Dig deep into the economic potential of forests

Source: Economic Daily

Over the past 10 years, the mainland has contributed about a quarter of the world's new green area, the largest in the world. Among them, the forest area and forest stock continued to grow, the national forest coverage rate increased from 21.63% to 24.02%, and the protected area of planted forests was 1.314 billion mu, ranking first in the world. At present, the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and what is particularly gratifying is that lucid waters and lush mountains are becoming invaluable assets.

Do not cut down trees and sell carbon sinks

Recently, a new thing happened in Lishu Village, Xiamao Town, Shaxian District, Sanming City, Fujian Province - the forest on the mountain does not need to be cut, and it will be exchanged for 10,000 yuan.

A few years ago, Lishu Village entrusted 643 acres of mountain farms to Guanzhuang State-owned Forest Farm, which was responsible for operation and management. In the past few years of cooperation, the forest has grown well, and the carbon sink from 2016 to 2020 has reached 1,320 tons. "The first carbon sink transaction was 418 tons, generating 10,000 yuan. For the first time, the masses saw that they could sell trees for money without cutting down trees, and their enthusiasm for forest protection was even higher. Xie Rugen, director of the Guanzhuang State-owned Forest Farm, said.

On July 16, 2021, the national carbon emission trading market was launched. "Carbon sink trading is a kind of virtual product trading created by policy and regulatory constraints to offset anthropogenic carbon emission equivalents. Chen Shaozhi, a forestry economic expert at the Chinese Academy of Forestry, told reporters.

Carbon-negative technologies include afforestation/reforestation (forestry carbon sequestration), biological carbon sequestration, direct air capture, and enhanced weathering. Afforestation/reforestation technologies are the most economical technologies with negative emissions, costing $10/tonne to $50/tonne to remove CO2, direct air capture technologies are the most expensive, costing hundreds of dollars or more per tonne of CO2 removal, and biomass energy + CO2 capture and storage technologies are somewhere in between, with costs ranging from $100/tonne to $200/tonne to $200/tonne.

"In 2020, the proven reserves of forest and grass carbon sinks in mainland China were 88.586 billion tons. In 2021, the annual carbon sink of forests and grasslands in China exceeded 1.2 billion tons, ranking first in the world. Yin Weilun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said. Studies have shown that trees can absorb an average of 1.83 tonnes of carbon dioxide for every 1 cubic metre grown. It is estimated that by 2060, the mainland's carbon emissions may reach about 2.5 billion tons, and the ecosystem can achieve carbon sinks of 1.5 billion to 1.8 billion tons, contributing more than 60% to the realization of national carbon neutrality.

According to estimates by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, from 2010 to 2016, continental terrestrial ecosystems absorbed an average of about 1.11 billion tons of carbon per year, absorbing 45% of human-made carbon emissions during the same period. The important forest areas of the mainland, especially the southwest forest area and the northeast forest area in summer, have made major contributions to carbon sequestration, which is also the result of the huge investment in restoring natural forest vegetation and strengthening the cultivation of plantations in the past 40 years.

In recent years, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration has made efforts to promote forest and grass carbon sink trading, and various localities have carried out active attempts. Take Sanming City, Fujian Province, for example, which has developed forestry carbon tickets. Forestry carbon ticket is the right certificate of carbon emission reduction of forest trees, which is the annual net carbon sequestration under the natural growth conditions of the forest, which is equivalent to the carbon sink "ID card" of each forest, which is monitored by a third party, filed by the ecological environment department, and issued by the forestry department. Sanming City has also innovatively formulated the management measures for forestry carbon tickets, which standardize circulation, trading, pledge, insurance and other links. On May 18, 2021, the first ceremony of forestry carbon tickets was held in Changkou Village, Jiangle County, Sanming City, which received the country's first forestry carbon ticket and successfully circulated it, earning 140,000 yuan.

Wu Hui, deputy director of the Sanming Forestry Bureau, told reporters that forestry carbon tickets have a variety of innovative application scenarios, mainly used for carbon neutrality in conferences, large-scale activities, cultural tourism, etc., as well as alternative restoration of ecological justice.

At the same time, the development cycle of forestry carbon tickets is short, the cost is low, and the main body is not restricted, which can truly realize the benefits of benefiting forest farmers and allowing forest farmers to obtain real benefits. According to estimates, the average carbon sequestration per mu of forest is 0.8 tons a year, and the annual income per mu of forest can be 12 yuan according to the current market price of about 15 yuan per ton of carbon sink of forestry carbon tickets.

In order to vigorously promote the development of forestry carbon sequestration, Sanming City established Fujian Jinsen Carbon Sequestration Technology Co., Ltd. The company is the first forestry carbon sequestration consulting service company in Fujian Province, which is committed to forestry carbon sequestration project development services, carbon trusteeship and carbon monitoring and measurement, carbon financial services, and exploration of carbon sequestration project methodology. At present, the company has undertaken the consulting and development of forest management forestry carbon sequestration projects in 17 counties and districts in Fujian Province, and signed forestry and grass carbon sequestration cooperation projects with 14 counties and districts outside Fujian Province, covering an area of about 20 million mu.

