Optimized forest harvesting could boost timber production while reducing tree mortality in China (IMAGE)
Caption
Model simulations show how China's forest resources, wood production and tree mortality could change from 1980 to 2100 under different harvesting strategies. The business-as-usual (BAU, black lines) scenario maintains current harvesting practices, whereas the optimized (OPT, red lines) scenario adjusts harvesting timing, intensity and location according to forest age and management functions.
Panel (a) shows changes in forest growing stock, with colored markers indicating national forest stock targets and projections. Panels (b) and (c) show timber and fuelwood production, respectively, while panels (d) and (e) illustrate total wood loss and harvested wood volume. Panel (f) shows wood losses caused by tree mortality. Open circles represent historical forest inventory observations, dashed horizontal lines indicate timber and fuelwood demand in the 2010s, and shaded areas show variation across future climate scenarios.
The simulations suggest that optimized harvesting could increase timber production by 38% while reducing cumulative tree mortality losses by 6.7% relative to current management, without reversing the long-term increase in forest growing stock.
Credit
©Science China Press
Usage Restrictions
Use with credit.
License
Original content