Abstract
Information on the ecological functions of forests is important for sustainable forest management. In this study, we introduced the national monitoring program which has been used in China to evaluate the overall health status and ecological functions of forests. We also compared it to similar monitoring programs operating in Europe and the United States of America. We revealed the strength and drawbacks of China’s monitoring program by analyzing the initial evaluation results. Our analysis showed that among the three programs, the European program gives the most detailed measurements of conditions of forests while the U.S. program generates the most detailed information on individual trees. In comparison, China’s monitoring program has a higher spatial resolution but is narrowly focused on trees and uses coarse classifications of indicators. The health status of forests in China suggested that more resources should be invested to improve the health of existing forests, especially plantations. The limitations in China’s monitoring program need to be addressed to improve the accuracy of future assessments.
Highlights
Forests can provide a multitude of ecological functions, many of which have long been valued by human beings, such as the supply of natural resource products, purification of water and air, and provision of wildlife habitats [1]
One important goal of forest management is to maintain the health of forests thereby ensuring a sustainable supply of these ecological functions
Our results showed that China’s monitoring program has its unique strength and limitations
Summary
Forests can provide a multitude of ecological functions, many of which have long been valued by human beings, such as the supply of natural resource products, purification of water and air, and provision of wildlife habitats [1]. At a time of rapid climate change, functions such as carbon storage and sequestration are of increasing importance [2,3,4]. The loss of healthy forests degrades these key ecological functions [7]. One important goal of forest management is to maintain the health of forests thereby ensuring a sustainable supply of these ecological functions. Obtained information forms the basis for designing forestry policies and programs that maintain and enhance the ecological functions of forests. The information is needed by the responsible agencies to evaluate management effectiveness
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
