Examining the influencing factors of forest health, its implications on rural revitalization: A case study of five forest farms in Beijing

Abstract

Based on first-hand data from the forest resources inventory of five representative forest farms in Beijing, this study quantitatively evaluates forest ecosystem health at sub-compartmental level for the years 2004, 2009 and 2014, using GIS technology, spatial statistical methods and mathematical modelling. The spatio-temporal pattern and evolution features of the health conditions of forest sub-compartments are explored, taking into account different forest types, forest age groups and forest categories. Our results indicate that the health condition of forest sub-compartments improved significantly between 2004 and 2014. The area and number of forest sub-compartments at the “healthy” level showed obvious increases, and most forest sub-compartments that were classed as “unhealthy” and “morbid” improved to a “sub-healthy” level. Most of the forest sub-compartments above the “healthy” level were part of middle-aged forests, near-mature forests, mature forests and over-mature forests, while the sub-compartments below the “unhealthy” level were mainly young forests. The health conditions of the categories shelter forests and special-purpose forests were found to be better than that of economic forests. Further analysis shows that the forest sub-compartments with better health conditions were mainly concentrated in the Ecological Conservation Zone of Beijing, while those in the New Urban Development Zone and the Functional Expansion Zone displayed relatively poor conditions. The spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of forest health in the study area were shown to be mainly affected by geographical location, forest resources, socio-economic development, natural environment and forestry policies. We argue that the research can provide a scientific reference for the sustainable development and scientific management of forest farms in the process of implementing rural revitalization strategy in Beijing.