Collective Forestry in China
Jialu Xie, Chinese Academy of Forestry
World Forest Institute
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
I.
Introduction
•
•
•
Fast Facts
Forest
Resources
Forest Industry
II.
Role and
importance of
collective forests
III. Forest policy
and program
related to
collective forests
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Fast Facts on China
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Land Area: 9.6 Million km2
(USA: 9.37 million km2)
Population:1.3 billion
(USA: 270 million)
GDP: US $1,410 billion,
annual rate 9-10%
(USA: ~3-5%)
GDP/capita: US $1,090
Mobile phones/100 persons:
China 21 (USA 54)
Diverse Climate: north to
south: temperate-subtropicaltropical
Various topography: plateau,
range, plain and coast
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Supply & Demand Challenges for
China’s Forests
Demand: High pressures from fast growing economy and
Huge demands by big population
•
Fast economic growth has created need for resources (lumber for housing
and structures, paper, etc.)
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Supply: With less resources to use, how will China
feed its growing wood demand?
Each year natural disasters:
• Affect 200 million people
• Cost 100 billion yuan (US$12.05 billion)
• Illegal logging and over harvesting are blamed for
worsening these disasters
• Public Policy--big changes in 1990s to curb over
harvesting
• But this means less wood to feed domestic needs
Source: Ministry of Civil Affairs
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
China’s Forests
Compared to other countries, China’s
has fewer, less dense forests.
•China’s forests have low standing
volume, due to previous overcutting and
young plantation ages
Forest cover per capita:
China---0.128 ha
USA---0.84 ha
World---0.60 ha
Volume/ha:
– China: 78.06 m3
– USA: 118 m3
Standing volume
– 11.3 billion cubic meters
Canopy density: 0.54
Stocking/per capita: 0.52 m3
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
• Forest area: 257 million ha
• Coverage 17% of total land area (US 31%)
• Forests provide 3% of the total jobs, 4% of GDP,
40% rural firewood
Others 2%
Sparse
woods 3%
Brush
land 13%
Unforested
22%
Forested
50%
Bamboo 2%
Orchards 8%
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Forest Ownership
• All forests in China are state owned—there
are no privately owned forests
• However, private interests can own the
rights to land - e.g. managing and
harvesting rights
• State forestry bureaus are local arms of the
national forest administration
• Top-down policy and regulatory control
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Forestry ownership
State and Local Ownership
State-owned forests
State-owned forest enterprises
State-owned forest farms
Collective forests (CF)
Collective forest farms
Individual forests or woods
State owned forests are natural areas, reserves, and
some plantations
Collective forests are plantation and second-growth
forests (working forests)
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Forest Industry
• Annual consumption: 330 million m3 (2002)
• Annual timber production 60 million m3
• Imported wood and wood products in 2002:
Volume: 114 million m3 (2002) (34% of
the total consumption)
Value: U.S. $10.6 billion
Sources: Indonesia (14.77%), USA (11.42%),
Russia (10.35%), Malaysia (7.66%)
and Canada (6.11%).
• Exported wood products in 2002:
Value: U.S.$ 2.8 billion
Many exports are products created from
imported raw materials (furniture)
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Harvesting
China plans to annually reduce the amount
available for harvest in natural forest areas and to
rely more heavily on plantations
• In 1995, harvested 67.7 million m3 in natural areas.
This reduced to 44.3 million m3 in 2002 and will
decrease by 5 million m3 annually
Areas currently available for harvest are only:
• 12.66 million ha (only 9.8% of total)
• stocking 2.28 billion m3 (22.6% of total)
Most of China’s plantations are young but will be
mature enough to harvest in upcoming years
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Role and Importance of
Collective Forests in China
• What are
collective forests
• Distribution
• Forest products
and benefits
• Local industry
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Collective Forests
•
•
•
Collective Forests are not
well understood outside China,
but are important to China’s
forestry sector
About 2/3 China’s
population is rural and they
rely on collectively owned
land as a primary source of
income and long-term security
Collective forests have
existed for over 50 years in
various forms. Land reforms
have been occurring to
restructure collective forests
and legitimize the rights of
landusers.
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Management of Collective Forests (CFs)
• The basic unit for managing community
property is the village (local government).
Remember, there is no private property in
China.
• Since 1981, villages have allocated CFs to
individuals & households
• While the land is owned by the village, the
trees are owned by the lessee/contractor
• Households (families) lease small plots that
are managed for timber, special products
(berries, mushrooms, medicines), and fuelwood
• Additional areas are available for long term
lease. These can be taken up as investments
for generating income by individuals, families,
or companies (share-holding cooperatives)
• Public areas also exist for all people to
share and are managed jointly by the village.
Permits can be obtained to use these areas to
gather firewood, foods, etc.
