Natural Forest Protection Program Research Articles

Human activity and climate change accelerate the extinction risk to non-human primates in China.

Human activity and climate change affect biodiversity and cause species range shifts, contractions, and expansions. Globally, human activities and climate change have emerged as persistent threats to biodiversity, leading to approximately 68% of the ~522 primate species being threatened with extinction. Here, we used habitat suitability models and integrated data on human population density, gross domestic product (GDP), road construction, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the location of protected areas (PAs), and climate change to predict potential changes in the distributional range and richness of 26 China's primate species. Our results indicate that both PAs and NDVI have a positive impact on primate distributions. With increasing anthropogenic pressure, species' ranges were restricted to areas of high vegetation cover and in PAs surrounded by buffer zones of 2.7-4.5 km and a core area of PAs at least 0.1-0.5 km from the closest edge of the PA. Areas with a GDP below the Chinese national average of 100,000 yuan were found to be ecologically vulnerable, and this had a negative impact on primate distributions. Changes in temperature and precipitation were also significant contributors to a reduction in the range of primate species. Under the expected influence of climate change over the next 30-50 years, we found that highly suitable habitat for primates will continue to decrease and species will be restricted to smaller and more peripheral parts of their current range. Areas of high primate diversity are expected to lose from 3 to 7 species. We recommend that immediate action be taken, including expanding China's National Park Program, the Ecological Conservation Redline Program, and the Natural Forest Protection Program, along with a stronger national policy promoting alternative/sustainable livelihoods for people in the local communities adjacent to primate ranges, to offset the detrimental effects of anthropogenic activities and climate change on primate survivorship.

Dynamic Change of Forest Ecological Benefit of the Natural Forest Protection Project in the Upper Reaches of Yangtze River

The Natural Forest Protection Project (NFPP) is an ecological restoration project aimed at safeguarding natural forests, and is one of China’s six main forestry initiatives. The upper reaches of the Yangtze River represent the main distribution area of natural forests in China, and are an important area for the implementation of the NFPP. A systematic assessment of forest ecosystem changes in the upper Yangtze River region before and after implementation of the NFPP is of great scientific significance for the improvement of the project implementation effect, regional ecological protection, and further protection and restoration of natural forest resources. This study uses the NFPP area in the Yangtze River’s upper reaches as the study area; the data are primarily derived from the 1998 and 2020 forest resources category II survey data, long-term monitoring data from forest ecological stations, and public social data published by authoritative Chinese organizations. Based on the above data, we used the full index system of forest ecosystem services, continuous observation, and inventory system with the distributed measurement method to analyze the dynamic changes in forest ecosystem services in the study area in terms of three aspects: physical quality, value quality, and dominant function. The results of the study show that: (1) over the studied time scale, compared to the 1998 baseline, the physical quantities (soil erosion control, water regulation, and PM10 retention) and value of each service function of the forest ecosystem in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River project area in 2020 showed a significant increasing trend; (2) at the spatial scale, changes in forest ecosystem service functions in the upper reaches of Yangtze River under the NFPP showed significant spatial heterogeneity from 1998 to 2020; (3) in 2020, the total value of forest ecosystem services in the study area was 3,261,161,000,000 yuan/a, of which the functional value of biodiversity conservation was 1,294,426,000,000 yuan/a and the functional value of water conservation was 841,069,000,000 yuan/a, indicating that the forest ecosystem of the study area plays an important role as a “green gene pool” and “green water reservoir”; (4) the forest ecosystem service functions of the NFPP in the upper reaches of Yangtze River are intricately tied to forest resource features such as forest area, forest volume, age-group structure of arbor forest, etc., which influence the physical quantity and value of each forest ecosystem service function to varying degrees. In addition to illustrating the amazing efficiency of the natural forest preservation initiative, this study provides a scientific foundation for future natural forest resource conservation and restoration. It can serve as a reference for the project’s subsequent development as well to provide scientific foundations and guidance for the development of the natural forest protection and restoration program and to promote the protection and restoration of more natural forest resources.

