Exploring the strategy of scenic forest construction in cultural heritage corridor: taking a scenic forest special plan of the ancient Great Wall cultural heritage corridor in Datong, northern China as an example

ObjectiveEcological corridor is an important component of cultural heritage corridor, and vegetation restoration is the core of ecological corridor construction. Vegetation restoration in cultural heritage corridors should not only meet the requirements of ecological restoration, but also meet higher demands, e.g., inheriting historical features and presenting characteristic landscapes. Scenic forest is an artificial or natural community with ornamental, recreational and tourism function under the premise of ecological stability, which has high ecological, aesthetic and tourism value, and can realize the balanced development of natural ecological and cultural landscape in the cultural heritage corridor. Therefore, the study of scenic forest construction strategies in cultural heritage corridors is very important and urgent.

MethodThis study took the “Special Planning of Scenic Forest in the Ancient Great Wall Cultural Heritage Corridor of Datong City” as an example, and explored the strategy of constructing scenic forest in the heritage corridor. The specific methods were as follows: first, according to laws and regulations, the buffer zones of heritage protection were decided. Outside the buffer zone, after collecting and analyzing the digital information, the scopes of afforestation were determined. Then the afforestation classes were resolved according to the specific conditions of the land. Next, according to the specific situation of the corridor, the vegetation landscape control and afforestation intensity control were formulated. Finally, the selection of varieties, vegetation community construction and planting method design were determined based on the local native plant community.

ResultThis research breaks through the traditional afforestation method and guides the construction of cultural heritage corridors along the length of the ancient Great Wall in Datong City with a length of about 250 km and a surface area of nearly 186 km².

ConclusionThe successful implementation of this case fully proves the effectiveness of the above-mentioned scenic forest construction strategy in the heritage corridor.