| Urban forest, as a living infrastructure, is a dispensable index of measuring the level of civilization and burgeoning vitality of a city. On the way to building our city into a world-level metropolis Shanghai Municipal Government has made a major strategic decision of expanding the urban forest. However, because of the lack of both mature theory guides and practice in this field in our country it is necessary for us to make a systematic study of the solutions to modern urban forest management in Shanghai.With reference to related documents and data, based on a careful analysis of the status quo of urban forests both at home and abroad, the author, together with Song Yong Chang and other experts, the members of Shanghai City Forest Development Research Group, advances a comparatively integral concept of urban forest. It can be defined as a tree-based, partly artificial and partly natural ecosystem within a city, the main-body of which is a nearly-natural forest ecosystem for the purpose of bettering ecological environment, harmonizing humans with the nature and meeting the needs of social development. This paper deals with the relationship between "urban forest" and "urban forestry''. Besides it explores the necessity and feasibility of building urban forests in Shanghai from the different perspectives of constructing a world-level city, strengthening its overall competitive edges, relieving the tense from ecological environment and promoting the sustainable growth of the city.In combination with his own working experience and investigation the author points out and analyzes a series of current difficulties and issues in the construction and management of Shanghai urban forests, then puts forward some approaches and measures to solve them, which involve three major interrelated and cross-functioned factors-forest locations, funds-raising and settlement of farmers. Actually, the elimination of some conflicts requires novelty in policy-making and practical operating. Forest land can be expanded by way of opening up uncultivated land, intensively utilizing farmlands and readjusting the set-up of agricultural production. Next, the problem of settlement of farmers can be solved by using the economic lever to stimulate enterprises to employ agricultural labor force, to encourage farmers to start their own undertakings, to grant funds for the purchasing posts so as to help the farmers who lose their land switch to non-agriculture employment. Thirdly, funds can be raised by means of diversified economy and multi-investment mechanism, thus may involve the whole country, the collective and the society in building woods. The funds for building and taking care of state-owned public welfare forests are mainly allocated by the government and supplemented by non-government organizations or social donations. But as to the forests of mixed ownership, both the government and the enterprises in charge of projects are responsible for the funds.This paper focuses on urban forests management, takes the construction of permanent forests, establishment of long-term effective management, ensuring the sustainable growth as considerations in approaching a problem, probes the new mechanisms of financing, operating and compensation for farmers, and thereby comes up with the basic mode of managing urban forests. The author advances thatappraising the plans for modern urban forests construction and management should center round whether they can realize the three objectives- efficiency, justice and stability. Also, four types of modes of building and taking care of forests are discussed, including state-owned-and-built-and-managed forests, state-owned-and-built but private-managed forests, state-owned but private-built-and-managed forests, private-owned-and-built-and-managed forests. In addition, the author suggests that developing diversified economy, as an effective approach to setting up the industrial combination of urban forestry, includes combining forestry with farming, with animal husbandry, with tourism and with housing, which presupposes t... |