Evaluating Household Welfare in Participation of China’s Natural Forest Protection Program: A Dual Perspective of Income Welfare and Material Welfare

This paper presents novel empirical evidence on the welfare impacts of forest protection programs, focusing on both income and material welfare at the household level. Specifically, we conduct a household survey of 1271 households in forestry communities that participate in the Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) in China. The survey data are collected from 56 state forest enterprises (SFEs) across three provinces in China. We employ the Alkire–Foster method to calculate and decompose the material deprivation index based on household income levels. Our analysis reveals that forestry communities exhibit a significant proportion of households in low-income welfare states, comprising nearly one-fourth (25.41%) of the sample. Furthermore, we observe that the percentage of households in a low-material welfare state is nearly one-fifth (21.70%), with 7.79% of households experiencing both low-income and low-material welfare. Importantly, we find that welfare disparities persist across population subgroups based on occupation and geography. In addition, we assess the impact of the NFPP on household welfare outcomes and identify an elite group of technicians residing in urban communities down the hill who experience positive welfare effects from the program. These findings provide critical insights beyond a single welfare dimension and contribute to the growing literature on evaluating forest protection policies. Furthermore, the results offer valuable lessons for designing and implementing forest protection programs in other developing countries.

Forest owners’ perspectives on forest protection in Norway

ABSTRACT Forest protection in nature reserves in Norway relies on the voluntary participation of forest owners. While the national forest protection program has been a success since its start in early 1990s, by 2020 the national forest protection authorities were only halfway to reaching their goal of protecting 10% all forest area. We examined attitudes towards forest protection in general and towards different protection modes using surveys of forest owners between 2003 and 2010. Our analysis is based on a comprehensive comparison between a random sample of forest owners (n = 647), forest owners who participated in voluntary conservation (n = 126) and forest owners involved in the government-led coniferous forest protection program (n = 142). Only about 10% of forest owners involved in voluntary protection processes are either quite or very unhappy with the process, while 75% of forest owners involved in government-led protection were either quite or very unhappy with the process. Moreover, forest owners who had experience with the voluntary protection program were largely satisfied with the results. We discuss forest owners’ attitudes to forest protection in general, and possible reasons for the differences in attitudes between compulsory protection and voluntary protection. We conclude that voluntary protection has great potential to fulfill the last 5% area goal for forest protection in Norway, with some improvements in the process.

大兴安岭多布库尔国家级自然保护区植物多样性和群落结构特征

天然林植物多样性保护对于其生态服务功能至关重要，大兴安岭是我国重要国有林区，现有国家级自然保护区保护区林分特征及其耦合关系揭示是天然林保护与生态服务综合提升的基础。于2017年8-9月对多布库尔国家级自然保护区的乔、灌、草和更新层个体大小特征、群落特征和植物多样性特征进行详细调查，冗余分析与方差分解分析解析植物多样性和群落结构特征的耦合关系。结果表明：1）多布库尔保护区主要树种为落叶松，相对多度为42%，其次是白桦和黑桦；灌木中榛所占比例最高，达到60%；草本共记录116种，其中莎草科的羊须草所占比例最大，超过10%；更新层主要树种为蒙古栎，相对多度达54%，其次为白桦。2）多布库尔保护区乔木胸径和树高仅相当于1970年代的55%，乔木和草本丰富度较大兴安岭核心地区（呼中保护区）高出50%-60%。3）冗余分析和方差分解分析结果表明林分个体大小特征的独立效应和乔木层特征对多样性变化贡献最大，乔木层树高与植物多样性变化具有最紧密关系。大兴安岭地区森林已经全部纳入国家天然林保护工程，上述国家自然保护区相关数据是当地本底数据（当地森林以幼龄林为主，尚需要更长时间保护），将为进一步保护区政策制定与天然林保护工程实施提供支持。;Biodiversity conservation including plant species in natural forests is very important for their ecosystem service function. Daxing'anling is an important state-owned forest region in China. The characteristics and coupling relationship of the existing national nature reserves are the basis for the comprehensive improvement of natural forest protection and ecological services. In this paper, from August to September of 2017, the individual size characteristics, community characteristics and plant diversity characteristics of arbor, shrub, herb and regeneration layer were investigated in Duobukuer National Nature Reserve. The redundant analysis and variance partitioning analysis were conducted to analyze the coupling association and possible factors responsible for diversity variations. The results showed that:(1) Larix gmelinii is the main tree species in Duobukuer, had a relative abundance of 42%, followed by Betula platyphylla and Betula dahurica. The proportion of hazelnut (Corylus heterophylla) is the highest among shrubs, reaching 60%. A total of 116 species of herb layers were found, of which Carex callitrichos accounted for the largest proportion, exceeding 10%. The main tree species in the regeneration layer was Quercus mongolica (54%), followed by Betula platyphylla. (2) The diameter and height of trees were only 55% of those in 1970s, and the richness of trees and herbs was about 50%-60% higher than that in Huzhong Nature Reserve of the central Daxing'anling. (3) Redundancy analysis and variation partitioning showed that the individual size (rather than community features), and arbor layer characteristics (rather than shrub and herb layer) contributed the most to the plant diversity variation observed in this study. Of all the tested parameters, tree height gave the most significant explaining power for the plant diversity variations. The forests in Daxing'anling Mountain have been fully included in the Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP, completely inhibited timber harvest since 1999). The above-mentioned data from the National Nature Reserve, as a local background data, clearly showed that the forests in this region were still in their young stage and long-term protection are necessary. These data will provide supports for further national reserve policy making and implementation of the NFPP in northeast China.

