Wood Science and Technology
Forestry and Forest Industry in China
Jingxin Wang
Division of Forestry and Natural Resources
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26506
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Presentation Outline
• Overview
• China’s Forests
• Forest Conservation Projects
• Forest Industry
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Overview
• China has 195.45 million hectares of
forests (289 million acres), 4.95% of the
world’s forests, 5th position in the world.
• Current forest coverage: 20.36% (18% in
2003).
• The total standing stock volume is 17,913
million cubic meters.
• Forestland ownership: owned by the State;
60% is managed by collective farms and
40% by the state.
• Total number of employees in Forestry,
Wood industry, and Pulp and paper
industry: 12.9 million (2000 data).
• U.S. is the major forest products export
trade partner.
1000
In million hectares
809
800
478
600
310
400
303
195
184
200
0
Russia
Brazil
Canada
USA
China
Australia
(Source: State Forestry Administration. 2009. 7th National Forest Resource Inventory Report)
(Source: Deutsche Bank. 2007. China Forestry Industry)
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Overview (Cont’d)
Forestry Education in China
Currently, there are 200 universities and colleges in China that have
undergraduate and junior college studies in forestry subject, including 6
forestry universities and colleges, 12 forestry technical colleges and 182
agricultural universities/colleges and other types of universities.
Forest Area by Forest Type
Economic
forest, 11.25%
Bamboo forest,
2.97%
Forest Research in China
Chinese Academy of Forestry
Provincial Forest Research Institutes
Universities
Arbor forest,
85.78%
(Source: State Forestry Administration, China)
(Source: Deutsche Bank. 2007. China Forestry Industry)
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China’s Forest Distribution
Coniferous forest
 Mixed coniferous and
broad-leaved forest
 Deciduous broad-leaved
forest
 Evergreen broad-leaved
forest,
 Monsoon rain forest
 Rain forest

Legend
Coniferous
Broad-leaved
Mixed
Bamboo
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China’s Forest Distribution (Cont’d)
Coniferous forest in the northeast
Mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest
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China’s Forest Distribution (Cont’d)
Deciduous broad-leaved forest
Evergreen broad-leaved forest
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China’s Forest Distribution (Cont’d)
Monsoon rain forest
Rain forest
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China’s Forests - River Valleys
•
•
Stat Unit
Forest
Coverage
(%)
Forest Area
(million
hectares)
Stock Volume
(million cubic
meters)
Yangtze River Valley
34.78
61.87
3567
Heilongjiang River
Valley
42.63
39.70
3317
Pearl River Valley
49.25
21.77
840
Yellow River Valley
16.15
12.15
465
Liaohe River Valley
28.13
6.18
162
Huaihe River Valley
14.63
4.38
157
Haihe River Valley
16.25
3.84
73
7 of the 10 largest river basins in China: Forest area – 70%; Stock volume – 60%
The area and stock volume of the forests in the drainage areas of the Heilongjiang River
and the Yangtze River make up about 50% of the total.
(Source: State Forestry Administration. 2009. the 7th national forest inventory)
China’s Forests - Forest Regions
• Major regions:
–
–
–
–
–
Northeast Inner Mongolia
Southwest mountainous region
Southeast low mountain and hilly forest region
Northwest mountainous forest region
Tropical forest region
• Forest area of the 5 major forest regions - More than 70% of
the country's total.
• Stock volume of these regions - Nearly 90% of China's total.
(Source: State Forestry Administration. 2009. the 7th national forest inventory)
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China’s Forests
Arbor Forest Area and Stock Volume
35%
33.82% 33.43%
30%
25%
20%
14.82%
15%
12.03%
10%
5.90%
5%
0%
Young
forest
Middle- Nearaged
mature
forest
forest
Mature
forest
Overmature
forest
28.90%
30%
23.64%
25%
Arbor Forest Area by Age Group
19.83%
20%
16.50%
15%
11.13%
10%
5%
0%
Young Middle- Near- Mature Overforest aged mature forest mature
forest forest
forest
Arbor Forest Stock Volume by Age Group
(Source: State Forestry Administration. 2009. the 7th national forest inventory)
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China’s Forests - Forest Quality
50%
45.81%
45%
40%
35.38%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
11.25%
10%
6.60%
5%
0%
0.96%
Protective
forest
Special
purpose
forest
Timber
forest
Fuel-wood
forest
• Average annual growth of arbor
forest stands: 3.85 m3/ha
• Average DHB 13.3cm.
• Average number of trees per ha
is 916.
Economic
forest
Forest Stock Volume by Forest Type (million m3)
• Arbor forest stock volume is 85.88 m3/ha.
• Natural forest stock volume is 98.64 m3/ha.
