Household Forests and Their Role in Rural Livelihood: A Case Study in Shangnan County, Northern China

With the implementation of collective forest tenure reform in China in the 1980s, increasing the area under household forest has great importance in terms of forest production, environmental protection and farmers’ income growth. The scale and usage of household forests is a critical issue that concerns the methods and efficiency of forest management. By conducting a socio-economic survey of 175 households, this paper examines the status of household forestry as well as its utilization in Shangnan County, northern China, and the way in which farmers and their local forest authority interact. Approximately 80 % of households were found to have forest land. Among households which had forestry, nearly half had a forest area of 1 μ (0.07 ha) or less. Fuelwood for household use was the main product of household forests. About 70 % of households regarded fuelwood as their main energy source. Socio-economic factors including financial situation, household size, occupation and educational level of householder were not significantly correlated with the energy choice or the amount of fuelwood consumed. In order to improve the development of household forests, it is necessary to promote better communication between households and forest authorities. The coppice system appears to be a useful forest management strategy because it not only maintains continuous forest cover but also satisfies the high demand for fuelwood in this county.