Forest Management in Northeast China: History, Problems, and Challenges

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.

[1]  Jintao Xu,et al.  An empirical analysis of China's state-owned forests , 2004 .

[2]  Cropland cover change in Northeast China during the past 300 years , 2009 .

[3]  I. Ferguson.  Sustainable Forest Management , 1996 .

[4]  G. Shao,et al.  Logging restrictions in China - A turning point for forest sustainability , 2002 .

[5]  Bai-lian Li,et al.  The acceleration of succession for the restoration of the mixed-broadleaved Korean pine forests in Northeast China , 2003 .

[6]  Li Shanshan.  Quantitative Analysis on Forest Dynamics of China in Recent 300 Years , 2007 .

[7]  R. Stone.  A Threatened Nature Reserve Breaks Down Asian Borders , 2006, Science.

[8]  Jianbang Gan,et al.  Who will Meet China's Import Demand for Forest Products? , 2007 .

[9]  Zhou Shengxian.  Forestry in China, Historical Transitions and Industry Developments , 2005 .

[10]  Ye Qi,et al.  China's New Forest Policy , 2000, Science.

[11]  X. Fang,et al.  Land use change in Northeast China in the twentieth century: a note on sources, methods and patterns , 2009 .

[12]  H. E. Hutchins,et al.  The role of birds and mammals in Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) regeneration dynamics , 1996, Oecologia.

[13]  Liping Sun,et al.  Fuzzy Control of Production Line for Wrapping Container of Paper Pulp Moulding , 2003 .

[14]  G. Cornelis van Kooten,et al.  Mosaic of reform: forest policy in post-1978 China , 2004 .

[15]  Lina Tang,et al.  China’s Classification-Based Forest Management: Procedures, Problems, and Prospects , 2009, Environmental management.

[16]  Li Wenhua,et al.  Degradation and restoration of forest ecosystems in China , 2004 .

[17]  F. D. Johnson,et al.  Forests and Forestry in China , 1981, Journal of Forestry.

[18]  L. Tang,et al.  Forest degradation deepens around and within protected areas in East Asia , 2010 .

[19]  YI Bao-zhong.  The Development of Forest Reserves in Northeast China Since The End of Qing Dynasty and Its Environmental Cost , 2004 .

[20]  G. Shao,et al.  China's Forest Policy for the 21st Century , 2000, Science.

[21]  Zengrang Xu,et al.  Spatial and temporal flows of China's forest resources: Development of a framework for evaluating resource efficiency , 2010 .