Comparative Research on Zoning of High Conservation Value Forest and Ecological Forest

High conservation value forest(HCVF) theory has aroused wide concerns among related forestry sectors in China,but the zoning and identification of HCVF only have been implemented in a few forest management units(FMUs). As there is no quantitative indicator for identifying and zoning HCVF in China,most FMUs are unable to have an exact zoning result. This paper introduced the concepts of HCVF and ecological forest,and compared their similarities and differences in terms of identification criteria,zoning methods and application scope. With four Chinese FMUs as case studies,some suggestions were proposed for establishing a zoning scheme of HCVF so as to promote the development of HCVF in China.

Ecosystem Service Value Assessment of Wutong Mountain Rhododendron moulmainense Ecological Landscape Forest in Shenzhen City in 2021

Taking Wutong Mountain Rhododendron moulmainense ecological landscape forest in Shenzhen City as an example,the value of the forest was assessed by constructing an ecological service value assessment system and accounting method.The assessment results showed that the total ecosystem service value of R.moulmainense ecological landscape forest was 13.195 billion yuan,and the top three services included the value of forestry products,the value of biodiversity maintenance and the value of leisure and recreation,indicating that the ecosystem service of Wutong Mountain R.moulmainense ecological landscape forest in Shenzhen has great ecological and economic value,especially in forestry products,biodiversity maintenance,and leisure and recreation.

Problems and countermeasures on restoration of forest ecological environment of Jilin Province

Jilin Province is one of major forest regions of China. This paper analyzed the existing conditions and tendency in forest ecological restoration of the province and revealed the confronting problems in ecology and economy. The authors divided Jilin Province into three ecological economic zones, including nid-west farming and stockbreeding area, east hilly diversified-operation area, and Changbai Mountain national forest area, and discussed the direction and tasks of forest ecological restoration of each zone. Some Countermeasures and suggestions were put forward for restoration of forest ecology of the province.

Using nonparametric modeling approaches and remote sensing imagery to estimate ecological welfare forest biomass

The spatial distribution of forest biomass is closely related with carbon cycle, climate change, forest productivity, and biodiversity. Efficient quantification of biomass provides important information about forest quality and health. With the rising awareness of sustainable development, the ecological benefits of forest biomass attract more attention compared to traditional wood supply function. In this study, two nonparametric modeling approaches, random forest（RF） and support vector machine were adopted to estimate above ground biomass（AGB） using widely used Landsat imagery in the region,especially within the ecological forest of Fuyang District in Zhejiang Province, China. Correlation analysis was accomplished and model parameters were optimized during the modeling process. As a result, the best performance modeling method RF was implemented to produce an AGB estimation map. The predicted map of AGB in the study area showed obvious spatial variability and demonstrated that within the current ecological forest zone, as well as the protected areas, the average of AGB were higher than the ordinary forest. The quantification of AGB was proven to have a close relationship with the local forest policy and management pattern, which indicated that combining remote-sensing imagery and forest biophysical property would provide considerable guidance for making beneficial decisions.

Present situation and prospects of forest ecological network in Jilin Province, China

This paper makes a brief introduction of the ecological environment, forestry achievements, and the existing questions of Jilin Province. The task of forest ecological network and eight questions demanding prompt solution were discussed based on the present situation of forestry in Jilin Province. The author also made prospects for future application of bio-technique, infor-mation technology, new material technology and nuisance-free forest health technology in forest ecological network.

Ecological control of forest pest： a new strategy for forest pest control

In comparison with integrated pest management and chemical control, the authors put forward a new strategy of forest pest control, named ecological control of forest pest （ECFP）. This paper reviewed the development history, summarized the concept and principles of ECFP, discussed the technology and methods of ECFP, and evaluated the ECFP and its application conditions.

Restoration and Rebuilding of Forestry Ecological System in Heilongjiang Province

The study on restoration and rebuilding of forestry ecological system was conducted on Xianfeng Forestry Farm (N45° 03′, E129° 45′), in Yilan county, Heilongjiang province. One thousand hectare sample land was established. The research summarized the comprehensive technique measures: to managed virgin forests perfectly, to promote forest reforestation by artificial treatment, to restore the secondary forest with patch pattern; and to restorc and foster felling land on artificial forest by means of natural pattern or close hillside to facilitate afforestation. The results showed that forest ecosystem function and quality were restored and rebuilt during ten years by utilization of these technique measures.

