Forests bring real value to economy

China's forests can provide timber worth about 13.7 trillion yuan ($2.2 trillion) every year, according to a new report.

Besides the commercial value of forests, the report by the State Forestry Administration and the National Bureau of Statistics estimated that the country's forests can also restore 581 billion cubic meters of water and release nearly 1 billion metric tons of oxygen every year.

The report, which was released on Wednesday, was the first of its kind to account for forest capital as an additional way of measuring economic activity.

"The report gives people a comprehensive picture about the environmental values of what forests provide for free, raising public awareness of environmental protection," said Jiang Zehui, an official with the State Forestry Administration.

She added that in addition to the commercial value of the nation's forests, their environmental value is estimated at 12.7 trillion yuan every year.

The report accounts for forests' environmental values in seven main categories, including water restoration, public recreation, air purification, oxygen release and carbon sequestration.

"These functions that forests provide are ignored by most people, but the report shows the importance in a direct way," said Sun Zhagen, vice-chief of the State Forestry Administration.

He added that the report reflects the environmental benefits of forests, and that if anyone damages forests, the losses can be calculated not only in terms of wood but also in environmental losses.

The use and loss of natural resources including water, grasslands and minerals will be measured to gauge economic activity, under to a concept of drawing a balance sheet of the country's natural resources. The concept was highlighted at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee at the end of last year.

Xu Xianchun, deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics, said the bureau is speeding up its pace in exploring the balance sheet of the nation's natural resources.

Yang Weimin, deputy director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs, China's top economic decision-making body, said in September that a new government unit is expected to be established to better protect natural resources in the country.

"The new department will be endowed with centralized power to control the use of the country's natural resources," Yang said.

wangqian@chinadaily.com.cn