The "Great Cuttings" and the Great Re-forestation

[Randy W]

Since China launched a mass afforestation campaign in 1981, the country has planted 78.1 billion trees. China’s forest coverage rate has nearly doubled from 12% to 23% during that period.

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Wherever you see evenly spaced and carefully lined up trees, this is reforestation.

 

[Randy W]

The Great Cuttings refers to rapid deforestation periods that aimed at boosting the Chinese economy. It gives insight about the historical significance that forests can play in a country’s economic development and how we might be able to use China’s preservation tactics in deforested parts of the globe in the future. These short term economic benefits were far too high for PRC leaders to prioritize ecological degradation.

Background - The “Great Cuttings”

from Environmental China

Quote

 

Forests are huge components of a nation’s economy and environment and the scarcity of this resource would present the new Republic with many challenges. The Great Cuttings refers to rapid deforestation periods that aimed at boosting the Chinese economy. It gives insight about the historical significance that forests can play in a country’s economic development and how we might be able to use China’s preservation tactics in deforested parts of the globe in the future. These short term economic benefits were far too high for PRC leaders to prioritize ecological degradation. 

 . . .

 In order for forests to be used for energy and building in a sustainable manner, their needs to be an organized system in place that limits and regulates their harvesting. However, the three periods of deforestation in P.R.C. (which started in 1949) history were called the “Three Great Cuttings” because deforestation outpaced the rate of tree growth. 

 . . .
The First Great Cutting (1958-1962)
The first era of the “Great Cuttings” occurred during the Maoist era of ‘The Great Leap Forward’ and aimed to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a socialist society through rapid industrialization and collectivization.

Backyard steel furnaces

 . . .

The Second Great Cutting (1966-1976)

The second “Great Cutting” occurred during the “Third Front” Movement in the  Cultural Revolution decade and had new implications for China’s logging industry. This unstable time where China was split with both the Soviet Union and the United States led CCP leaders to “conclude that China needed to achieve industrial and food security to protect against the event of a nuclear attack.”  The Third Front was a plan to organize a self-sufficient industrial powerhouse in remote south west regions of China.

Vast amount of lumber were used to create Chinese railroad networks

 . . .

The Third Great Cutting (1978-1988)
In the third “Great Cutting,” Chinese leaders started to understand the ecological importance of forests. As part of Deng Xiaoping’s reform plan, the government started to encourage private farmers to reforest degraded lands and mindfully harvest newfound timer wealth. These efforts started the de-collectivization of agriculture, allowing farmers to start their own businesses once again.

 . . .
Market Driven Cuttings (1992-1998)
This last “Great Cutting” was driven by the nationwide initiative to establish a new market economy. While these new freedoms generated massive economic growth in China, it also allowed the state-owned forest companies to gain considerable freedom from the Ministry of Forest.
Market Driven Cuttings in China

 . . .

Conclusion
The ecological importance was continuously undermined by the new socialists leaders in favor of rapid growth. This was largely driven by the backyard blast furnaces and the unrealistic hope that China could rapidly industrialize by tapping into the enthusiasm and resources of rural people. While the return of the age-old style of Chinese farming gave many farmers their land back to them, the growing demand they were forced to keep up with meant that entire forests needed to be completely scraped away for grain.

 

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)