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,firedamaged 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 factorinfluencing 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 stateowned 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.

Biomass Carbon Storage and Its Sequestration Potential of Afforestation under Natural Forest Protection Program in China

Based on the data from China′s Seventh Forest Inventory for the period of 2004–2008, area and stand volume of different types and age-classes of plantation were used to establish the relationship between biomass density and age of planted forests in different regions of the country. Combined with the plantation area in the first-stage of the Natural Forest Protection(NFP) program(1998–2010), this study calculated the biomass carbon storage of the afforestation in the first-stage of the program. On this basis, the carbon sequestration potential of these forests was estimated for the second stage of the program(2011–2020). Biomass carbon storage of plantation established in the first stage of the program was 33.67 Tg C, which was majority accounted by protection forests(30.26 Tg C). There was a significant difference among carbon storage in different regions, which depended on the relationship of biomass carbon density, forest age and plantation area. Under the natural growth, the carbon storage was forecasted to increase annually from 2011 to 2020, reaching 96.03 Tg C at the end of the second-stage of the program in 2020. The annual growth of the carbon storage was forecasted to be 6.24 Tg C/yr, which suggested that NFP program has a significant potential for enhancing carbon sequestration in plantation forests under its domain.

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.

The Natural Forest Protection Program in China： A Contingent Valuation Study in Heilongjiang Province

In 1998, the Chinese Government implemented the NFPP （Natural Forest Protection Program）, which included logging restrictions, protected areas, replanting, and a range of other policies aimed at safeguarding the state of the country＇s forests and reducing the risk of erosion and flooding. A second phase of this program is currently being discussed. In this paper, contingent valuation is used to estimate the WTP （willingness to pay） for maintaining the program among the inhabitants in Heilongjiang Province in northern China. The results show that, even with fairly conservative assumptions, the aggregated WTP for maintaining the program for another five years is some 3.24 billion yuan per year. This can be compared with the current cost of the Program in the province, which is some 1.57 billion yuan per year.