Compensation for forest ecological services in China

The paper discusses methods to compensate for the costs incurred in the supply of forest ecological services （FES）, i.e. government dominated and market-based instruments as well as progress made so far in China. Factors which constrain the supply of these services and potential policy improvements are presented.

Value Assessment of Ecosystem Service Function of Ecological Public Welfare Forests in Wenchang City

Based on the measurement parameters and index in the Specifications for Assessment of Forest Ecosystem Services in China(LY/T 1721-2008),the value of ecological service functions of ecological public welfare forest in Wenchang City was evaluated and analyzed.The results show that the total value of ecosystem service function of ecological public welfare forests in Wenchang City is about 4.020 billion yuan,of which storage capacity,water purification,soil fixation,fertilizer(N,P and K fertilizer) conservation,carbon sequestration,oxygen release,forest nutrient accumulation,providing anion,absorbing SO_2,absorbing fluoride,absorbing NxO,absorbing soil heavy metals,dust retention,noise reduction,sterilization,forest protection,forest biodiversity protection,and forest recreation(ecological tourism) are about 1.510 billion,582.256 million,3.769 million,268.220 million,116.360 million,2.747 million,22.682 million,42.817 million,1.722 million,74,600,131,900,187.918 million,77.409 million,28.721 million,43.090 million,180.696 million,571.036 million,and 108.677 million yuan

Index of Atmospheric Purity reflects the ecological conditions better than the environmental pollution in the Carpathian forests

The Index of Atmospheric Purity(IAP)is a popular tool used for the assessment of air quality in polluted urban areas,on the basis of phytosociological data of epiphytic lichen communities.We hypothesized that this indicator could also be used in less polluted forest areas to determine the quality of ecological conditions for lichens.The aim of the present study was to verify the use of IAP method in the assessment of environmental pollution,and alternatively for the assessment of general ecological conditions in protected mountain forests of Gorce National Park(Polish Western Carpathians)based on the epiphytic lichen biota associated with Picea abies.The spatial distribution of IAP values on monitored sites in GNP was compared with:1)spatial distribution of accumulated sulfur,nitrogen,selected heavy metals,and total heavy metals in Hypogymnia physodes thalli in 1993 and 2018(30 sites),2)mean ecological indicator values characterizing species requirements for light(L),substrate reaction(R)and nutrients(N),in 1993,2013 and 2018(33 sites).Generalized linear model and redundancy analysis were performed for disclosing most influencing factors affecting lichen communities.The study revealed a few negligible relationships between IAP values and accumulation of such elements as Ni,Mn,Cd,and Cr in both monitoring periods.Simultaneously,IAP can be useful for the identification of forest areas with a high degree of naturalness.

On Construction of Ecological Economic Forests

To consolidate the results of returning cukivated land into forests and realize sustainable development, it is an important way to develop ecological economic forests at a reasonable scale. At the same time, with the improving quality of people＇s lives, we must pay attention to production of pollution-free green fruits. This paper, from the point of ecological economics, takes the example of date trees for example, presenting the connotation of ecological economic forest and main construction technologies, in order to provide basis for the industrial development after returning cultivated land into forests.

Categorized Analysis of Forest Ecological Values in the China’s Conversion Cropland to Forest Program

