Construction of an Evaluation Index System for the Comprehensive Effects of National Reserve Forests on the Development of Collective Forest Regions

The National Reserve Forest Program presents a significant opportunity to promote the development of collective forest regions. However, the academic field currently lacks an evaluation index system to measure the comprehensive effects of the NRF Program on such development. By synthesizing existing literature and integrating field investigation experience, this study constructs a comprehensive evaluation system encompassing three dimensions: economic, ecological, and social effects, and provides feasible data collection methods. Specifically, the economic dimension comprises 13 secondary indicators, such as forest stock volume and forestry output per unit area; the ecological dimension includes 4 indicators, such as ecosystem service effects and the forest ecosystem health index; and the social dimension consists of 8 indicators, including forestry employment numbers and the diversification of management entities. The proposed index system effectively reflects the comprehensive impact of the NRF Program on the development of collective forest regions and serves as a valuable reference for relevant departments in evaluating the implementation performance of National Reserve Forests.