China Approves 15th Five-Year Annual Forest Logging Quotas for Key Areas

The General Office of the State Council has formally approved the annual forest logging quotas for key forest areas during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), according to an official circular published on the central government portal. The quotas serve as strict legal ceilings on timber harvesting and growing stock consumption. Regulators stressed that exceeding these caps is prohibited, and any emergency harvesting triggered by major natural disasters beyond quota limits must receive direct State Council approval.

China's annual logging quota system is a cornerstone legal mechanism for safeguarding domestic forest resources, maintaining carbon sinks, and securing ecological security. By finalizing these rigid caps ahead of the 15th Five-Year Plan, central authorities establish clear boundaries for commercial timber consumption and reinforce institutional support for sustainable forest stewardship.

The General Office of the State Council has approved the annual forest logging quotas for China's key forest areas during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, according to a government circular released on the central government portal. The document, issued in response to a joint request from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA), formally greenlights the harvesting limits prepared by the forestry authority. Under the directive, the approved quotas establish the maximum annual limits for harvesting forest resources and consuming timber growing stock across key forestry regions. The State Council emphasized that the NFGA and all relevant regional authorities must strictly enforce the caps without exceeding them. In the event of major natural disasters or other exceptional circumstances where timber harvesting is necessary but cannot be accommodated within the existing quota limits, local authorities are required to submit requests directly to the State Council for formal review and approval, the circular noted. Beyond setting numerical harvesting ceilings, the cabinet instructed the NFGA to refine annual logging quota management and broadly implement sustainable forest management practices. The directive calls for scientific ecological restoration to ensure that total forest resources in key areas continue to grow, timber quality improves, and ecological functions remain stable and enhanced. The State Council also tasked the NFGA with strengthening oversight and guiding provincial-level governments to enforce harvesting quotas and permit systems strictly. The circular called for legal accountability for illegal logging and other practices that damage forest ecosystems, while encouraging the economical and intensive utilization of forestry resources to advance ecological progress.