Basic principles of forest management in Beijing

By the end of the 20th century, almost all of the barren hills suitable for afforestation in the Beijing area had been planted. The main mission of large scale forest production from plantations has been fundamentally and thoroughly changed to a silvicultural mission based on a recent analysis of its resource characteristics and the need for green space. Given the present forest resources and the requirement for a pragmatic and sustainable forest development, the following basic principles are proposed: sustainable utilization and priority of ecological benefit (objective); protection of the entire forest area and allowance for some local changes (means); a gradual improvement in management and an increase in the forest area (process); scientific silviculture and sustainable development (method).