national survey of forest and grass resources, make overall planning and develop new forestry ecological projects according to local conditions, and consolidate and expand the achievements of national afforestation. Third, relying on science and technology, systematic governance and total factor input are important guarantee for the modernization of afforestation policies. Therefore, in order to solve the problems of insufficient total forest, poor forestland layout and low quality and efficiency, the following policy recommendations are put forward: First, speed up the scientific afforestation process, set off a new afforestation upsurge. Second, make use of the law of the relationship between forest and water, adjust and optimize the forestland layout, and promote the coordinated economic and ecological development of the eastern, central and western regions. Third, adhere to systematic governance, promote the forest chief system and scientific afforestation, in order to promote the high-quality development of forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background-China's forestry industry has achieved sustained and rapid development from 1987 to 2019. The total forestry output value increased from 21. 461 billion yuan to 458. 91 billion yuan. Studying the technical efficiency of forestry production and its development characteristics of regional differences is helpful to measure the status of forestry production and management and reform the forestry policies in the future. (2) Methods-This paper used the annual data of 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) from 1987 to 2019, which were obtained from the National Statistical Yearbook and the results of forest resources inventory. A time-varying dynamic threshold panel stochastic frontier model was constructed to measure the technical efficiency of forestry production in 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China from 1987 to 2019, and the technical efficiency of forestry production was analyzed in the context of the evolution process of forestry policies and regional heterogeneities. In addition, this paper analyzed the changes of forestry production technology level and average output elasticity of forestry production input factors in the four stages during the evolution of China's forestry policies from 1987 to 2019. (3) Results-Under the guidance of systems, policies and economic environments, the technical level of China's forestry production increased from 3. 06 to 99. 72, and the technical efficiency of China's forestry production showed obvious stage characteristics. In the stage of strengthening forest protection, the technical efficiency of forestry production decreased first and then increased slightly. In the stage of sustainable development, the technical efficiency of forestry production continued to decline. In the ecological construction stage, the technical efficiency of forestry production fluctuated and increased. In the new stage of ecological construction, although the technical efficiency of forestry production was low in the initial stage, it continued to increase. The differences between resources endowments and local policies led to the obvious regional characteristics of the technical efficiency of Chinese forestry production in the process of policy evolution. For a long time, the technical efficiency of forestry production in South China and North China was relatively high, the highest was 0. 69 and 0. 72, respectively. The technical efficiency of forestry production in the municipalities was at the medium level, with the highest being 0. 58. In the past 20 years, the technical efficiency of forestry production in northeast forest areas had been rising, the highest was 0. 51. The main purpose of forestry in non-suitable forest areas was ecological protection, and the technical efficiency of forestry production was always at a low level, the highest was 0. 37. Capital and labor contributed a lot to forestry output, but irrational input gradually appeared. In the first two stages of the policies evolution, the average elasticity of capital output in forestry was 2. 33 and the average elasticity of labor output in forestry was 5. 89 in some areas, but in the latter two stages, the average output elasticity of both not only declined gradually, but also made a negative contribution. Especially in areas with higher technical level, the average elasticity of capital output in forestry was -1. 05 and the average elasticity of labor output in forestry was -0. 90. Thus, the input of capital and labor was irrational. (4) Conclusions and Discussions-First, improve the multi-channel investment systems such as forestry human capital, forestlands circulation and forestry service systems. Second, strengthen the implementation the strategy of revitalizing forestry through science and education, accelerate the knowledge updating of forestry workers, promote the cooperation between government and colleges and cultivate high-quality forestry talents. Third, implement the strategy of sustainable forestry development, improve the efficiency of forestry production factors allocation, and strengthen the implementation of returning farmland to forests and forestlands ecological governance. Fourth, explore the advantages of local forestry and the development potential of undergrowth economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental issues are an important issue facing the world in the 21st century. While China's economy is developing rapidly, the problem of environmental pollution is becoming more and more serious, especially the problem of carbon emissions. Faced with the severe natural ecological environment, China has proposed a dual-carbon goal, that is, China will achieve carbon peaks by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. In order to improve the ecological environment and complete the dual carbon goals on time, in addition to adjusting the industrial structure and improving the technical level to reduce carbon emissions, forestry carbon sink transactions should also be actively used. Forestry carbon sequestration is one of the few carbon sequestration measures that can be implemented at this stage, but the sustainable development of forestry carbon sequestration requires support from land resources, and reasonable land use planning is the premise to ensure forestry carbon sequestration. This research will use the FLUS model based on the artificial neural network algorithm (ANN) and cellular automata algorithm (CA) to analyze the future spatial changes of land use under forestry carbon sink trading and formulate reasonable land planning for sustainable forestry carbon sink trading. FLUS model is a land use simulation algorithm, which is specially used to study the development prediction of land use under different scenarios. The study found that if the forestry carbon sink transaction was implemented, the forest land area in Shenyang could be increased by 303 km2 and 454,500 tons of CO2 could be absorbed annually. The forest land would take the lead in choosing the northern and eastern hilly areas for expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtropical forests act as a carbon sink and play an important role in mitigating global warming. However, the understanding of the effects of stand characteristics and climatic factors on forest carbon sequestration capacity remains limited. Based on multiple regression analyses using structural equation modeling and plot-level data of coniferous and broadleaf forests from the national forest resource inventories, our study quantified vegetation carbon accumulation rate (VCAR) and the underlying influence pattern in Zhejiang Province, Southeastern China. The mean VCAR of coniferous and broadleaf forests was 2.30 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 and 4.53 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 during 2004–2009, and 1.56 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 and 1.98 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 