Forestry and the environment in China: the current situation and strategicchoices

Although China has recently expanded its forest area and inventory, it is s till facing a severe resource crisis, featuring high demands for wood produ cts and environmental services, a rapid depletion of natural forests, and p oor quality of man-made forests. After analyzing the current situation, a n ew development strategy is presented for China's forestry in this paper. Ac cording to this efficiency-based forestry division strategy, three interrel ated types of forestry will emerge through more efficient management in the next 30 years: a strong commercial forestry sector including intensive for est plantations and an integrated processing industry, a well-established e nvironmental forestry sector, and an extensive multiple-use forestry sector . Various policy changes for this new strategy are discussed. (C) 1998 Else vier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.