Land use change induced by the implementation of ecological restoration Programs increases future terrestrial ecosystem carbon sequestration in red soil hilly region of China

Ecological Restoration Programs (ERP) is an effective approach to increase carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems to mitigate climate change, but it’s still controversial whether they are as important to carbon sequestration in areas with higher rainfall and accumulated temperature as they are in areas with low rainfall and accumulated temperature. In this study, we evaluated the influences of ERP on land use change (LUC) and carbon sequestration of terrestrial ecosystems in the red soil hilly region (RSHR) of China with higher rainfall and accumulated temperature. In view of the differences in LUC caused by ERP, the change point of ERP implementation was quantitatively determined in 2000 according to the characteristics of LUC, and divided the ERP implementation period into two stages: the early stage (1985–2000) and the mature stage (2000–2015). The Program Driving Force Model (PDFM) modified in this paper shows that ERP such as the Natural Forest Protection Program implemented in the mature stage has a greater driving effect on land use (+18%). Based on the three carbon pools (above-ground biomass, underground biomass, and soil organic carbon) of the ERP area in the forest land, cultivated land and grassland ecosystem, it is estimated that the total carbon storage of the terrestrial ecosystems generated in the period from 2000 to 2030 amounts to 1057.2 Tg, 65% of which is driven by ERP (691.6 Tg). Our estimates of future terrestrial ecosystem carbon sinks from ERP, reduces further uncertainty to our capacity to predict the future of terrestrial carbon uptake and losses and to China's projected carbon emissions peak in 2030. The quantitative assessment of the driving force of ERP on LUC provides a methodological reference for related researches. The practice of changing land use and increasing carbon sinks through ERP provides guidance for offsetting carbon dioxide emission when China's carbon dioxide emissions is expected to reach the peak by 2030, and striking sustainable development.

China's Natural Forest Protection Program: evolution, impact and challenges

In order to improve environmental conditions and the well-being of its population, China has implemented one of the world's largest ecological rehabilitation projects of the early twenty-first century: The Nat ural Forest Protection Program (NFPP). This program aims to prevent deforestation and conserve natural forests, mainly by banning logging. With heavy central government financing, the NFPP has profound global ecological and socioeconomic impacts. While most previous studies have focused on the positive aspects of the NFPP, some negative aspects should also be examined. Chiefly, the NFPP does not fully address the untapped potential of the natural forest and the uses of this sustainable economic resource, which should be approached using nature-based solutions. Some major policy points in the NFPP, such as forest management, institutional design, diversified funding resources, and comprehensive monitoring, need revision. This study of the NFPP can provide significant insights for other countries addressing urgent environmental issues.

Conservation planning on China's borders with Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.