during 2009–2014, respectively. Stand characteristics (i.e., change in tree density and mean diameter at breast height) and climatic factors (i.e., mean annual precipitation (MAP), temperature, sunshine hours, and monthly precipitation fluctuation) were the major driving factors on the change patterns of VCAR. All factors, except precipitation fluctuation, had positive effects on VCAR. The positive effects of MAP decreased with the increase in MAP, but the negative effects of precipitation fluctuation increased with the increase in precipitation fluctuation. Precipitation increased with increasing elevation, while the VCAR was lower at lower elevations. Additionally, we found that broadleaf forests could be able to cope better with the negative effects of precipitation fluctuation. Overall, this study provides new insights into the sensitivity and potential of vegetation carbon accumulation for structural development and climate change response in Zhejiang Province to better promote sustainable forestry development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agricultural Science & Technology (1008-0864) is the property of Journal of Agricultural Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The application of wireless sensor network (WSN) technology promotes the modernization of forestry. WSN application technology in forest areas is an important research topic for the sustainable development of forestry in China and is also a research hotspot for forestry ecological monitoring at present. The application of wireless sensor networks in forest areas, first of all, solves the problem of limited energy supply and low-latency data transmission in the forest environment. Due to the large area of the forest environment and uneven tree density, dynamic changes in forest height, easy to block the signal, and other characteristics, the forest environment is prone to node energy depletion fast, the network life cycle is short, and data transmission delays large dilemma. Second, the application of wireless sensor networks is usually centered on maximum data acquisition, but the contradiction between high data acquisition rate and limited energy supply is inevitable, so it is necessary to construct a maximum data acquisition rate model with limited energy supply as a constraint to guarantee the optimal acquisition conditions for wireless sensor networks. In this paper, from the application of wireless sensor network technology in forest environment, the research on the application of wireless sensor network in forestry is carried out around the analysis of energy self-collection permanent function of sensor nodes, sensor node transmission routing strategy, data collection, fusion, and fuzzy inference decision-making fire danger warning process, so as to provide a solution to the overall problem of forest fire warning based on rechargeable wireless sensor network. In this paper, we analyze the dynamic replenishment of energy in rechargeable wireless sensor networks and propose an energy-based transmission control protocol that effectively improves data transmission efficiency. In the rechargeable wireless sensor network, the network E2E (end-to-end) average delay time is calculated based on the number of nodes on the data transmission link. The research idea of this paper starts from the application technology of wireless sensor network in the forest environment, and the design of the energy self-collection permanent function of sensor nodes, sensor node transmission routing strategy, data collection, fusion, and fuzzy inference decision fire danger warning process are realized vertically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warming-induced ecological degradation and the continuous shrinking of lakes have been observed in the Bashang Plateau, northern China, leading to the recent demise of cultivated forests. The objective of this paper is to investigate the long-term palaeoenvironmental context of these recent changes through a multi-proxy sediment core analysis at Moon Lake to better understand forest sustainability in the future. The core chronology was determined based on seven accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dates and covers the period from 14,000 yr BP to the present. The Moon Lake record reveals four climate stages: (1) a warm and humid period followed by a cold and arid phase corresponding to the Allerod warm period and the Younger Dryas stadial (14,000 to 11,700 yr BP), (2) a relatively warm and humid period (11,700 to 7400 yr BP), (3) a period of fluctuating dry-wet-dry changes (7400 to 4000 yr BP), and (4) a relatively arid period (4000 yr BP to present). Since 1800 yr BP, drought conditions have intensified, and significant warming and drying trends have been observed over the past 500 yr BP. This consistent warming and drying trend over the past few centuries indicate that large-scale afforestation is no longer sustainable in the Bashang region. Coupled with instrumental records of soil drying and water scarcity, our Holocene records of climate change are useful for ecological resource management and sustainable forestry planning in the region. • Study area has shown ecological degradation and continuous shrinking of lakes. • Seasonal soil drying and the death of certain artificial forests also observed. • Study investigates environmental changes since the last deglaciation. • Study explores if reforestation would be effective under future warming conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhancement of the ecological functions of forests through stand structure optimization is a key issue for high-quality forestry and its sustainable development on the Loess Plateau. In this study, fifty standard plots of Pinus tabuliformis Carr. forest were established in the Loess Plateau of western Shanxi, China. Eleven factors of the stand structure, three topographical factors, and four functional indices of the ecological function, including 20 sub-functional indices, were investigated and monitored. The study results indicated that the stand structure and topographical conditions could significantly affect the ecological functions of the Pinus tabuliformis forest, which was primarily reflected in the water-holding function, soil improvement function, and diversity function of understory plants, but had little effect on the function of reducing runoff and sediment yield on slope. We found that the stand density and uniform angle index could be used to achieve the optimal regulation of the stand structure to enhance the ecological functions of the Pinus tabuliformis forest. Overall, the optimization strategy for the stand structure of Pinus tabuliformis on the Loess Plateau should be to (1) determine the characteristics of the regulation target by understanding the stand structure and its ecological function characteristics through stand surveys on the altitude of the stand, stand density, uniform angle index of the individual trees in the sample plot, and average uniform angle index of the sample plot; (2) determine the optimization target by quantifying and analyzing the ecological functions of the stand, selecting a certain functional index as the optimization target, and specifying the degree of improvement in the functional index; and (3) substitute the optimization target and elevation of the stand into the corresponding stand structure optimization model and determine the regulation direction and regulation range of the stand density, uniform angle index, and specific stand structure regulation measures. The results of this study serve as a guide for optimizing the stand structure on the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately estimating the forest farmers' protection costs for forest ecosystem services has become a hot issue in ecological economics. In this research, we propose a novel method of using an auction price model to evaluate the forest ecosystem services. We establish a functional relationship between forest farmers and the forestland that belongs to them based on