DATA ON FORESTRY LOSSES AND FOREST-CONTROL MEASURES IN CHINA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700190026-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2011
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: June 9, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/13 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700190026-1
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/13 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700190026-1
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/13: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700190026-1 ~
DATA ON FORESTRY LOSSES AND FOREST-CONTRO MEASURES ZN CRINA
[Comment and Summary; The following information is taken from
a monograph entiCled Chung-kuo Lin-veh Lun-wen-chi (Collected Docu-
ments aad Essays on Cbina's Timber Industry, 1950-1951, pages 91-140,
published October 1952 by the China Fo'~estry s~ditoriai rnmmittee,
Ccatral Feopie's i;overnment.
Serious forest fires in Northeast China in the spring of 1851
resulted in the burning over of almost 2 million h=rta-es of forest
land and severe damage to about 7 million cubic meters of timber,
as well as in loss of buildings, grain, and human life.
Progress has been made in north and Fasi China in sealing off
hill and mountain areas for afforestation.]
Fire Losses in Northeast in S rin of 1951
According to incomplete statistics, ?_,685 forest fires in the Iortheast
in the spring of 1951 resulted iu the burning over of 1,820,916 hectares of
forest, damage to 6,726,483 cubic meters of timber, ^.nd the destruction of
4,897,223,694 saplings and of 9,$65,311 trees 5-15 years old,: Fire fighting
required 846;820 man-days of lobo= and resulted in loss of life to 47 persons
and injury to 23'--? A tetal of 1,199 carts and 84 motor vehicles were il,ol~i-
lized. In addition to timber loss, 6C7 room units of buildings and 590,000
catties of grain were burned. forest fires resulted from brush and stubble
fires, burning of ceremonial paper on graves, locomotive sparks, and Failure
to ertinguishJ cigarettes.
From 1 April to mid Dfay 1951, 25 forest hsiens in Sungkian~ Province had
almost continuous fires, The burned-over area totaled 1,212,483 hectares,
and 4,694,744 cubic meters of timber were damaged, or 70 percent of the total
area damaged in the Northeast.
In Aeilungkiang Frovince, a strip 150 li wide and 25C li long was burned
over in one place and a :drip 200 li wide anfl 500 li long was burned over in
anot'ner, The total area involved wns 500,000 hectares and the amount of timber
damaged was 2 million cubic meters, involving 671,608,375 trees of all sizes.
In Liaosl and J~ of provinces, 1,093 fires destroyed 6,631,559 trees.
In Liaotung Province, where the local forestry authorities :rere very
alert, only 8,663 c?tbic meters of timber were lost; in Kirin Province the loss
was still less, This was the result of widespread education and organization
of local authorities by the provincial forestry authorities.
P: ogress in Forestry Practice in Hopeh
According to statistics gathered in mid-April 1951 from five hsiens in
Hopeh, 80,50; moo of hills had been sealed off for forest growth and 154,511
trees had been planted thus far in 1951.
Mountain Forestry Experience in Shantun
Shantung Province has an area of 202,955,000 moo, over 30 percent of which
is mountainous. Of this mountain area, 23 percent or 0.7 percent of the whole
area of the province is forested.
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Many of the forested areas have been considerably ez?oded because of in-
discriminate cutting and slope cultivation. The authorities have adopted a
plan of sealing off forests eni:irely except for two periods of 7-10 days
each year; when the people are permitted to enter the mountains under strict
contz?ol to~cut grass; even then, all live trees and shrubs are carefully
prote~+,ed ,
Ai l,ar ti.e mountains were sealed off, the undergr ~wth developed rapidly.
In the Lao Shan range [near Tsic,gtao], about 11 million red pine and ash
saplings were protected for gro?,ith. Other forestry control areas achieved
similar results,
Porest_y and Soil Conservation in East Chinn
The land-area of East China (excluding Taiwan) is 888 million shah mou
[one 'shih-mou equals 667 square meters). Of this area, 63 million shih-mou
or about 7 percent is forested.
In 1949, 52 million mou were flooded. Twe]ve million mou of this area
were in Shantung. The resulting crop loss was 500 million catties. In 1950,
30 million mou were flooded in North Anhwei.. These floods o:ere largely the
result of denuding mountain slopes of forests by poor management in the past.
Even c?uring 1949. there was still forest destruction. In one timber aren?east
of.NanY.ing, the people denuded nn area of 1,200 mou by cutting over 200;00)
trees.
In Chekiang 540,000 horsetail pine trees were cut in one area and 600,000
in another area. On one mountain in I-shui Hsieh, Shantung, only 300 trees
:+ere left out of 600,000. In the Feng-hua, Chekiang, forest area in April
1950, 3,000-4,000 mou of horsetail pine and other trees ?.+ere destroyed by
fire. Through the machinations of recalcitrant landlords and the greed of
unscrupulous timbe^ dealers, other. vast quantities of timber '.+ere wasted.
Present~pollciss are gradually reducing these losses.
Directive of GAC on Forest Control
In April [.1950], the Government Administration Council issued the follpw-
ing directive: Where land reform has been completed, all forests of a minimum
area, according to local conditions.-- 75 .shih mou in area in Liaotung, 500
shih mou in the Southwest and 540 shih mou in Shansi -- should become national
forests.: In areas where land reform is not completed, all .sizable forest m?eac
should be immediately declared national forests and pieced under special ad-
ministrative district or provincial government control.
Scattered areas of woods near buildings and villages, especially those
belonging to'landlords or those who cut timber wastefull~~, should be taken
over and administered by local authorities or peasants' associations until
legal disposition shall be made in connection with land reform.
In areas where land reform has been completed., large forest areas .should
be declared national forests and scattered wooded areas should be assigned by
hsien authorities?to carious individuals, according to local situations, and
certificates of ownership should be issued.
Tn minority-nnti.onnlity areas of the Northwest, Southwest, and Centrnl-
South,.no changes should be made from local customs 'out authorities should
ei'd in instituting better methods of forest protection. .
woededxarea~ewithintlargersareas declared inationalsforestsminlorder toEprotectd
the interests of the owners.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/13: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700190026-1
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