Transboundary conservation is playing an increasingly important role in maintaining ecosystem integrity and halting biodiversity loss caused by anthropogenic activities. However, lack of information on species distributions in transboundary regions and understanding of the threats in these areas impairs conservation. We developed a spatial conservation plan for the transboundary areas between Yunnan province, southwestern China, and neighboring Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam in the Indo‐Burma biodiversity hotspot. To identify priority areas for conservation and restoration, we determined species distribution patterns and recent land‐use changes and examined the spatiotemporal dynamics of the connected natural forest, which supports most species. We assessed connectivity with equivalent connected area (ECA), which is the amount of reachable habitat for a species. An ECA incorporates the presence of habitat in a patch and the amount of habitat in other patches within dispersal distance. We analyzed 197,845 locality records from specimen collections and monographs for 21,004 plant and vertebrate species. The region of Yunnan immediately adjacent to the international borders had the highest species richness, with 61% of recorded species and 56% of threatened vertebrates, which suggests high conservation value. Satellite imagery showed the area of natural forest in the border zone declined by 5.2% (13,255 km2) from 1995 to 2018 and monoculture plantations increased 92.4%, shrubland 10.1%, and other cropland 6.2%. The resulting decline in connected natural forest reduced the amount of habitat, especially for forest specialists with limited dispersal abilities. The most severe decline in connectivity was along the Sino‐Vietnamese border. Many priority areas straddle international boundaries, indicating demand and potential for establishing transboundary protected areas. Our results illustrate the importance of bi‐ and multilateral cooperation to protect biodiversity in this region and provide guidance for future conservation planning and practice.

China’s Key Forestry Ecological Development Programs: Implementation, Environmental Impact and Challenges

Forest ecosystems are in serious trouble globally, largely due to the over-exploitation. To alleviate environmental problems caused by deforestation, China has undertaken a series of key forestry ecological development programs, including the Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP), the Conversion of Cropland into Forests Program (CCFP), the Desertification Combating Program around Beijing and Tianjing (DCBT), the Key Shelterbelt Development Programs in the Three-North Region and in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River (KSDP) and the Nature Reserve Development Program in Forestry Sector (WCNR). This article aims to make a documentation of the specific contents (duration, major aims, geographic coverage and investment), and environmental impacts of these programs from peer-reviewed literature, official reports and journals. Environmental impact is measured with land area afforested (except the WCNR) and the consequent changes in ecosystem function. Overall, with the huge investment and long-term efforts, these programs have made tremendous progress in increasing vegetative coverage, enhancing carbon sequestration, controlling soil erosion, conservation of biodiversity, etc. For proper implementation and remarkable achievement, a more balanced approach with flexible planning, suitable measures and proper management should be adopted. Meanwhile, the scientific communities need to be more actively involved in execution and assessment of these programs. The environmental impact of the DCBT, the KSDP, and the WCNR deserve more research concern.

Assessing the Effectiveness of China's Panda Protection System.

Protected areas form the backbone of biodiversity conservation, yet their effectiveness is often not known nor even evaluated [1-3]. China-best known for its record of ecological degradation in the face of rapidly increasing gross domestic product and resource consumption [4]-has in recent years enacted a series of policies and programs to conserve its natural resources. Chief among them is an ambitious protected area system covering 17% of its terrestrial land mass [4, 5]. An important early impetus for the establishment of this reserve system was the protection of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) [5-8]. Using data from two previous large-scale surveys [9, 10] separated by a decade, and including over 50,000 habitat plots, we examined the panda population and habitat trends inside and outside reserves. Despite ambitious ecocompensation programs in panda habitat outside reserves [11-13], the protection provided by reserves reduced most classes of human disturbance compared to outside reserves, and most disturbances decreased through time more strongly inside than outside reserves. Reserves also contained more and increasing suitable panda than found outside reserves [14, 15]. Comparing reserve performance, reserves with increasing older forests and bamboo correlated with increasing panda populations. Together these findings indicate that China's panda reserves have been effective and that they are functioning better over time, conserving more and better habitats and containing more pandas. While China's protected area system still has much room for improvement [4, 5], including to support pandas [16], these findings underscore the progress made in China's nascent environmental movement.