experimental data from Xin'an River Basin in China. The results indicate that the average willingness of farmers to accept payment for forest ecosystem service protection in the low, middle, and high levels of forest quality is 17,123.10, 23,493.75, and 31,064.40 yuan/ha/year, respectively. Moreover, farmers with different individual characteristics, household characteristics, planting characteristics, policy cognition, and ecological awareness are also willing to be paid differently. This research can provide a reference for forest ecosystem protection policies and assist the sustainable forestry development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times, forest tenure reform has become one of the most discussed agendas among local and global policymakers. Forest tenure is a contract that specifies who has rights to forestry resources and depicts who should utilize, maintain, and acquire them. It can have a significant impact on whether farmers invest in their forestland. The study's primary purpose is to explore whether and how the reform of forest rights affects farmers' investment in public welfare forestry. More specifically, the study thoroughly analyzes the impact of primary and supplementary reforms on farmers' investment in public welfare forest areas. We have outlined the theoretical framework using the theory of property rights and utilized the fixed-effect model and the Difference in Differences (DID) model to achieve research objectives. However, the empirical setup of the study has comprised time series data of 500 farmers, which was collected via interviews conducted at regular time intervals (2011—before the reform; 2013, 2015, and 2017— after the reform). The collective forest land welfare areas in Gansu Province, China, have been selected as the key data collection area. The study concludes that: (i) although the principle reform of forest tenure can stimulate farmers' investment intensity in the short term, it is insufficient in the long term. (ii) The supplementary reform of forest tenure can significantly promote farmers' long-term effective investment. There is a significant difference in forest land investment between the experimental and control groups, and this difference gradually expands over time. The study suggests that the government should pay more attention to the relevance of additional reforms to encourage the growth of forest rights mortgages and circulation. Moreover, the core themes of sustainable development in forestry should be highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural regeneration is crucial for the development of sustainable forestry practices in light of the current global climate changes. In this paper, we compared the size distributions of Quercus acutissima seedlings in the understory of Q. acutissima forest plantations in Mount Tai in 2010 and 2017, studied the physiological and morphological responses of seedlings to the microenvironment, and explored the maintenance mechanisms of the seedling bank. The results showed that the density of understory seedlings in 2017 was only 61.63% of that in 2010, especially in the 20–40 cm height class. Between 2011 and 2016, the precipitation and soil water content were the highest in 2011, followed by 2013. The 2–4-year seedlings (height < 40 cm) were not significantly different in seedling biomass, biomass allocation, and root morphology (root total surface area, root volume, and root average diameter), and were significantly different in total root length, specific root length, specific root surface area, and nonstructural carbohydrate content of root, stem, and leaves. However, 5–6-year seedlings (height > 40 cm) showed the largest biomass. Principal component analysis indicated that altering root morphology, nonstructural carbohydrate, and biomass allocation played significant roles in the drought adaptation of seedlings in the understory. In conclusion, drought stress together with seedling adaptation influenced the dynamics of seedling bank in the understory of Q. acutissima plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural regeneration of native broadleaved species underneath forest monoculture plantations is important to recover ecosystem functions and to mitigate adverse environmental effects. To understand how seed rain and soil seed bank facilitate natural regeneration, we surveyed their density and composition in a monoculture Chinese fir plantation, a mixed Chinese fir–broadleaf plantation, and an adjacent natural broadleaved forest for two years in southern China. Twenty‐eight species (16 families) were in seed rain, and 45 species (27 families) were in soil seed bank. Seed rain density did not differ significantly across stands; however, the number of taxa in seed rain was highest in the mixed plantation and lowest in the natural forest. Seed bank density was significantly higher in the mixed plantation than in the other stands (p <.05). The Sørensen similarity index of species composition between seed sources and aboveground vegetation were relatively low (<.50). The seeds of various native tree species were common in the seed bank of the plantations, indicating that seed rain and seed bank played an important role in native forest regeneration. We recommend that managers interested in sustainable forestry should take into consideration the presence of existing soil seed bank when developing their management strategies. In addition, with regard to forest regeneration process, we also recommend supplementation of the species composition by direct seeding or planting of desired species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ian M. Miller's book, "Fir and Empire: The Transformation of Forests in Early Modern China," challenges the prevailing narrative of China's deforestation and unsustainable development. Miller argues that China experienced a phase of regenerative forestry that lasted longer than its Western counterpart. The book explores China's response to the wood crisis of the eleventh century, which led to the soft-touch state regulation of forest exploitation and the expansion of the private timber market. Miller's research is based on a meticulous survey of historical evidence, including official surveys, local gazetteers, and legal records. This new perspective on China's forest history calls for a revision of the chronology of sustainable forestry and contributes to a more global understanding of sustainability. [Extracted from the article]

Modern forestry is gradually moving towards man-made forests on a large scale. Plantations with advanced forestry system have been introduced with the goal of sustainable forestry development and to enhance social, ecological, and economic benefits. Forest plantations with native and exotic species have been established in China and worldwide with shorter rotation cycles than natural forests. In this paper, we discuss the role and perspectives of plantation forests in the Chinese sustainable forest development, the evolution of various plantation programs, the ecological effects of plantations, and the measures to improve plantation forestry. The Chinese government has given substantial importance to nurturing plantation forest resources through various large scale afforestation programs. In 2019, the total area covered by plantations in China reached 79.54 million ha, with a stock volume of 3.39 billion m³ (59.30 m³ per ha); coniferous forests (26.11 million ha, 32.83%) and broad-leaved forests (26.45 million ha, 33.25%) are the dominant types. Plantations have been primarily distributed in the central and southern parts of the country. Plantations with fast-growing and high-yielding tree species facilitated Chinese afforestation activities and improved the administration of forest production, which effectively boosted the forest industry. Plantation forest resources offer many potential productive, economic, and social advantages, though they are also associated with a loss of biodiversity and climate change makes them likely susceptible to disease and insect