On the Features and Focuses of Forest City Initiative in China

Environmental and ecological services provided by urban trees and forests, aiming to improve air quality, mitigate urban heat island, reduce urban stormwater volume, conserve urban biodiversity, increase human wellbeing, are used to tackle with severe environmental and ecological problems associated with the rapid urbanization across the globe.Here, we briefly review the history of forest city movement initiated at the beginning of the 21st century in China.Forest city, different from urban forestry, in Chinese context has a couple of unique characteristics.First, overall planning of a forest city is a priority.Developing an overall planning of a forest city can guarantee the long-term effort to increase more trees/forests in the region.More importantly, an overall planning of urban city could leave spaces for urban forest establishment.Second, working extent of a forest city is regional.Urban trees and forests development areas cover not only the urban area, but also the whole territory boundary of a city.Thirdly, government sectors participating in the forest city development are diverse.Administrative sectors involve forestry, landscape architecture, transportation, water resources, and tourism who are responsible for greening their governing land parcels.Fourthly, the objectives of a forest city development are people oriented.The ultimate goal for setting up and managing urban trees and forests is to provide leisure, sporting, gathering, and educational places for residents nearby.We finally recommend the major tasks for developing healthy, resilient, and sustainable forest city in China.