The China’s Conversion Cropland to Forest Program(CCFP)is one of the largest national ecological construction programs,which has effectively improved ecological environment and produced large ecological benefi t.To provide references for further improving ecological benefi t of CCFP,we analyzed the features,differences and relationships of the categorized forest ecological“benefi t value”(B-V)s in 3 kinds of forest restoration ways in different regions in CCFP,using the data of Chinese Forest Ecosystem Research Network(CFERN)from 1999 to 2013 and the methods of the national standards of(LY/T1606-2003),(LY/T1721-2008)and(LY/T1952-2011).The result showed that annual B-Vs of unit area varied in the range of 3.5-10.0 e4 RMBs/hm2·a.Water conservation B-Vs and species conservation B-Vs are the 2 largest constituents,nutrient accumulation B-V was the least in total B-Vs.The B-Vs performed inconsistently among the forest restoration ways and different regions.The rank of average annual total B-Vs of unit area from high to low was“hillside forest conservation”,“returning cropland to forest”,“afforestation on suitable barren hills and wasteland”.Species conservation B-Vs and water conservation B-Vs in southern regions were higher than that of northern and northwestern regions in China.The hot and rainy regions could produce higher species conservation B-Vs.The regression analysis indicated that water conservation B-Vs had signifi cantly positive correlation with the relevant total B-Vs and positive correlation with the relevant atmosphere purification B-Vs whether in regional or in unit area scale.Unit area species conservation B-V was negatively correlated with the relevant nutrient accumulation B-Vs except the way of“afforestation on suitable barren hills and wasteland”.Regional total species conservation B-Vs had signifi cantly negative correlation with its relevant nutrient accumulation B-Vs except“hillside forest conservation”way.We suggest that suitable forest restoration ways must be selective according to the regional specifi c,B-V features and local ecological goals.

Estimation of Relative Ecological Value of Returning Farmland to Forest & Mountain Enclosure for Grazing Prohibition——A case study in Yongxing Township of Jingyuan County,Gansu Province

[Objective]Returning farmland to forest and mountain enclosure for grazing prohibition ecological effect and economy rationality were explored.[Methods]A case study of returning farmland to forest and barren hills grazing prohibition in Yongxing Township of Jingyuan County was used to discuss and estimate the relative ecological function and relative ecological value.[Results]1）The ecological value of the forest of returning farmland was far more than the sum of the ecological value of farm crops and the agricultural output,and also more than the national subsidy standard.So the state policy of returning farmland to forests is not only favorable to local eco-environment restoration,but also reasonable in economic development.2）The ecological value of mountain enclosure for grazing prohibition was less than the opportunity cost of prohibiting grazing,also less than the national subsidy standard.The sum of the relative ecological value of prohibiting grazing and the state subsidies was more than the opportunity cost of prohibiting grazing.However,the ecological value of new vegetation through returning farmland to forest project was greater than the China＇s average ecological value of grassland.[Conclusion]The relative ecological value can be used to solve the problems in the equivalent conversion among various ecological indexes and between ecological indexes and economic indexes.

Forestland prediction of China based on forest ecosystem services for the first half of 21st century

A new model was developed to predict forestland demand of China during the years of 2010-2050 in terms of the concept of forest ecosystem services. On the basis of the relationship between forest ecosystem services and classified forest management, we hypothesized that the ecological-forest provides ecological services, whereas commercial-forest supplies wood and timber production, and the influences of the growth of population, social-economic development target, forest management methods and the technology changes on forest resources were also taken into account. The prediction reveals that the demand of total forestland of China will be 244.8, 261.2 and 362.2 million ha by the year 2010, 2020 and 2050, respectively. The results demonstrated that China will be confronted with a shortage of forest resources, especially with lack of ecological-oriented forests, in the future. It is suggested that sustainable management of forest resources must be reinforced and more attention should be drown no enhancing the service function of forest ecosystem.

Review of forest ecology studies in China

As the most important type or component in the terrestrial ecosystems, forest ecosystem makes its role obviously prominent and important on environment and human being. It possesses non-substitutable functions in the process of sustainable development. However, due to the complexity of the forest ecosystem and the relatively delay or lack of the related research technology, the science is still in the case of immature and questions. This paper summarized and reviewed briefly the development and the present case of the forest ecology, then pointed out the existing problems in the forest ecosystem researches. In the end, we discussed several fields that need to pay more attention to in future researches.

Forest landscape ecology and its applications in China

Landscape ecology is playing an increasingly important role in resources management and landuse planning in recent decades and attracting much attention from resource managers and scientists in China as well as in the world. Reviews of landscape ecology development in China have been well documented, whereas forest landscape ecology and its applications receive relatively fewer reviews. In this paper, we first present a brief review of the historical development and current advances of landscape ecology in China and then introduce the applications of landscape ecology to forest park designs, urban greenspace planning, ecological restoration, biodiversity conservation and forest eco-hydrology. Finally, the problems with the application of forest landscape ecology in China, such as inadequate synthesis and integration, lack of basic research on patterns and processes, basic data shortage and model usage problem are discussed on the basis of which we suggest a future direction of forest landscape ecology in China.