attack. Appropriate forest management practices during planning, execution, and maintenance of plantations can contribute to the conservation, promotion, and restoration of biodiversity, with the final aim of attaining a balance between having forest plantations and natural forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forestry-listed companies are important subjects of scientific and technological innovation, which play important roles in the sustainable development of forestry economy. This study used quantile regression model and least square model to analyze the input-output efficiency for scientific and technological innovation of forestry-listed companies from 2012 to 2015 in China. Regression results showed that there was no significant correlation among the variables at 0.05 level, according to the results of least square regression. And, the results of quantile regression analysis showed that under different quantiles, independent variables had a significant impact on dependent variables. This is an irrational but objective reality. Ordinary least square regression (OLSR) has some drawbacks so that quantile regression is applied, which shows a more scientific conclusion. Results indicated that: some forestry-listed companies have weak consciousness of scientific and technological innovation and lack of investment, and utility models and designs patents account for most patent applications and licensing. Also, input-output efficiency of scientific and technological innovation has not reached optimized value. To improve input-output efficiency of scientific and technological innovation, in combination with the relevant conclusions of this study, some practical and feasible measures were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial structure of forestry-based can promote and drive the sustainable development of forestry. Based on the databases of Chinese Forestry Statistics, this paper applies the grey theory to calculate the correlation degree of forestry industrial structure in different years and further explores the changes of the forestry-based industrial structure in China. The results show that the scale of forestry-based industry expands unceasingly, the structure is characterized by "the secondary sector taking the lead, followed by the primary and tertiary sectors" during 2006–2015. The results of GM (1,1) prediction show that China's forestry-based industries will secure a stable growth from 2017–2025, but it does not mean that the industrial structure will be optimized in the future. The structure is still unreasonable and incongruous, the forestry-based industry is growing fast but not well. This may imply that the optimized structures of China's forestry-based industry can promote the high quality and sustainable development of forestry and even socio-economic development. Hence, it still needs much improvement on the efficiency of synergy, and to underline the need for market regulation and state macro-control in the dynamic process of forestry-based industrial structure adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-diameter trees have mainly been used for timber production in forestry practices. Recently, their critical roles played in biodiversity conservation and maintenance of ecosystem functions have been recognized. However, current forestry policy on the management of large-diameter trees is weak. As China is the biggest consumer of large-diameter timbers, how to maintain sustainable large-diameter timber resources aswell asmaximize ecological functions of the forests is a critical question to address. Here we summarize historical uses, distribution patterns, and management strategies of large-diameter trees in China. We found that large-diameter trees are mainly distributed in old-growth forests. Although China’s forest cover has increased rapidly in the past decades, large-diameter trees are rarely found in plantation forests and secondary forests. We suggest that knowledge of large-diameter trees should be widely disseminated in local forestry departments, especially their irreplaceable value in terms of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functions. Protection of large-diameter trees, especially those in old-growth forests, is critical for sustainable forestry. Tomeet the increasing demand of large-diameter timbers, plantation forests and secondary forests should apply forest densitymanagement with thinning to cultivate more large-diameter trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There is increasing interest worldwide regarding managing plantation forests in a manner that maintains or improves timber production, enhances ecosystem services, and promotes long-term sustainability of forest resources. We selected the Gan River Basin, the largest catchment of Poyang Lake and a region with a typical plantation distribution in South China, as the study region. We evaluated and mapped four important forest ecosystem services, including wood volume, carbon storage, water yield, and soil retention at a 30 × 30 m resolution, then quantified their trade-offs and synergies at the county and subwatershed scales. We found that the wood volume and carbon storage services, as well as the soil retention and water yield, exhibited synergistic relationships. However, the carbon storage displayed a trade-off relationship with the water yield. Additionally, we compared the beneficial spatial characteristics among dominant species in the study region. The results showed that the Chinese fir forest and the pine forest exhibited lower overall benefits than natural forests including the broad-leaved forest and the bamboo forest. To propose a suitable management strategy for the study region, method of spatial cluster analysis was used based on the four eco-services at the subwatershed scale. The basin was divided into four management groups instead of treating the region as a homogenous management region. Finally, we proposed more specific and diverse management strategies to optimize forest benefits throughout the entire region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forestland tenure and financial incentives are the most important policy issue to sustainable forest resource management. The new wave of reform of collective forestland tenure (NRCFT) has been launched since 2003 and the governmental matching reform measures (MRMs) for the NRCFT have been introduced since 2009. The objective of these reforms is to enhance sustainable forest resource management in Chinese collective regions by encouraging rural households’ productive forest inputs. We use a unique dataset of 1778 sample households in 18 counties of nine provinces with six years and employ a fixed effects model with clustered standard errors. Our empirical results indicate that: 1) the NRCFT has increased households’ forestland area of different tenure types, and the effects of the MRMs on rural households’ labor input and production expenditures for forestry purposes are generally positive, especially household used forestland as collateral for a loan and afforestation or reafforestation subsidy and reform of Annual Allowance Cut (AAC) have significantly contributed to increase in the use of productive forest inputs; 2) the NRCFT and the MRMs have different impacts on the use of productive forest inputs for different tenure forests, and these reforms have caused the most significant changes in rural households’ production decision changes for household responsibility forestland; 3) both the NRCFT and the MRMs have significant effects on rural households’ rent-in and rent-out forestland; and 4) forestland fragmentations have caused additional labor and investment inputs for rural households’ forest resource management and protection. And finally, market drivers and household and village characteristics factors also affect households’ decisions for productive inputs for their managing forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The maintaining mechanisms and potential ecological processes of species