Ecological classification system for China''s natural forests: protection and management
试论生态分类系统在我国天然林保护与经营中的应用

The rapid development of forestry program in China provides us with a great opportunity for revising the management guidelines for China's diminishing forest ecosystems. There are also many challenges that will be faced to accomplish these tasks. By examining the current status of China's forestry, we found that, on one hand, both the macro forest policy and micro forestry practice lack basis of ecological supports; on another, it is not enough for ecologists to solely develop ecological theories. There is a need to develop tools that can merge ecological theories into forestry practice. Ecological Classification System (ECS) is a method to identify, characterize, and map ecosystems. The aim of ECS is to provide a format to convey basic information on the biological and physical characteristics of the landscape in a concise, integrated, standard, and thorough manner for the purpose of ecosystem management. By mapping combinations of a landscape's various characteristics, ECS can help foresters to determine forest management methods based on the capabilities and suitabilities of landscapes. The ECS is examined and applied initially in eastern Jilin Province.