The newly revised Technical Regulations for Afforestation will be implemented in 2017
In June 2016, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the National Standardization Administration issued Announcement No. 8 of 2016, approving the newly revised Technical Regulations for Afforestation (GB/T 15776-2016 replacing GB/T 15776-2006) (hereinafter referred to as the "New Regulations"), which will be implemented starting from January 1, 2017. This is a major event in China's forestry ecological development. It is of great significance for further standardizing and guiding afforestation work across the country, scientifically advancing national land greening, raising the level of developing forestry through science and technology, improving the quality and effectiveness of afforestation, and promoting the building of an ecological civilization and a Beautiful China.
The New Regulations make fairly substantial revisions and adjustments to the Technical Regulations for Afforestation promulgated and implemented in 2006. They have a strong contemporary character and scientific and technological content, introduce new concepts for afforestation, incorporate new afforestation technologies, adjust afforestation density and afforestation zoning, guide the creation of mixed forests, emphasize protection of afforestation site habitats, and highlight assessment and evaluation of afforestation effectiveness in specific regions such as arid areas. They are highly targeted, scientific, advanced and operable. To effectively implement the New Regulations, attention should be paid to the following issues and related work should be promptly carried out.
First, it is necessary to earnestly study and understand the basic connotations and core essence of the New Regulations.
Standards are the achievement of the progress of human civilization. The New Regulations are one of the most basic forestry standards, with a wide scope of application and strong guidance, and are the technical guide for scientifically advancing afforestation work. It is necessary to fully understand the important significance of the promulgation and implementation of the New Regulations and to grasp the basic connotations and core essence of the New Regulations, especially the changes after revision. Through training and publicity, relevant personnel at all levels and in all categories should know, master and apply them in afforestation management and production practice.
Second, based on the New Regulations, adjust and improve top-level design.
Forestry authorities at all levels, especially the national forestry authority and relevant units, should adjust and improve current relevant provisions and do a good job in top-level design according to the New Regulations, so that the New Regulations can be implemented. Specifically, the following work should be done according to the New Regulations: adjust and improve the management and technical provisions of relevant key forestry projects so as to highlight their characteristics on the basis of interconnection with the New Regulations; relevant departments and bureaus of the State Forestry Administration should, as soon as possible, revise and improve the technical and management provisions related to afforestation inspection and acceptance according to the New Regulations, and strive to implement them in step with the New Regulations starting from 2017; adjust or abolish some management provisions that are incompatible with the New Regulations; each province, autonomous region and municipality should, in light of actual conditions, formulate and improve its own technical rules or specific provisions; forestry authorities at all levels should do a good job in inspecting and evaluating the implementation situation and implementation effects of the New Regulations so as to revise and improve them in a timely manner.
Third, arid areas should determine forests by water and properly handle the relationship between afforestation and greening and the formation of forest resources.
Water is the key factor restricting afforestation and greening in arid areas. Determining forests by water and matching trees to sites is the basic principle that should be followed in afforestation in arid areas. The current problem is that, on the one hand, in the selection of afforestation tree species, seedling specifications and density design, some places have not yet fully achieved the development of "rain-fed forestry"; on the other hand, regardless of precipitation conditions, they blindly pursue the idea that afforestation must form forest resources, and no matter what the rainfall level is, shrub coverage must reach at least 30% to count as afforestation effectiveness. To a certain extent, this guides areas without sufficient water conditions to advance afforestation and greening unscientifically. According to the New Regulations, in humid areas with sufficient water conditions, after reaching the prescribed number of years, the forest establishment standard must reach a canopy density of 0.2 or a coverage of 30%; in arid areas and other places without sufficient water conditions, it is necessary to adapt to local conditions and determine forests by water. As long as the effective afforestation standard is reached, it is sufficient, and there is no need to pursue the requirement that after 3 to 5 years of afforestation, coverage of 30% or canopy density of 0.2 must be reached.
The effective afforestation standard is proposed for arid areas and other regions in accordance with the principles of acting according to water availability, determining forests by water and giving priority to natural restoration, and is based on the number of trees that survive and can grow normally and stably under natural conditions. The effective afforestation standard can be understood as low-coverage or low-initial-density afforestation. After implementing low-initial-density afforestation, enclosure and protection management must be done well. As time goes by, planted forests will merge with naturally growing forest and grass vegetation, which will lead planted forests to develop toward naturalization and perform stable ecological functions. The introduction of the effective afforestation standard does not change the previous minimum forest establishment standard of canopy density 0.2 or shrub coverage 30%. In this way, afforestation in arid areas will be guided toward scientific development at appropriate coverage levels.
Fourth, humid areas should focus on cultivating precious tree species, do a good job in replanting in forested land, improve forest structure and cultivate high-quality forests.
Among the 9 afforestation regions divided by the New Regulations, the 5 regions of tropical, subtropical, warm temperate, middle temperate and cold temperate are divided by climatic zone and are generally located in humid areas, with relatively good water conditions, suitable for arbor growth and relatively abundant forest resources, but forest land productivity and forest quality need to be improved. These regions are important production bases for high-quality timber in China. According to the New Regulations, with the cultivation of precious tree species, especially rosewood-type tree species, as the main focus, replanting in forested land should be done well. Attention should be paid to the selection and determination of stands requiring replanting, taking young and middle-aged forests with a canopy density below 0.4 (exclusive) that are difficult to improve in canopy density by natural forces and need improved stand structure as replanting targets. The replanted tree species should be able to grow and develop normally under the forest canopy and form a healthy and stable forest ecosystem with existing trees. During implementation, attention should be paid to protecting existing seedlings and young trees with prospects for cultivation.
Fifth, for urban and rural greening and tree planting around homes and villages and other nearby greening, more health-care trees with strong pollution resistance such as resistance to smog should be planted.
Trees play an important role in reducing PM2.5 concentration. In urban and rural greening, the "green lung" function of trees should be fully brought into play to minimize the harm of PM2.5. Experts have determined that tree species with fuzz on leaves, the ability to secrete sap and rough leaves have a relatively good effect in adsorbing dust and reducing PM2.5 concentration, while tree species with smooth leaves are not easily able to adsorb dust and so on; tree species with many leaves and large leaf area have a better effect in adsorbing dust and so on than tree species with fewer leaves and small leaf area; evergreen arbor leaves persist for a long time, so their adsorption effect is better than that of deciduous arbor trees. In urban and rural greening, poplars and willows that shed catkins should be gradually phased out. Several hundred kinds of plants have now been found to have health-care effects on humans. They can release various gases containing chemical substances such as bactericides and antibiotics, which enter the human body through the lungs and skin to inhibit and kill native viruses and bacteria and play a role in preventing disease and strengthening the body. In concentrated residential areas, efforts should be increased to cultivate trees with a strong ability to "eat" pollutants. While implementing the New Regulations for tree planting around homes and villages and urban and rural greening, the 3 industry standards issued by the State Forestry Administration in 2016 should also be implemented by reference, namely the Technical Regulations for Rural Greening, the Technical Guide for Greening in Urban-Rural Fringe Areas and the Technical Regulations for Corridor Greening. In the Technical Guide for Greening in Urban-Rural Fringe Areas, many types of trees, shrubs and grasses are listed that resist air pollution such as sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, chlorine and hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, ozone, peroxyacetyl nitrate and ammonia, resist soil pollution, retain dust and kill bacteria. There are many types and they are highly targeted, and localities may choose and use them.