diversity in warm temperate- conifer-broadleaved-mixed forest are far from clear understanding. In this paper, the relative neighborhood density Ω was used to analyze the spatial distribution patterns of 34 species with ≥ 11 individuals in a warm- temperate-conifer-broadleaved-mixed forest, northern China. Then we used canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and Torus-translation test (TTT) to explain the distribution of observed species. Our results show that aggregated distribution is the dominant pattern in warm-temperate natural forest and four species regular distribution at the spatial scale > 30 m. The aggregated percentage and intensity decline with spatial scale, abundance and size classes increasing. Rare species are aggregated more than intermediate and abundant species. These results prove sufficiently the effects existence of scale separation, self-thinning and Janzen-Connell hypothesis. In addition, functional traits (dispersal modes and shade tolerance) also have a significant influence on distribution of species. The results of CCA confirm that slope and convexity are the most important factors affecting the distribution of tree species distribution, elevation and slope of shrub species though the combination of topographic variables only explained 1% of distribution of tree species and 2% of shrub species. Most species don't have habitat preference; however 47.1% (16/34) species including absolutely dominant tree ( Pinus tabulaeformis and Quercus wutaishanica ) and shrub species ( Rosa xanthina ) and most other species with important value in the front, are strongly positively or negatively associated with at least one habitat. The valley and ridge are most distinct habitat with association of 12 species in the plot. However, high elevation slope with 257 quadrats is the most extensive habitat with only four species. Therefore, there is obvious evidence that habitat heterogeneity play an important role on shaping spatial distribution of species in warm temperate forest. Our research results provide significant evidence that dispersal limitation and habitat heterogeneity have a contribution jointly to regulating the spatial distribution pattern of species in warm-temperate-forest in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Forests play a leading role in regional and global terrestrial carbon (C) cycles. Changes in C sequestration within forests can be attributed to areal expansion (increase in forest area) and forest growth (increase in biomass density). Detailed assessment of the relative contributions of areal expansion and forest growth to C sinks is crucial to reveal the mechanisms that control forest C sinks and is helpful for developing sustainable forest management policies in the face of climate change. Using the Forest Identity concept and forest inventory data, this study quantified the spatial and temporal changes in the relative contributions of forest areal expansion and increased biomass growth to China's forest C sinks from 1977 to 2008. Over the last 30 years, the areal expansion of forests was a larger contributor to C sinks than forest growth for all forests and planted forests in China (74.6 vs. 25.4% for all forests, and 62.4 vs. 37.8% for plantations). However, for natural forests, forest growth made a larger contribution than areal expansion (60.4 vs. 39.6%). The relative contribution of forest growth of planted forests showed an increasing trend from an initial 25.3 to 61.0% in the later period of 1998 to 2003, but for natural forests, the relative contributions were variable without clear trends owing to the drastic changes in forest area and biomass density over the last 30 years. Our findings suggest that afforestation can continue to increase the C sink of China's forests in the future subject to persistently-increasing forest growth after establishment of plantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Korea, China, Japan and Canada are all members of the Montreal Process (MP). However, there has been little comparative research on the public awareness of forest values within the framework of Sustainable Forest Management, not only between Asia and Canada, but also among these three Asian countries. This is true of aesthetic values, especially as the MP framework has no indicator for aesthetic values. We conducted surveys to identify similarities and differences in the perceptions of various forest values, including aesthetic values, between residents of the four countries: university student groups in Korea, China, Japan and Canada, as well as a more detailed assessment of the attitudes of Koreans by including two additional groups, Korean office workers, and Koreans living in Canada. A multivariate analysis of variance test across the four university student groups revealed significant differences in the rating of six forest functions out of 31. However the same test across the three Korean groups indicated no significant differences indicating higher confidence in the generalizability of our university student comparisons. For the forest aesthetic values, an analysis of variance test showed no significant differences across all groups. The forest aesthetic value was rated 6.95 to 7.98 (out of 10.0) depending on the group and rated relatively highly among ten social values across all the groups. Thurstone scale rankings and relative distances of six major forest values indicated that climate change control was ranked as the highest priority and scenic beauty was ranked the lowest by all the groups. Comparison tests of the frequencies of preferred major forest values revealed no significant differences across the groups with the exception of the Japanese group. These results suggest that public awareness of aesthetic and other forest values are not clearly correlated with the cultural backgrounds of the individuals, and the Korean university students' awareness could potentially be representative of the Koreans general public's opinion. We expect this research to contribute to the development of aesthetic and social indicators, and to the enhancement of balancing social with environmental and economic values within the SFM framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

China's state-owned forest enterprises have been important national timber production bases and their timber resources have been severely degraded during the past decades. About one-third of the state-owned forestland has been classified as commercial forestland, but no economic mechanisms have been laid out on governing timber plantations under market economy. This paper demonstrates the potential investment returns and analyzes factors that directly influence the returns of fast-growing poplar plantations in a state owned-forest enterprise, China Jilin Forest Industry Group (CJFIG), in northeastern China. We examined practically possible ranges of mean annual increment (MAI), general inflation rate, rate of forest fund, and interest rate in the study area. We then computed net present values (NPV), equivalent annual income (EAI) and internal rate of return (IRR) by using the minimum, medium, and maximum values of the each determinant above. Results showed NPV ranged from $1,024 to $6,925 ha, EAI ranged from $120 to $623 ha year, and IRR ranged from 13.2 to 29.3 %. We show that growing poplar plantations could be two times more profitable than managing the existing natural forests in CJFIG by referring to EAI values. Improving MAI is the most effective way to increase both NPV and IRR while changes in the one-time tax at timber harvesting or changes in inflation rate have the least effect on NPV and IRR among the determinants studied. Discount rate, which can be easily manipulated by obtaining subsidies and policy-based loans, also has substantial influence on NPV. The state owned forest enterprises in China have special advantages to obtain relatively high economic returns in developing fast-growing plantation forests under market economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper develops