Dominant Species Abundance, Vertical Structure and Plant Diversity Response to Nature Forest Protection in Northeastern China: Conservation Effects and Implications

The conservation of species diversity and improvement of forest structure are essential roles of the Natural Reserve Policy and the Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) in China. However, the long-term effects of NFPP are still not well-defined, and a natural reserve (Liangshui) and surrounding region were surveyed as a proxy of NFPP for approaching the protection effects. Our results showed that long-term conservation significantly altered the dominant species in the herb layer (80% of species), followed by shrub (58%) and tree layers (50%); there was a 1.6-8.0-fold increase in abundance in Corylus shrubs, Acer trees and Carex grass, but a 1.3–10.0-fold abundance decrease in larch trees, Athyrium herbs and Lonicera shrubs. In contrast, tree species diversity and distribution evenness increased by 31% and 23.4% in the reserve, respectively. Forest protection in the reserve also led to the forest structural alteration with the observation of larger-sized trees and shorter herbs, but relatively sparse forests (smaller tree density). Structural equation modeling manifested that the reserve directly altered forest structure, at a coefficient of 0.854, nearly two-fold higher than its impact on diversity (0.459) and dominant species (−0.445). The most affected parameters were plant size (trees and herbs) and tree density related to forest structure, tree diversity, herb richness and evenness for diversity traits, and Oxalidaceae and Rosaceae for dominant species. This study provides basic data that can be used to evaluate the impact of the nature reserve in NE China, and these findings can be used to guide the implementation of NFPP in the long-term in the future.

Factors Contributing to Efficient Forest Production in the Region of the Three-North Shelter Forest Program, China

Forests are the most important renewable resources and provide critical ecosystem services worldwide, especially the provisioning service, making a great contribution to human well-being. The Three-North Shelter Forest Program (TNSFP) is a large-scale ecological project aimed at improving ecological environments and consolidating economic construction in China through the development of artificial forests. In our study, stochastic frontier analysis was adopted to estimate forest production efficiency (FPE) by using dynamic panel data. Based on the FPE of 13 provinces located within the TNSFP region during the period 2000–2016, the effects of the natural and socioeconomic influencing factors on FPE were further explored by using the Tobit regression model. The estimated results confirmed the validity of the constructed model and revealed an increasing trend of the mean annual FPE value, which ranged from 0.3147 in 2000 to 0.5681 in 2016. The FPE was declining from the eastern region to the western region in 2000. However, this spatial distribution characteristic changed enormously in 2016; regions with low FPE were in the center of the TNSFP region, surrounded by the regions with high FPE. Moreover, the following factors positively influenced FPE: average temperature (1.4476), total annual rainfall (0.0800), per capita GDP (0.0882), the education levels of forestry employees (0.2120), the number of forest technology stations in townships (0.0149), and disease and pest control areas (0.0190). However, the impacts of the policy relating to the Natural Forest Protection Program on FPE were insignificant. These influencing factors had differential effects on FPE within the TNSFP’s three sub-regions during the period 2000–2016. These findings can contribute to more efficient forest management and strengthen resource and environment management.

Livelihood mushroomed: Examining household level impacts of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) under new management regime in China's state forests

Finding alternative livelihood possibility for state worker households is crucial for the successful implementation of Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) in China's key state forest regions. One local innovation to implement NFPP while allowing worker households alternative use of forestland is the “Contract Management Responsibility System (CMRS)”. Under CMRS, participating households have exclusive rights to harvest and grow non-timber forest products (NTFP) while fulfilling forest protection responsibility. Using two rounds of survey data, we evaluate the impact of CMRS on forest worker households' livelihood and the sustainability of NTFPs. We also test and correct for the bias from attrition and self-selection simultaneously. We find that CMRS leads to a significant increase in household income from NTFPs' production. We also find that increased NTFP species collected is associated with longer CMRS participation, which indicates improved sustainability.

Applying foliar stoichiometric traits of plants to determine fertilization for a mixed pine-oak stand in the Qinling Mountains, China.