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Collective Forests are Vital to Rural People
• Households and individuals
manage the land they contract
for. Most of this land is in rural
areas (69% in mountains and
highlands – where 2/3 of the
total population lives)
• CFs provide products for farmers’
livelihoods, including timber,
fuelwood, fruits, and vegetables
• CFs provide job opportunities
• CFs are being used to develop
new industries for rural areas,
such as ecotourism & flower
industries
• CFs play a very important role in
increasing rural economic
devleopment and contributing to
farmers’ income
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Distribution of Collective Forests
•
The CF total area is 89.75 million hectares, accounting for
58% of the nation’s total forest area
Forest Categories of Collective Forestland
Timber
production
forest
57.8%
Protective
forest
12.2%
Bamboo
4.4%
Orchards
20.8%
Fuelwood
forest
4.4%
Forest for
special
purposes
0.4%
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Collective forest area is
greater in the south and
east than in north and
west (in general, more
forests and population are
distributed in these areas
as well)
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Percentage of Collective Forests within
each Province
16 provinces have greater than
100%
95%
90%
85%
96% 95%
94% 94% 93% 93%
80% of their forests designated
collective forests
92%
90% 90%
89% 88% 88%
87% 87%
85%
83%
78%
80%
74%
75%
Zh
ej
ia
n
H g
u
Sh nan
an
G do
ua ng
ng
do
ng
A
nh
G ui
ui
zh
ou
H
ub
e
H i
en
G an
ua
ng
x
Be i
ij i
ng
H
eb
ei
Fu
jia
Ti n
an
L i ji n
ao
ni
n
Ji g
an
Sh gX i
an
gh
Ji ai
an
gS
Y u
un
na
n
70%
Many provinces’ forestry sectors are largely
based on CFs, not state forests
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Collective forests are central to
China’s forestry sector
Plantation
10
7.77
M illio n h a
8
6.32
6
4
2
0
national total
collective
In 2002, 81% (6.32
million ha) of plantations
in China were collectives

46% (20.52 million m3) of the total
national timber production comes
from collective forests

World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Sources of Timber Production
60%
57.6%
56.8%
55%
55.0%
52.2%
53.5%
52.0%
46.1%
46.3%
44.7%
50%
45%
43.5%
40%
40.7%
41.5%
35%
1997
1998
State-owned
1999
2000
2001
2002
Collective & individual
The role of CFs in timber production is growing
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Employment of Local forest companies and
Rural Processing Enterprises (1996-2002)
30%
16
13.88
14
Township
processing
enterprises　12.52
Empolyees (Millions)
12
26%
10.62
25%
9.54
10
8.08
22%7.01 23%
8
21%
6
4
20%
2.8
22%
%
5.08
20%
2.5
Township
forestry
processing
enterprises
20%
2.3
2.1
2
1.8
1.6
1.3
15%
0
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Forestry jobs are important to local and rural communities
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Output of non-wood forest products from
CFs in southern 10 provinces
National Production
900
800
700
853
percentage(% )
100%
830
Output (million Kg)
97%
93%
600
500
10 Southern Provinces Production
482
450
567
500
88%
400
50%
64%
300
61%
200
59
100
37
30
18
0%
0
Oil-tea camelia Dries bamboo
seeds
shoots
Resin
Palm sheets
Chinese tallow
tree seeds
CFs are also important for non-timber forest product
producers (medicines, foods, fruits, etc).
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Many Policies & Programs Related to CFs
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•
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In the 80s & 90s China suffered
devastating floods, worsened by
soil erosion from overlogging.
As a result, unprecedented funding
and policies were made to create
conservation areas, protect existing
forests, create new plantations, and
combat environmental problems.
These programs convert farmland
to forestland in marginal areas,
reduce natural forest harvesting,
combat illegal logging, and
desertification.
Policies will greatly impact
China’s CF as many of these
ecologically sensitive areas are
located in rural areas.
Photo shows windbreaks created with natural
materials to reduce sand movement and prevent
desertification
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Example: Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP)
•
NFPP covers 17 provinces and is
to last from 2000 to 2010. Its
main activities include:
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–
–
–
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natural forest logging ban
improved management
artificial plantations to
supply fiber
aerial seeding
mountain closure—villagers
in highland areas ordered to
plant trees, not agricultural
crops
As a part of NFPP, villagers are required to
convert marginal land on high slopes from
agriculture to forestry.
About US$12 billion was
budgeted for NFPP, with a forest
area of 72.9 million ha (37% in CF
areas)
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Example: Forest Ecosystem Compensation Policy
• Launched in 2001, 11 provinces
will be compensated for the
loss in income from conversion
of farmland to forestland-660 counties and 24
Natural Reserves
• Forest area affected: 13.33
million ha (64% in CFs)
Farming areas being converted to forestland
• Compensation payments to
farmers: US$ 9 per ha
• The amount of the fund:
US$ 120.7 million per year
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Future Issues for China’s Collective Forests
• The government’s new forestry programs will likely
have severe impact on local and rural economies
dependent on collective forests
• Farmers’ property rights and interests in collective
forests need to be protected
– Without ownership of the property, the stability of property
rights is very important
• With China’s inclusion in WTO, there will be greater
pressure on the state to reform badly performing
sectors—massive layoffs could be destabilising
– Can China use collective forests to develop poverty-stricken
rural areas?
• The new emphasis on plantations hold potential for
development of collective forests, forest products and
related industries
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org
Thank you!
World Forest Institute http://wfi.worldforestry.org