three scenarios for the management of an existing, low productivity, collective forest plot in Southwest China: continuation of the status quo, transition to sustainable forest management (SFM), and conversion to a short rotation species for producing biomass for electricity generation. We examine how economic incentives vary across the three scenarios and how payments for CO2 sequestration and offsets affect incentives. We find that SFM is risky for forest managers and is highly sensitive to revenues from initial thinning; that carbon revenues can lower some of the risks and improve the economics of SFM; but that carbon revenues are effective in incentivizing management changes only if yield response to thinning is moderately high. Energy production from stem wood is too low value to compete with timber, even with revenues from CO2 offsets. However, conversion of existing forests into short rotation species for timber rather than energy is more profitable than any scenario considered here, highlighting the need for regulatory innovations to balance incentives for timber production with conservation goals. The results underscore the importance of improved public sector regulatory, planning, extension, and analysis capacity, as an enabling force for effective climate policies in China’s forestry sector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Forestry development in China has undergone a series of reforms over the past six decades. This article examines temporal changes in forest resources and policies, the current status of forestry, and future challenges toward sustainable forest management in China. Excessive logging in the 1950s to 1980s badly damaged the nation’s forests, but the adoption of enlightened forest policies in the late 1990s has led to increases in China’s total forest area and growing stock. Forest degradation was ecologically and economically costly, and rehabilitation processes have become increasingly more expensive. The low quality and young age of forest resources, loss of natural forests, and more difficulties in afforestation and reforestation pose severe challenges for China’s sustainable forestry. It is critically important for China to enhance forest productivity through intensive management, strengthen enforcement, and educational programs for protecting and restoring natural forests, narrow the gap between domestic timber supply and rapidly expanding consumption, improve coordinating networks for management, finance, and technology transfer, and accelerate efforts to clarify and stabilize tenure arrangements for non-state forests. China’s experience and lessons in forestry may be helpful for other developing countries that are seeking to achieve the goal of sustainable forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

* Premise of the study: We investigate factors supporting the persistence in southern China of a rare Tertiary relict tree species, Liriodendron chinense, which has been almost eliminated by recent land use conversion. We hypothesize that cultural practices and traditional sustainable forest resource uses provide niches for the species' regeneration that will complement infrequent natural disturbances, while the species' survival on remote mountain slopes where there are no humans depends on natural disturbances alone. * Methods: We examined and analyzed various landscape contexts, community associations, age distributions, and regeneration patterns of Liriodendron chinense. * Key results: Forest communities containing Liriodendron chinense were of three types: (1) village fengshui forests--mature forests dominated by Tertiary relict taxa Liriodendron, Toona, and Emmenopterys, protected for their supposed spiritual value; (2) young secondary forests near villages, dominated solely by Liriodendron; and (3) old secondary forest remnants on mountain slopes far from villages, dominated by Liriodendron with other Tertiary relicts of the genera Davidia and Sassafras. The age structure of Liriodendron indicated ample recruitment in the first two forest types, where the activities of local people have provided regeneration niches for the survival of this shade-intolerant pioneer species. On the remote mountain slopes that have never been converted to agriculture, Liriodendron has survived through regeneration made possible by natural disturbances. * Conclusions: The traditional human land use, influenced by cultural values, has supplemented infrequent natural disturbances, providing regeneration niches for this and other Tertiary remnant species near villages in mountain valleys, while on uninhabited mountain slopes the species depends on natural disturbances to survive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Changes in forest spatial distribution and disturbance patterns are of great significance for assessing the appropriateness of the adopted land use decisions, as well as the effectiveness of the existing forest management approaches. Based on the land use databases for 1980s, 1995 and 2000, a forest fragmentation model in concert with geospatial metrics was employed to characterize the status and trends of forest fragmentation and disturbance patterns over Jiangsu province in this analysis. The analytical processes used were based on mathematical morphology, percolation theory and the sliding window analysis techniques. Results suggested that the forest intactness status within the study time intervals took on a “V” curve, having the severest fragmentation for the forests in 1995. Additionally, the 1995 forests were heavily disturbed by anthropogenic activities, including the built-up sprawl and the restructuring of agricultural land uses. Findings in this analysis are closely related to Jiangsu''s development philosophy, tremendously demographic pressure and education arenas. The generated forest fragmentation and disturbance maps with spatially explicit information provide valuable insights and implications regarding the decision-making of future land use, the identification of conservation priority and the formulation of sustainable forest management strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Forest certification is a mechanism involving the regulation of trade of forest products in order to protect forest resources and improve forest management. Although China had a late start in adopting this process, the country has made good progress in recent years. As of July 31, 2009, 17 forest management enterprises and more than one million hectares of forests in China have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Several major factors affect forest certification in China. The first set is institutional in nature. Forest management in China is based on centralized national plans and therefore lacks flexibility. A second factor is public awareness. The importance and value of forest certification are not widely understood and thus consumers do not make informed choices regarding certified forest products. The third major factor is the cost of certification. Together these factors have constrained the development of China's forest certification efforts. However, the process does have great potential. According to preliminary calculations, if 50% of China's commercial forests were certified, the economic cost of forest certification would range from US$0.66-86.63 million while the economic benefits for the forestry business sector could exceed US$150 million. With continuing progress in forest management practices and the development of international trade in forest products, it becomes important to improve the forest certification process in China. This can be achieved by improving the forest management system, constructing and perfecting market access mechanisms for certificated forest products, and increasing public awareness of environmental protection, forest certification, and their interrelationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of the history and current status of forest resources in Northeast China have become important in discussions of