BackgroundThe Chinese Natural Forest Protection program has been conducted nationwide and has achieved resounding success. However, timber importation has increased; therefore, producing more domestic timber is critical to meet the demand for raw materials. Fertilization is one of the most effective silviculture practices used to improve tree and stand growth. However, determining the appropriate type and amount of elements is necessary for effective fertilization of big timber in different forest types and environmental conditions. Stoichiometric theory provides the criteria to assess nutrient limitation in plants and offers important insight into fertilizer requirements of forested ecosystems.MethodsNitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in plants’ leaves, mineral soil, and litter were investigated in a mixed pine-oak stand.ResultsThe big timber rate for Pinus tabuliformis, Pinus armandii and Quercus aliena var. acutesserata is 57.71%, 22.79% and 2.78% of current existing individuals respectively. Foliar N and P concentrations were 9.08 and 0.88 mg g−1, respectively. The N:P in the plants was 10.30. N concentration and N:P in mineral soil decreased from 0–30 cm soil depth. For litter, N and P concentrations were 16.89 and 1.51 mg g−1, respectively, and N:P was 11.51. Concentrations of N and P in mineral soil and litter did not significantly affect plants’leaf concentrations. Similar result was also obtained between litter and mineral soil concentrations. Nitrogen storage in mineral soil was significantly correlated with foliar N:P in the plants.DiscussionFoliar N:P of dominant tree species and the plants, and foliar N concentration in Pinus tabuliformis and P. armandii, and foliar P concentration of P. armandii in the mixed pine-oak stand was lower than that in Chinese and other terrestrial plants. Foliar nutrients in the plants were not affected by soil nutrients. According to the criteria of nutrient limitation for plants, growth of dominant tree species was N limited; therefore, 1.49 t ha−1 pure N should be added to forest land to as fertilizer.

Effect of Key Priority Forestry Programs on off-farm employment: Evidence from Chinese rural households

This paper examines how 3 Key Priority Forestry Programs (the KPFPs) influenced rural off-farm employment time using a long-term panel dataset that spans 18years (1995–2012) and includes 6 provinces in China. The programs included the most significant forest policies, including the Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP), Desertification Combating Program around Beijing and Tianjin (DCBT), and Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP). A labor supply model with both fixed and cluster effects were used to identify the programs' disparate impacts in the different regions and on various policy stages. We found the following results: (i) the overall effect of the SLCP was pronounced in relation to the off-farm participation time, but it weakened gradually after the first policy stage; (ii) the DCBT had less impact than the SLCP in increasing the work time of farmers who already had off-farm jobs, but it was better than the SLCP during the various subsidy policy stages; (iii) the NFPP's total effect was insignificant; (iv) forestry subsidies tended to be decoupled for farmers in China, since the substitution effect was greater than the income effect and increased the supply of non-agricultural labor hours. The researches and policy implications of our work are also discussed here.

Effects of management regimes on carbon sequestration under the Natural Forest Protection Program in northeast China

Carbon sinks constitute an important element within the complex phenomenon of global climate change, and forest ecosystems are important global carbon sinks. The Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) is an ecological program in China that was established after catastrophic flooding in the country in 1998. The goals of the NFPP are to curb the deterioration of the ecological environment, strengthen the protection and restoration of habitat to increase biodiversity, and rehabilitate natural forests to support sustainable development in forest regions. This study looked at changes in carbon sequestration in a forested area of northeast China after the inception of the NFPP. The program divides China’s natural forests into three classes—commercial and two types of noneconomic forests—that are subject to management regimes prescribing varying levels of timber harvest, afforestation, and reforestation. During the 18-year period from 1998 to 2015, the total amount of carbon sequestration increased at an average annual rate of 0.04 MT C. This trend reflects a transformation of forest management practices after implementation of the NFPP that resulted in prohibited and/or restricted logging and tighter regulation of allowable harvest levels for specific areas. In documenting this trend, guidelines for more effective implementation of forestry programs such as the NFPP in other countries in the future are also suggested.

How long should the fully hillside-closed forest protection be implemented on the Loess Plateau, Shaanxi, China?

