Abstract: China's forestry development strategy (FDS) has gone through three major stages since the 1980s: the FDS that was centered on afforestation and protection in the 1980s; that was guided by the sustainable development theory in the 1990s; and that focuses on ecological construction since 2000. The status and role of forestry are rising continuously in China爷s national economy and social development. In order to better serve the overall development strategy of the national economy, the orientation of China's FDS adjustment has turned from meeting domestic economic and social development needs, to simultaneously taking into considerations the international political and economic development situations. China's FDS researches should keep improving quantitative research methods based on forest inventory data, and deepening the studies on the strategic elements.