Policies, Actions and Effects for China's Forestry Response to Global Climate Change

Climate change is a great concern of various countries, the public and science community, and forest plays an important role in mitigating climate change. The paper made a comprehensive analysis regarding the policy selections of China to promote forestry response to the global climate change, and elaborated the concrete actions and achievements in this regard. Policy selections include: 1) Reinforce tree planting and afforestation, increase the forested area and enhance the capacity of carbon sequestration; 2) Improve forest management and the quality of existing stands, and improve the carbon sequestration services provided by forest ecosystem; 3) Strengthen the soil protection on wetland and forestland, and exert the potentials of carbon sequestration; 4) Boost the nature protection, and conserve the biodiversity; 5) Vigorously exploit forestry bio-energy, and reduce the GHG emission; 6) Enhance the prevention and control of forest fires, diseases and pests as well as of illegal expropriation of forest land, and effectively control the GHG emission; 7) Appropriately increase the use of timber, further improve the utilization rate of timber, extend the use life-span of timber and strengthen the carbon-storing function of timber products; 8) Actively implement forestry programs for carbon sequestration and widen the financing channels for forestry development and carbon sequestration. Meanwhile, with the concrete actions in forestry response to climate change, e.g. setting up a specialized agency responsible for the response to climate change, establishing Asian-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation, launching the national evaluation of preferential development areas for forestry CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) projects, initiating the pilot projects for Afforestation and Reforestation Project under the CDM, and creating and operating China Green Carbon Fund, China has made great achievements in her response to climate change. There witnesses a growing increase in the quantity and quality of forest resources in China, which contributes to improving ecological condition, giving play to forest potential in carbon sequestration, and mitigating global climate change.