BackgroundRestoration of degraded forest ecosystem is crucial for regional sustainable development. To protect the country’s fragile and fragmented environment, the Chinese government initiated an ecological engineering project, the Natural Forest Protection Program, in seventeen provinces in China beginning in 1998. Fully hillside-closed forest protection (vegetation restoration naturally without any artificial disturbance) was one of vital measures of the Natural Forest Protection Program applied nation wide. Whether plant diversity, biomass and age structure of dominant tree species and soil nutrients in protected stands may become better with increase of protected period are still open problems.MethodsWe investigated community diversity, biomass of dominant tree species, age structures, and analyzed soil chemical properties of a Pinus tabulaeformis population at protected sites representing different protected ages at Huanglongshan Forest Bureau on the Loess Plateau, Shaanxi, China.ResultsPlant species richness of Pinus tabulaeformis community was significantly affected (p < 0.05) by forest protection and the effect attenuated with protection age. Shannon evenness index of plant species generally increased with protection age. Stands protected for 45 years had the highest tree biomass and considerable natural regeneration capacity. Contents of organic carbon, available phosphorus and available potassium in top soil increased in protected stands less than 45 years, however decreased significantly thereafter. Long-term forest protection also decreased the content of mineral nitrogen in top soil.DiscussionWe found that the richness of shrubs and herbs was significantly affected by forest protection, and evenness indices of tree, shrub and herb increased inconsistently with protected ages. Forest protection created more complex age structures and tree densities with increasing age of protection. Content of soil mineral nitrogen at 0–20 cm soil depth showed a decreasing trend in stands of up to 30 years. Soil available phosphorus and potassium contents were higher in stands with greater proportions of big and medium trees. Long-term protection (>45 years) of Pinus tabulaeformis stands in southeast Loess Plateau, China, may be associated with decreasing plant species richness, proportion of medium to large trees, dominant biomass of Pinus tabulaeformis and soil nutrients.

C:N:P Stoichiometry and Carbon Storage in a Naturally-Regenerated Secondary Quercus variabilis Forest Age Sequence in the Qinling Mountains, China

Large-scale Quercus variabilis natural secondary forests are protected under the Natural Forest Protection (NFP) program in China to improve the ecological environment. However, information about nutrient characteristics and carbon (C) storage is still lacking. Plant biomass and C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry of tree tissues, shrubs, herbs, litter, and soil were determined in young, middle-aged, near-mature and mature Quercus variabilis secondary forests in the Qinling Mountains, China. Tree leaf N and P concentrations indicated that the N-restricted situation worsened with forest age. The per hectare biomass of trees in decreasing order was near-mature, mature, middle-aged, then young stands. The majority of the biomass was in the stems (44.88–48.15%), followed by roots (24.54–28.68%), and branches (10.15–14.16%), and leaves made up the lowest proportion (2.86–3.55%) of trees. C storage at plant layer increased significantly with age, reaching maximum values in near-mature stand (100.4 Mg·ha−1) and then decreasing in mature stands. Soil C storage at a depth of 0 to 100 cm was 82.8, 96.8, 85.8, 104.2 Mg·ha−1, and C storage of forest ecosystem was 122.8, 163.0, 184.9, 178.3 Mg·ha−1 in young, middle-aged, near-mature, mature stands, respectively. There were significant correlations between biomass and C, N, P stoichiometry in different layers, especially in young stands.

A statistical analysis of spatiotemporal variations and determinant factors of forest carbon storage under China’s Natural Forest Protection Program

The Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) is one of the key ecological forestry programs in China. It not only facilitates the improvement of forest ecological quality in NFPP areas, but also plays a significant role in increasing the carbon storage of forest ecosystems. The program covers 17 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities with correspondingly diverse forest resources and environments, ecological features, engineering measures and forest management regimes, all of which affect regional carbon storage. In this study, volume of timber harvest, tending area, pest-infested forest, fire-damaged forest, reforestation, and average annual precipitation, and temperature were evaluated as factors that influence carbon storage. We developed a vector autoregression model for these seven indicators and we studied the dominant factors of carbon storage in the areas covered by NFPP. Timber harvest was the dominant factor influencing carbon storage in the Yellow and Yangtze River basins. Reforestation contributed most to carbon storage in the state-owned forest region in Xinjiang. In state-owned forest regions of Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces, the dominant factors were forest fires and forest cultivation, respectively. For the enhancement of carbon sequestration capacity, a longer rotation period and a smaller timber harvest are recommended for the Yellow and Yangtze River basins. Trees should be planted in state-owned forests in Xinjiang. Forest fires should be prevented in state-owned forests in Heilongjiang, and greater forest tending efforts should be made in the state-owned forests in Jilin.

China’s Natural Forest Protection Program: Progress and impacts

This is a brief review on the progress and impacts of China’s Natural Forest Protection Program that was initiated in response to massive flooding in 1998 of the major river basins of China. The program was heavily financed by the central government and was a success in terms of three program goals: timber harvest control in the natural forests; increase in the total area of forest protection; and, the successful resettlement of forest workers who were affected by reduced harvests. The ecological, social, and economic impacts of the program are discussed.