sustainable forest management in the region. Prior to 1998, excessive logging and neglected cultivation led to a series of problems that left exploitable forest reserves in the region almost exhausted. A substantial decrease in the area of natural forests was accompanied by severe disruption of stand structure and serious degradation of overall forest quality and function. In 1998, China shifted the primary focus of forest management in the country from wood production to ecological sustainability, adopting ecological restoration and protection as key foci of management. In the process, China launched the Natural Forest Conversion Program and implemented a new system of Classification-based Forest Management. Since then, timber harvesting levels in Northeast China have decreased, and forest area and stocking levels have slowly increased. At present, the large area of low quality secondary forest lands, along with high levels of timber production, present researchers and government agencies in China with major challenges in deciding on management models and strategies that will best protect, restore and manage so large an area of secondary forest lands. This paper synthesizes information from a number of sources on forest area, stand characteristics and stocking levels, and forest policy changes in Northeastern China. Following a brief historical overview of forest harvesting and ecological research in Northeast China, the paper discusses the current state of forest resources and related problems in forest management in the region, concluding with key challenges in need of attention in order to meet the demands for multi-purpose forest sustainability and management in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we introduce China's major forest types and discuss the historical development of forest management in China, including actions taken over the last decade toward achieving SMF. Major challenges are identified, and a strategy for SFM implementation in China is presented. China's forests consist of a wide variety of types with distinctive distributional patterns shaped by complex topography and multiple climate regimes. How to manage this wide array of forest resources has challenged forest managers and policy-makers since the founding of the country. Excessive exploitation of China's forest resources from the 1950s to the late 1990s contributed to environmental problems and calamities, such as floods, soil erosion, and desertification. At the start of the new millennium, the Chinese government decided to shift its emphasis from timber production towards the achievement of sustainable forest management (SFM). With a series of endeavors such as the implementation of the 'Six Key Forestry Projects' and the reform of forest tenure policies, and the adoption of a classification system for China's forests, a beginning has been made at reversing the trend of environmental degradation that occurred throughout the latter half of the last century. At the same time, huge challenges remain to be tackled for the development of forestry in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interviews with Chinese forest products manufacturers were conducted to explore their attitudes towards forest certification and related issues. Participants comprised owners, CEOs, and managers in 20 Chinese wood products companies, including producers of furniture, doors, flooring, and various engineered wood products. The interviews were used to analyze the extent to which participants were considering adopting forest certification and what might motivate such a decision. This was done by assessing their awareness and knowledge of certification. The results indicated that participants’ understanding of forest certification was extremely low, despite major efforts in China to raise awareness of the issue. Potential economic benefits were the most frequently cited reason to adopt certification, including gaining or maintaining competitive advantage over their industry counterparts, improved access to both domestic and export markets, better customer recognition, and enhanced corporate responsibility practices. Some interviewees (3 out of 20) considered that certification would become a mandatory requirement or industry standard, and that this would be the only viable motivation for certification given that the financial benefits were potentially limited. According to the participants, the main differences between certified and uncertified wood products operations related to improved market access and public image. Interviewees felt that cooperation between and support from governments and the forest industry would enable the enhanced awareness of certification amongst manufacturers and the general public. This, in turn, could serve to stimulate demand for certified products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Forest loss and fragmentation are of major concern to the international community, in large part because they impact so many important environmental processes. The main objective of this study was to assess the differences in forest fragmentation patterns and drivers between China and the conterminous United States (USA). Using the latest 300-m resolution global land cover product, Globcover v2.2, a comparative analysis of forest fragmentation patterns and drivers was made. The fragmentation patterns were characterized by using a forest fragmentation model built on the sliding window analysis technique in association with landscape indices. Results showed that China’s forests were substantially more fragmented than those of the USA. This was evidenced by a large difference in the amount of interior forest area share, with China having 48% interior forest versus the 66% for the USA. China’s forest fragmentation was primarily attributed to anthropogenic disturbances, driven particularly by agricultural expansion from an increasing and large population, as well as poor forest management practices. In contrast, USA forests were principally fragmented by natural land cover types. However, USA urban sprawl contributed more to forest fragmentation than in China. This is closely tied to the USA’s economy, lifestyle and institutional processes. Fragmentation maps were generated from this study, which provide valuable insights and implications regarding habitat planning for rare and endangered species. Such maps enable development of strategic plans for sustainable forest management by identifying areas with high amounts of human-induced fragmentation, which improve risk assessments and enable better targeting for protection and remediation efforts. Because forest fragmentation is a long-term, complex process that is highly related to political, institutional, economic and philosophical arenas, both nations need to take effective and comprehensive measures to mitigate the negative effects of forest loss and fragmentation on the existing forest ecosystems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Biodiversity maintenance and soil improvement are key sustainable forestry objectives. Research on the effects of bamboo forest management on plant diversity and soil properties are therefore necessary in bamboo-growing regions, such as southeastern China’s Shunchang County, that have not been studied from this perspective. We analyzed the effects of different Phyllostachys pubescens proportions in managed forests on vegetation structure and soil properties using pure Cunninghamia lanceolata forests as a contrast, and analyzed the relation between understory plants and environmental variables (i.e., topography, stand and soil characteristics) by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The forest with 80% P. pubescens and 20% hardwoods (such as Phoebe bournei, Jatropha curcas, Schima superba) maintained the highest plant diversity and best soil properties, with significantly higher plant diversity than the C. lanceolata forest, and better soil physicochemical and biological properties. The distribution of understory plants is highly related to