TENTATIVE CLASSIFICATION SCHEME OF EVERGREEN BROAD-LEAVED FORESTS OF CHINA
中国常绿阔叶林分类试行方案

Vegetation classification is a highly complex and very contentious issue in the vegetation science. Up to now, there is no common classification system that is accepted by all vegetation scientists. The evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs) is only next in complexity to tropical rain forests. Human activities have altered these forests tremendously, and there are many transitional communities which make their classification even more challenging. The classification of EBLFs of China has undergone many changes over the years. In the 1950s, we learned from the Russian school; in the 1960s, the concept of "importance value" and methods from the Wisconsin school were introduced into the study of EBLFs; additionally, the theory and method of the Braun-Blanquet school were used in th e study on the Cyclobalanopsis glaucoides forest. In the 1980s the authors of "Vegetation of China" (1980) published a principle system of vegetation classification for China which emphasized the use of "diagnostic species" in classifying the "formation" and "association" levels of vegetation in the south region. However, owing to limited resources, this principle was never adopted. Based on the previous classification schemes a new classification system including "association", "formation", "formation group", "vegetation subtype" and "vegetation type" was formalized in this paper. The high-rank units of classification are based on eco-physiognomy, while the median and lower units are based on species composition. At the same time, the role of dominant species and diagnostic species was considered. According to above guiding principles, the EBLFs of China were divided into 3 vegetation types, 8 vegetation subtypes, 14 formation groups and 53 formations. Each classification type occupied a specific geographical region and specific environmental conditions.