Empirical Study On The Effects Of Collective Forest Tenure Reform In China

The effects of Collective Forest Tenure Reform in China (CFTRC) were the main research objects in this study. Based on the historical review of CFTRC from the founding of New China (1949), the reasons for the changes of forest tenure system were evaluated and analyzed, and instructive conclusions for the current CFTRC were summed up. Through the analysis of key stakeholders on three levels of the CFTRC, the interests of different stakeholders with different demands were compared. Then the driving forces for CFTRC were described. With descriptive statistical methods, the overall effects of CFTRC were analyzed from three aspects, changes in the per capita income, changes in forest resources and changes in inputs on forest land before and after the reform. With 8 provincial field research data, an empirical analysis of CFTRC's net impacts on farmers income and forest resources was used to explore the effects of CFTRC and the realization extent of its goals. With the field survey data of Jiangxi and Liaoning provinces, the CFTRC' effects on forest farmers' investment behavior were analyzed. Also, the impacts of tree species, forest habitat, foresters and family characteristics, ownership conditions, business model, credit constraints and other related factors were analyzed. In the last part of the article were the research findings and policy recommendations.In this study, a large number of empirical research methods were adopted, and some standard research methods were adopted as well. As far as the empirical study was concerned, methods of quantitative analysis like descriptive statistical analysis, Probit model, the first difference model, DID model, Logit model and multiple linear regression model were utilized. Among them, the first difference model was used to analyze net effects of CFTRC on the changes in fanners'forestry income, crop income, livestock income, in non-farm income and other income in eight provinces. DID model was used to analyze net effects of CFTRC on the changes in forest areas and forest volume; Probit model and the Logit model were used to analyze the factors of CFTRC on influencing forestry farmers to invest in forestry production under different tree species; Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine whether the above-mentioned factors or the differences in these factors could influence the scale of fanners'investment. Normative study was mainly taken to analyze the farmer household investment behavior and its influencing factors.The study's conclusions are as follows:First, since the founding of New China, China's forest tenure system changed frequently, which lead to inefficient management of forest resources; Second, CFTRC involves various interests and demands of different stakeholders, causing benefits restructuring and interest reallocation, which changed CFTRC' way forward; Third, the effects of the current CFTRC on the income of farmers were inconsistent in different provinces; Fourth, the effects of CFTRC on forest area and forest volume were not yet clear; Fifth, CFTRC promoted the farmers' investment into forestry production to some extent; Sixth, the factors affecting the forestry farmers to invest and their investment scale were different due to different forest types and regional differences.The policy recommendations of this study are:First, all the factors of CFTRC should be fully taken into account, and should be actively and steadily pushed forward. Undue haste should be avoided; Second, in the reform process, the different interests among stakeholders should be correctly handled; Third, the legal framework should be used to fix system arrangement of CFTRC. The arbitrariness should be avoided, so that farmers can expect stable incomes; Fourth, the farmers should be guided to create new forestry cooperative economic organizations, to achieve forestry economies of scale, and to improve the economic efficiency of forest production; Fifth, the supporting measures for the comprehensive reform should be adopted, so the achievement of the reform can be consolidated and expanded. Finally, a new mechanism of CFTRC should be established step by step to suit the socialist market economy.