Editor's Note: This article is extracted from the "Notice on Strengthening the Construction and Management of Farmland Shelter Forests" issued by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in May 2022.
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Farmland shelter forests are an essential part of the construction of farmland infrastructure and play a crucial role in wind prevention, sand fixation, soil and water conservation, improving farmland microclimate, and ensuring stable and high grain yields.
The construction of farmland shelter forests should serve agricultural production, follow the principles of setting up defenses according to hazards, adapting to local conditions, and saving land. It should make full use of existing spaces such as rural roads, ditches, and field ridges to build and improve the farmland forest network. By appropriately adjusting land use types and optimizing land use layout, reasonable planning and construction of farmland shelter forests should be carried out. These should conform to relevant standards for the construction of farmland shelter forests, taking up as little arable land as possible, avoiding permanent basic farmland, and preventing or avoiding encroachment on arable land space and impacts on the sowing area of crops.
The construction of farmland shelter forests must strictly implement the annual "balance in and out" of cultivated land. If it involves transforming cultivated land into forest land, the area should be deducted from the total cultivated land, and an equivalent quantity and quality of cultivated land that can be stably used for a long term should be supplemented. If it cannot be supplemented, construction should not be carried out.
Localities are supported in carrying out the construction of farmland shelter forests in coordination with projects such as forest and grassland ecological protection and restoration, comprehensive land consolidation, and high-standard farmland construction, actively constructing a farmland shelter forest system that adapts to the needs of modern agricultural development. Newly built or renovated farmland shelter forests enjoy central fiscal afforestation and forest nurturing subsidies according to law and regulations. If it involves the use of contracted land by farmers, appropriate economic compensation should be given to the contracted farmers.
The construction of farmland shelter forests should consider regional differences, scientifically select the main tree species and configuration modes suitable for local conditions, prioritize the use of well-performing native tree species, reasonably layout the direction, spacing, and width of forest belts, and avoid affecting low-altitude operations such as drone flight control and the function of irrigation and drainage systems due to overly tall tree crowns or too close distances to these systems.
For farmland shelter forests on forest land, the county-level forestry and grassland authorities are responsible for management and maintenance after construction; for farmland shelter forests on non-forest land, the county-level people's government should, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, clarify the management and maintenance entities and measures, and implement management and maintenance responsibilities and funds. We support local areas to respect natural laws, scientifically and orderly carry out felling and renewal of farmland shelter forests, and forestry and grassland authorities should strengthen technical guidance and services.
The county-level people's government is the responsible entity for the construction of farmland shelter forests and is responsible for coordinating and promoting the work of constructing farmland shelter forests in the county.
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Notice on Strengthening the Construction and Management of Farmland Shelter Forests
