Methodology And Application Of Forest Mass Index In China

Forest ecosystem is the most important terrestrial ecosystem,which provides the material basis for the survival and development of human beings and a variety of organisms.Forest resource accounting is the basis of forest resource management.Forest resources are the unity of quantity and quality.Comprehensive physical accounting of forest resources should integrate quantity and quality.Traditional forest resource evaluation often separates quantity from quality.In view of this,this study proposes the concept of "forest mass" as the integration of the quantity and the quality of forest resources.Furthermore,combining the index theory and the practice of forest resource evaluation,a forest mass index system is constructed to dynamically and continuously reflect the overall change of the quantity and quality of forest resources in a specific region.The methods of compiling forest mass index based on average index and standard forest unit are designed respectively.Based on the provincial data of the 7th,8th and 9th National Forest Inventory in China,a trial compilation was carried out.The results show that there is a high consistency between the two methods.During the interval between the 7th & 8th National Forest Inventory,the forest mass of most provinces in China has achieved positive growth,among which Jiangsu,Tianjin,Ningxia and other provinces have achieved rapid growth,Yunnan,Heilongjiang,Tibet and other provinces have achieved slow growth,while Hunan and Jiangxi have achieved negative growth.During the interval between the 8th and 9th National Forest Inventory,except for the decrease of forest mass in Jiangsu and Shandong,other provinces have achieved growth,including Shanghai,Hainan,Beijing,Shanxi and other provinces with rapid growth.