This 14th Five-Year National Reserve Forest Development Implementation Plan (2021-2025) aims to address China’s timber supply challenges, increase forest quality, and improve ecological resilience. Key goals include expanding national reserve forests by over 36 million mu (about 2.4 million hectares) and increasing timber reserves by 70 million cubic meters to enhance national timber security. The plan prioritizes areas south of the Yangtze River for intensive reserve forest expansion, while the northern regions will focus on moderate development. These efforts include the establishment of new industrial timber forests and the cultivation of large-diameter timber resources. The plan emphasizes intensive reforestation, improving existing forest areas, and nurturing young forests. It promotes a mixed planting approach to increase biodiversity, improve forest stability, and optimize the ecosystem's carbon storage capacity. Financing strategies incorporate central government investments, social capital, and loans with interest subsidies. These diversified funding methods aim to encourage broader participation in forest development projects and reduce reliance on traditional government financing alone. Technological Support: The Plan promotes to integrate advanced forest management and monitoring technologies, such as GIS mapping and data analysis, to track forest growth, carbon sequestration, and resource usage. Additionally, local species and high-quality seedlings are prioritized to ensure forest resilience and health. The plan aligns with China’s broader goals of ecological protection and sustainable economic development, promoting a stable and resilient timber supply while enhancing forest ecosystems and biodiversity. This initiative also seeks to contribute to employment and economic growth in rural areas involved in forest management and related industries.
China · 2023-03-04