College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Forestry

Invited by the Chinese State Forestry Administration and organized by Dr. Runsheng Yin, a U.S. delegation of forest policy visited China in late 2005. In addition to Dr. Yin, the delegation included Dr. Daniel Keathley (Professor and Chairperson of Department of Forestry, Michigan State University), Dr. Roger Sedjo (Senior Fellow of Resources for the Future), Dr. Maureen McDonough (Professor of Department of Forestry, Michigan State University), Dr. David Wear (Project Leader of the USDA Forest Service), and Dr. David Newman (Professor and Associate Dean of School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia).

The delegation met with officials and policy experts from the State Forestry Administration, Beijing Forestry University, and Chinese Academy of Forestry first. Then they traveled to Sichuan, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Shanghai to tour various sites of ecological restoration, forest management, and industrial development. The scientific exchange was very successful.

With funding from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduate Program, Dr. Runsheng Yin has taken over thirty students from various U.S. universities to China for research training and experiential learning in natural resource and environmental management. The students have investigated an array of important and interesting topics, such as biodiversity protection, community-based resource management, climate change, and poverty alleviation, and some of their papers have been published in Journal of Forestry, China Environment Series, and Agroforestry Systems.

Professor Tiejun Wen of the People’s University remarked on how to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the restoration programs.

Dr. Andreas Kontoleon from University of Cambridge presented the research findings of his collaboration with Dr. Shiqiu Zhang of Peking University.

Dr. Emi Uchida from University of Rhode Island presented the findings of her collaborative work with Dr. Scott Rozelle of Stanford University and Dr. Jintao Xu of Peking University.

The staff at SFA’s Monitoring Center of the Ecological Restoration Programs presented their latest reports at the symposium.

Prior to the symposium on evaluating China’s ecological restoration programs, Mr. Yucai Li, SFA Deputy Administrator, met with Dr. Ian Gray, MSU Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies. Also with them was Professor Guofang Shen of Beijing Forestry University and the National Academy of Engineering.

Ms. Xiaowen Tang from the SFA Department of Planning and Finance gave an introduction to the key ecological restoration programs..

Dr. David Newman of the State University of New York and Dr. Bill Hyde, a consultant to the World Banks, were among the panelists.