China's tree-planting boom masks steep loss and fragmentation of natural forests

Research published in Communications Earth & Environment quantifies China's forest changes from 1990 to 2020, revealing a net increase of 447,500 km² of planted forest alongside a loss of 219,100 km² of natural forest. By 2020, fully intact natural forest made up just 9.6% of the nation, with fragmentation rising in 60-64% of provinces, most markedly in the tropical south. The study links much of the new edge creation to rapid expansion of commercial tree plantations, 34% of which were monocultures, and notes that 56% of these plantations were established within one kilometre of natural-forest boundaries.

Although the pace of fragmentation eased after 2015, natural forests remain more fragmented than planted forests, threatening biodiversity and carbon storage. Protected areas cover only about 10% of the remaining intact forests, prompting researchers to urge an expansion of the Natural Forest Protection Program into lowland tropical regions and to focus restoration on preserving existing natural woodlands.