Private forest farming in China

Since the early 1980s, China has adopted a series of policies to promote the development of private forest farming. The early moves to increase private participation in forestry were based on the introduction of the Household Responsibility System in the agriculture sector in the late 1970s. Since then, private forest farming has been developing throughout the country and become a main form of forest management in some collective forest regions, variously through sole proprietorships, leaseholder arrangements, partnership arrangements, joint management of state forests and foreign investment. With the shift of timber supply source from natural forests to plantations and the increasing demand for timber generated by the rapid development of the economy, a great potential exists for private forest farming to be further developed. It is therefore important to develop a policy framework that can encourage private participation in plantation development. This study reviewed the evolution of and future prospects for forestry property rights and the other factors likely to influence private forest farming. It identified a number of policy changes needed to ensure that private forest farming continues to expand. The continuing role of central and other levels of government in overcoming impediments is noted, as well as the special role governments must continue to play in relation to the development of protective plantations