Linking multiple tools: a chinese case

Abstract

Forest and forest management in China have faced many problems during the past five decades. Human population growth, economic development, and resource insufficiency have made it difficult to pursue sustainable forest management in China. While China's forest policies have been improved, new technologies should be introduced into China's forestry system. There are many computer techniques that are useful for a variety of forest management activities. However, there are barriers for straightforward applications of computer technology in the current forest system in China. Both the technology and forestry system need adjustments. This chapter introduces convergent applications of geospatial techniques and forest modeling in data collection/management, forest harvesting, forest restoration, and forest protection in northeast China. A standard data management system eliminates the inconsistencies found in the traditional forest inventories; spatial considerations in harvest placement protect forested landscapes from further fragmentation; long-term forest simulations with a density-dependent matrix model optimize forest harvesting schemes; a forest classification system supports forest planning and protection; forest fire risk simulations allow forest managers to prevent and control forest fires in a spatially-explicit fashion- forest restoration models promote the best use of resources in silvicul ral activities. All these computer applications share the same data sources and are sometimes dependent on each other. They are integrated into a decision-support system called FORESTAR((R)), which has been developed under the MapObject geographic information development environment. This integrated computer tool is applied in two forestry bureaus in northeast China.