A Geographic Information Systems approach for classifying and mapping forest management category in Baihe Forestry Bureau, Northeast China

This paper demonstrates a Geographic Information Systems （GIS） procedure of classifying and mapping forest management category in Baihe Forestry Burea, Jilin Province, China. Within the study area, Baihe Forestry Bureau land was classified into a two-hierarchy system. The top-level class included the non-forest and forest. Over 96% of land area is forest in the study area, which was further divided into key ecological service forest （KES）, general ecological service forest （GES）, and commodity forest （COM）. COM covered 45.0% of the total land area and was the major forest management type in Baihe Forest Bureau. KES and GES accounted for 21.2% and 29.9% of the total land area, respectively. The forest management zones designed with GIS in this study were then compared with the forest management zones established using the hand draw by the local agency. There were obvious differences between the two products. It suggested that the differences had some to do with the data sources, basic unit and mapping procedures. It also suggested that the GIS method was a useful tool in integrating forest inventory data and other data for classifying and mapping forest zones to meet the needs of the classified forest management system.

A floristic survey of the Hyrcanian forests in Northern Iran, using two lowland-mountain transects

We investigated the floristic composition of the Hyrcanian forests and the related forest-steppe ecotone in Northern Iran by using two long ecological transects, from lowland to upper mountain areas. The study was conducted during 2008 and 2009 and yielded the identification of 395 plant taxa belonging to 233 genera and 78 families. Dicots with 300 taxa were the richest groups of the flora, followed by monocots with 75 taxa, pteridophytes with 18 species,and gymnosperms with two species. The largest families were Asteraceae（33 taxa）; Rosaceae（32 taxa）; and Poaceae（30 taxa）, and the most diverse genera included Carex（15 taxa）; Alchemilla（7 taxa）; and Poa, Geranium and Acer（6 taxa each）. Hemicryptophytes were the most dominant life forms in the area（40 %）; followed by geophytes（31.4 %）; phanerophytes（15.4 %）; therophytes（11.4 %）; and chamaephytes（1.8 %）. Phytogeographically,Euro-Siberian/Irano-Turanian elements（86 taxa, 21.8 %）and Euro-Siberian elements（85 taxa, 21.5 %） were the most common chorotypes in the area. Out of 395 taxa, 66taxa（16.7 %） were endemics and subendemics in Iran, of which 26 taxa were exclusively endemics of Iran.According to the IUCN Red List Categories, 48 threatened plant taxa were found in the study area. Plant diversity, life form, and chorotypes in the current study were compared with similar transect studies in other areas of the Hyrcanian forests and in different altitudinal belts, using S？renson similarity indices. Floristic composition of the surveyed transects demonstrated almost 50 % similarity between them.

Integrating beneficiaries into assessment of ecosystem services from managed forests at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest,USA

Background：Forests contribute to human wellbeing through the provision of important ecosystem services.Methods：In this study,we investigated how the perceived importance of ecosystem services may impact the overall benefit provided by managed watersheds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest over a 45-year period,using standardized measures of service capacity weighted by service importance weights derived from a survey of beneficiaries.Results：The capacity of watersheds to regulate water flow and quality was high in all watersheds throughout the study period,whereas cultural services such as scenic beauty declined after harvest.Impacts on greenhouse gas regulation depended on the efficiency with which harvested biomass was used.Surveys revealed that stakeholders placed high value on all ecosystem services,with regulating and cultural services seen as more important than provisioning services.When service metrics were weighted by survey responses and aggregated into a single measure,total service provision followed the same overall trend as greenhouse gas regulation.Where biomass use was less efficient in terms of greenhouse gas emissions,harvesting resulted in an overall ＂ecosystem service debt＂;where use was more efficient,this ＂ecosystem service debt＂ was reduced.Beneficiaries＇ educational backgrounds significantly affected overall assessment of service provision.Beneficiaries with college or university degrees incurred smaller ＂ecosystem service debts＂ and were less negatively affected by harvesting overall.Conclusions：This study highlights the importance of including empirical measures of beneficiary preference when attempting to quantify overall provision of ecosystem services to human beneficiaries over time.