• Plantation is 49.01 m3/ha.
(Source: State Forestry Administration. 2009. the 7th national forest inventory)
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Major Forest Conservation Projects
Northwest
Northeast
Southeast
Southwest
Tropical
Three-North Shelter Forest
Farmland shelter and sandfixing forest project
• Natural forest protection
• Grain for green project
• Wind and sand storm source
control project
• Three-north and Yangtze River
basin shelter forest system
• Wildlife and nature reserve
establishment
• Fast-growing and high-yield
forests
Coastline shelter forest
project
The Yangtze river shelterbelt
forest project
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Major Forest Conservation Projects
Natural Forest Protection Project (NFPP)
• Completely stop harvesting in the upper
reaches of the Yangtze River and the upper
and middle reaches of the Yellow River.
• Significantly decrease the amount of log
production in the Northeast, Inner Mongolia
forest regions.
• Carefully protect natural forests in other
areas by the local authorities.
• The project targets to decrease the log
production to 19.91 million cubic meters, and
protect 94.3 million hectares of forests.
For example, a project in Qinling mountains.
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Major Forest Conservation Projects
Grain for Green Project
• Control 22.68 million hectares of
area with soil erosion and water
problems.
• Fix 26.68 million hectares of
dessertifation area.
• Decrease 260 million tons of
sediment which flushed into the
Yangtze and Yellow Rivers.
Grain for green project in Shanxi Province.
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Major Forest Conservation Projects
Wind and Sand Storm Control
This project is mainly to
deal with the sandstorms
that occur around Beijing
area.
It targets to increase the
forest and grass coverage
rate from 6.7% to 21.4% by
the end of 2010.
Wind and sand storm source control project in Inner Mongolia.
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Major Forest Conservation Projects
(Cont’d)
Three-North and Yangtze River Basin Shelter
Forest System Project - ”Green Great Wall”
• The biggest shelter forest project in China, started in 1978 and
will last until 2050.
• Cover 42.4% of the total land area of China, including
northeast, north central, and northwest, 13 provinces or 551
counties.
• The plantation area will reach 35.62 million hectares, and forest
coverage rate will be 14.95% in the three-north area by 2050.
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Major Forest Conservation Projects
Three-north projects in Xinjiang and Ningxia
Three-north projects in Shanxi
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Major Forest Conservation Projects
Three-north projects in Inner Mongolia
Three-north projects in Heilongjiang and Liaoning
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Forest Industry Output
Forest bioproducts,
biofuels, chemicals,
bamboo, and others
29%
Cultivation and forest
byproducts
23%
Forest operations*
2%
Wood processing
23%
Horticulture
6%
Pulp and paper
8%
Forest tourism
9%
Forestry industry output value in 2009, with a total of
1,580 billion Yuan ($230.59 billion – $1 = 6.8 Yuan).
* Estimated.
(Source: State Forestry Administration. 2009. the 7th national forest inventory)
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Forest Industry – Log Production
90
Others
23%
80
70
FuJian
12%
60
Inner Mongolia
3%
50
HeiLongjiang
6%
JiLin
4%
40
30
20
AnHui
3%
10
0
GuangXi
13%
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
HuNan
10%
HuBei
4% JiangXi
6%
GuanDong
9%
YunNan
7%
2007
69.38 million m3 in 2009
Log production in million m3 from 1997 to 2008
(Source: State Forestry Administration. 2009. the 7th national forest inventory)
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Forest Industry – Log Production
3-year old eucalyptus in Guangxi
Normally, harvested at 4-8 year-old.
Bamboo forest in Guangxi
1.2 billion stems of bamboo in 2009.
(Source: State Forestry Administration. 2009. National forest production statistics)
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Forest Industry – Harvesting Operations
Tree-length system
Felling
Delimbing
Skidding
Loading
Log system
Felling
Delimbing
Bucking
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Skidding
Loading
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Forest Industry - Felling
Falling direction control
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Forest Industry – Delimbing and Bucking
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Forest Industry - Skidding
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Forest Industry – Loading and
Transportation
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Forest Industry (Cont’d)
Percentage(%)
120
Machine
machine
Animal
animal
100
80
60
40
20
2007
2005
2003
1999
2001
1997
1995
1993
1991
1989
1985
1987
1983
1981
1979
1977
1975
1971
1973
1969
1967
1965
1963
1961
1957
1959
1955
1953
1951
0
Year
Ground-based skidding development in Heilongjiang Province.
(Source: Wang, L. 2009. Development of forest industry in China)
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Questions??
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Jingxin Wang
Division of Forestry and Natural Resources
West Virginia University
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jxwang@wvu.edu