Discovering Integrated Forest Management across China’s diverse forests
At the beginning of October 2025, as the first hints of autumn brushed the forests of East Asia, a small team from Wageningen University & Research embarked on a journey deep into China’s diverse forest landscapes. Georg Winkel, Wenyuan Liang, and Lorenz Schimetka of the Forest and Nature Policy Group joined forces with Douglas Sheil from the Forest Ecology and Management Group. They traveled with a shared mission: to strengthen international scientific collaboration and learn from China’s evolving approaches to Integrated Forest Management (IFM).
“Our objective was simple but ambitious,” Lorenz Schimetka noted. “We wanted to understand how integrated forest management works in practice in China, and what Europe and China can learn from one another.”
Their hosts, the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), welcomed the delegation as part of an ongoing EU-China collaboration between the EU-TRANSFORMIT project and a Chinese research consortium. Both sides are united by the belief that forests must serve multiple purposes at once: conserving biodiversity while delivering a broad suite of ecosystem services, from climate regulation to livelihoods.
A forest sanctuary in Zhejiang Province
The journey’s first destination was Zhejiang Province, where on October 3 the team stepped into the serene expanses of Qianjiangyuan National Park. Mist clung to the slopes of one of China’s last remaining low-altitude subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests. These woods are more than just ecologically important. They are a refuge for rare species like the elusive black muntjac and the white-necked long-tailed pheasant.
Standing among the ancient trees, one visitor reflected, “Here, conservation is not an add-on, but it is the core of forest governance.” The team observed a management philosophy centered firmly on protection, where biodiversity conservation defines decision-making rather than competing with it.
Lessons in the Xiaolongshan Mountains, Gansu Province
Three days later, on October 5, the researchers found themselves in a very different forest world. The Xiaolongshan mountains rise across the watersheds of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, forming a key ecological corridor rich in biodiversity and a focal point for China’s major reforestation efforts.
Guided by the Gansu Xiaolong Mountains Forestry Protection Center, the team learned about two innovative and contrasting management approaches:
- Structure-based Forest Management – Applied in secondary natural forests and guided by careful spatial planning and selective thinning to optimize forest structure.
- Randomized Forest Management – A bold approach simulating natural disturbances through random thinning and other interventions, used in both natural and secondary forests.
Walking through the forest, the group found themselves in lively discussions debating trade-offs, comparing policy realities, and recognizing how many of the challenges faced in China echo those in Europe. “Some policy trade-offs we see here are surprisingly familiar,” Georg Winkel remarked. “Sometimes forests pose similar challenges, whether in China or Europe.”
A meeting of minds in Beijing
On October 7, Beijing became the setting for a hybrid workshop at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. As scholars gathered in person and online, the Wageningen team stepped forward one by one to share their work.
- Prof. Georg Winkel presented work on human–nature relationships and forest governance in Europe, offering insights into Europe’s ongoing debates on IFM.
- Prof. Douglas Sheil spoke about the crucial role of large expanses of natural forest in sustaining the global water cycle and climate stability, emphasizing conservation that supports both ecosystems and local communities.
- PhD candidate Lorenz Schimetka presented a global literature review examining how integrating biodiversity into production forests affects profitability and the uncertainties that still remain.
- Dr. Wenyuan Liang explored China’s policy landscape, revealing how IFM is molded by international influences, national priorities, economic considerations, and the forest tenure system.
Online contributions expanded the dialogue further. Presentations from Dr. Marko Lovric and PhD candidate Marnix van de Sande (WUR), as well as Dr. Valentina Vitali (ETH Zurich) and Dr. Stefanie Linser (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna), connected perspectives from across Europe.
Chinese scholars, including Prof. Xiangdong Lei, Dr. Yanfeng Bai, Prof. Yongqi Zheng, Prof. Yi Ding, Dr. Chaofan Zhou, Prof. Yi Xie, Dr. Weiye Wang, Prof. Xinlian Liang, and Dr. Zhiwen Gong, added equally rich insights from ongoing work across China’s forests.
Closing the journey in Beijing
Before returning home, the team made two final academic contributions. On October 8, Georg Winkel delivered a lecture for junior scholars at Renmin University of China. A day later, he opened the IUFRO Conference on Integrated Forest Governance, Policy and Economics with a keynote speech, helping frame the international discussions that followed.
Looking ahead
The trip left the Wageningen delegation inspired by what they had seen and learned: new approaches, shared challenges, and the promise of continued collaboration. “What stood out most,” Georg Winkel concluded, “was not how different our contexts are, but how aligned our questions have become.” The hospitality of their Chinese hosts, and the rich exchange of ideas, set the stage for the next chapter: a return visit to Europe by Chinese partners planned for the coming year.
For now, the story continues to unfold, carried forward through the forests of both continents.