Construction and utilization of continuous inventory system for forest ecology.

Evaluating the ecological status of forests and understanding the accomplishment so far of establishing our study of the ecology on a firm footing at the national level, demands a complete system for continuous observations and inventory records. The technology of continuous observations and an inventory of a complete index system of forest ecosystem services (referred to as TCOICISFES) includes two subsystems: continuous investigation of field observations (CIFO) and distributed measurement evaluation (DME). In CIFO, the principles of the layout of the system of observations have been established. China has constructed the largest nationwide network of forest ecological stations in the world and systematically assembled facilities and equipment. Hence, the CIFO indices can be described and are measurable at national forestry standards. Simultaneously, these standards were utilized to conform to data acquisition and transmission in the CIFO system. In the process of building the DME system, a distributed measurement method was created, an index system of evaluation was examined and established and data of national forest resources and related statistics were integrated and coupled. As well, we propose a system of correction coefficients for forest ecological functions and integrated with a series of evaluation formulas and a package of models. The TCOICISFES can be used along with the national forest resource inventory to function as one of the key technologies for observing and evaluating forest ecological conditions. This includes an inventory of national forest ecosystem services, estimates of ecological benefits derived from returning farmland to forests and a green national economic accounting system.