"In the long run, the greatest potential of forest carbon sequestration lies in increasing carbon sequestration through sustainable management. It is suggested that the state should improve the relatively scientific, accurate and convenient forest management carbon sink methodology based on the specific practice of forest management and modern monitoring methods in various places, so as to enhance the confidence of forestry in contributing to the realization of the 'double carbon' goal. At the same time, starting from the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality, we should give full play to the role of carbon inclusive mechanisms at all levels to serve the strengthening of land greening and ecological protection and governance. Chen Shaozhi said.

Don't sell timber and sell scenery

Forest eco-tourism is another way to turn lucid waters and lush mountains into gold and silver mountains.

At the turn of summer and autumn every year, migratory birds from the grasslands of Inner Mongolia and the North China Plain migrate southward in flocks. The area of Yingpanwei Township and Gaoping Town, Suichuan County, Jiangxi Province, is a famous migratory bird flying channel, where hundreds of thousands of migratory birds stay for a short time, attracting countless tourists to come to watch birds. There are 7 rural forest parks in Suichuan County, and the local government has taken the opportunity to vigorously develop forest health and leisure homestay tours. "Our whole family participates in the operation of homestays, with an annual turnover of about 300,000 yuan, and has also driven more than 200 villagers to increase their income, with an increase of more than 2,000 yuan per capita. The owner of Yingpanwei B&B said happily.

Straddling the Xiaoxing'an Mountains and Changbai Mountains, the Longjiang Forest Forest Area, which accounts for one-fourth of the area of Heilongjiang Province, shoulders the important mission of building a solid ecological security barrier in the north of the motherland and guarding the granary of Northeast China. It was once an important base for national timber production and made great contributions to supporting the country's economic construction. On April 1, 2014, commercial logging of natural forests was completely stopped in the Longjiang Forest Industrial Forest Area. Turning loggers into tourism practitioners is a successful practice of industrial transformation after the cessation of logging in Longjiang Forest Area.

The Snow Township Scenic Area of Longjiang Forest Industry and Forestry Bureau has transformed from a forest farm that makes a living from logging to a well-known ice and snow tourist resort. In 2023, the Snow Township Scenic Area will be open for 98 days and will receive a total of 1.3 million visitors. Snow town tourism has also stimulated the surrounding areas of planting, breeding, transportation, catering services and other industries, the forest area has received a total of 5.8 million tourists in the 10 years since the forest area was stopped.

Tian Junguo is a steam train driver at Huanan Forestry Bureau Co., Ltd., where he previously drove a train to transport timber. With the vigorous development of the tourism industry in the forest area, he, like many forest workers, picked up the "golden rice bowl" of tourism and became a forest steam train tour driver. "Now the forest area is vigorously developing eco-tourism, from selling wood to selling scenery. Every time I take tourists from all over the country to and from the forest, I am so proud!" Tian Junguo said.

Zhang Guanwu, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Longjiang Forest Industry Group, introduced that during the 10 years of comprehensive logging, Longjiang Forest Industry Group played the green card, recited the landscape scriptures, and relied on the unique regional characteristics and rich forests, ice and snow resources, and found a new road of transformation and development.

At present, forest ecotourism is booming all over the country. On March 12, the "2023 Communiqué on the Status of Land Greening in China" released by the Office of the National Greening Committee showed that in 2023, the number of ecotourism tourists in the country reached 2.531 billion.

Forests become grain and oil depots

Lucid waters and lush mountains are not only ecologically beautiful, but also a huge treasure that can continuously produce grain and oil.

Changkou Village, Gaotang Town, Jiangle County, Fujian Province, joined forces with pharmaceutical companies to plant 300 acres of Polygonatum under the forest. According to the economic development model of "cooperatives, farmers, enterprises, scientific research + base joint construction", the company provides improved seeds, farmers are responsible for planting, the company is responsible for technical guidance, and the harvest period is purchased to ensure the stability of the variety provenance, price stability, and stable income of growers, and the development of Huangjing tea, ready-to-eat Huangjing and Osmanthus Huangjing are well received by the market, with an average annual output value of 3,000 yuan per mu. More than 1,000 jobs have been created, and the masses have achieved employment and increased income at their doorsteps.

Longjiang Forest Industry and Forestry Area promotes advantageous industries such as forest medicine, forest fungi, forest fruits, forest grains, and understory breeding according to local conditions. At present, the sea buckthorn of Bamiantong, the southern goose and the northern bee of spring, the Chinese herbal medicine industrial park of Fangzheng, the processing of wild vegetables in Weihe, the grain processing of Tongbei, the processing of red pine seeds in Hailin, the processing of fungus in Suiyang, the facility agriculture of Hebei, the nursery of Heli, and the drink of Chaihe stand out, and the situation is gratifying.

According to the 2023 Communiqué on the Status of Land Greening in China, in 2023, the mainland will produce 226 million tons of forest food, mainly economic forests, of which 9.501 million tons will be woody oilseeds such as camellia, walnut and olive. Forest food has become the third most important agricultural product in the continent after grain and vegetables. The 3.464 billion mu of forests in the mainland contain abundant food resources, of which nearly 700 million mu of economic forests provide forest foods such as dried and fresh fruits, woody oilseeds, beverage seasonings, walnuts, camellia, apples, citrus, peaches, plums, persimmons, dates, coffee, tea and other forest foods are deeply loved by consumers and have made positive contributions to ensuring the grain and oil security of the mainland. (Economic Daily reporter Huang Junyi)