environmental factors. Silvicultural disturbance strongly influenced the ability of different bamboo forests to maintain biodiversity and soil quality under extensive management, and the forest responses to management were consistent with the intermediate-disturbance hypothesis (i.e., diversity and soil properties were best at intermediate disturbance levels). Our results suggest that biodiversity maintenance and soil improvement are important management goals for sustainable bamboo management. To achieve those objectives, managers should balance the inputs and outputs of nutrients and protect understory plants by using appropriate fertilizer (e.g., organic fertilizer), adjusting stand structure, modifying utilization model and the harvest time, and controlling the intensity of culms and shoots harvests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classifying plant functional types by a general and quantitative technique is important for sustainable forest management. Here, the time series of diurnal net photosynthetic rate and other related external and internal factors of 11 tree species in a young mixed broadleaf and coniferous Korean pine forest in Northeast China were recorded during the growing season. All time series data were analyzed by a newly proposed model, by which the relative importance of external environmental factors and internal factors on leaf photosynthetic rate among tree species was evaluated. The analysis showed that this method can be useful to identify environmentally sensitive tree species and to quantitatively classify plant functional types. Photosynthetic rate in most pioneer tree species is less sensitive to variation in environmental conditions than in late successional species. The photosynthetic rate of all 11 tree species was mainly determined by their internal factors. The results may also have implications for tree species selection in forest plantations and forest restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the island of Hainan, China, the provincial government has recently committed itself to sustainable development, which requires the integration of social, environmental, and economic factors in decision making. However, while Hainan’s recent Eco-province designation establishes environmental and economic factors as the basis of policy development, it overlooks the equally important social component of sustainability, in which social needs and values are key considerations. This paper presents the results of a study on Hainan in 2002, with government officials, forestry workers, and the Li, an indigenous minority group, and places the province’s situation within the context of both the larger changes underway in China, and the theory and practice of sustainable forestry. The research results show that the government of Hainan has not yet been able to manage both social welfare and environmental and economic issues, demonstrating the difficulty of implementing sustainable forestry and of balancing short- with long-term goals. The inclusion of Li communities in forestry-related decision making could reduce tensions between local communities and forestry management and also improve the sustainability of the government’s forestry practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is a vast country with a diverse physical environment, rich biodiversity and complex forest types. Old China has left us with few forests and a poor base for forestry. Owing to the rapid growth of population, coupled with the development of agriculture and urban construction, as well as improper forest management, the degradation of forest resources in China has been accelerating. As a result of forest degradation, environmental problems including soil erosion and loss of biodiversity are being experienced and natural hazards are occurring with increasing frequency. The Chinese government has increased its focus on conservation of forests and restoration of degraded forest ecosystems. Particularly in recent years, a series of measures have been put in place. This paper presents a general introduction to the technical as well as policy aspects involved in the restoration of degraded forest ecosystems and the approach to sustainable forestry in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A highly productive sustainable agroforestry system was established on degraded sandy soils in Gaotang County in the northwestern region of Shandong Province. Five pre-existing types of land use were compared. Of these, cropping without forest protection would not be sustainable because of wind erosion, while the benefits from extensive forest stretches are extremely low. Sandy soils in this region could be effectively used by agroforestry systems. The profitability and sustainability of the system depends on proportions and arrangements of trees and crops. The locally developed agroforestry was dramatically improved. In the improved system, tree areas were considerably reduced and intercropping of fruit-tree-crop and crop-crop were increased. The locally developed agroforestry is already ten times more profitable than extensive forest stretches offering minimum shading and root competition, or eight times more than extensive forest stretches offering maximum shading and root competition. Profit from the improved agroforestry is about threefold that of the locally developed agroforestry system. Other sandy regions in China and elsewhere in Asia and Africa could profit from a similar integrated approach, as described here. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bamboo invasion consistently increased soil pH and organic C content across three sites. • Bamboo invasion consistently decreased fungal ITS gene abundances across the sites. • Bamboo invasion improved the closeness of soil bacterial but not fungal communities. • Total soil enzyme activities positively correlated with the abundances of fungi rather than bacteria. Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) invasions into adjacent forests have been reported to threaten aboveground biodiversity and alter belowground soil processes. However, the impacts of bamboo invasion on soil microbial community composition, co-occurrence network and enzyme activity remain largely unknown. We presented a cross site field investigation on soil bacterial and fungal communities and enzyme activities in three forests (an original broadleaf forest, a mixed bamboo-broadleaf forest and a pure bamboo forest) at three sites in South China. Our results showed that bamboo invasion consistently increased soil pH (by 6.72% − 17.56%) and soil organic carbon concentrations (by 11.75% − 40.63%) across the three sites. Bamboo invasion consistently decreased fungal ITS gene abundances across the sites, but had little effect on bacterial 16S rRNA gene abundances and diversity indices. The community composition of both bacteria and fungi and their functional guilds differed among the three sites and were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by bamboo invasion. Bamboo invasion significantly decreased the relative abundances of ectomycorrhizal but increased those of soil saprotrophs. The complexity of co-occurrence network of bacterial communities was increased whereas that of fungal communities was decreased due to bamboo invasion. The activities of soil enzymes involved in C, N and P cycling were also altered by bamboo invasion, and they were significantly positively correlated with the abundances of fungal ITS gene and ectomycorrhizal rather than those of bacteria and predicted metabolic function. This study suggested that bamboo invasions into adjacent broadleaf forests had contrasting effects on soil bacterial and fungal communities by shifting microhabitats towards a condition that is unfavorable for some fungal functional guilds, which were tightly associated with soil functioning. These results highlight the need for sustainable forestry management against bamboo invasion to maintain fungal diversity and network complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]