Abstract: Promoted by the GIAHS project initiated by FAO and China-NIAHS project initiated by Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, the boom of the protection, development and research on agroforestry cultural heritage has been raised in China. The protection and development of forestry cultural heritage systems show the important and practical significances, such as advancing national culture, conserving historical heritage, deepening the study of forestry science, saving the important forestry resources, innovating modern forestry economic development, promoting regional economic, social and cultural development, maintaining biodiversity, and enhancing the construction of new rural communities and ecological civilization in contemporary China. Based on the framework of the China-NIAHS project, forestry cultural heritage systems have two distinct characteristics that are ecological and regional. All the systems can be divided into 3 categories of technical, species and landscape if based on the concrete content. Regarding the strategies of protection and development, strengthening the data survey and personalized protection are two important measures if the policies are completely formulated.