He Youjun

Prof.  He Youjun

Organization: Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information, Chinese Academy of Forestry

Research category: Forestry Economics and Management

Research field: Forestry strategy and planning; ecological economy and policy; forestry carbon sink and market; sustainable forest management

E-mail: heyoujun@caf.ac.cn; hyjun163@163.com

Main work

Prof. He Youjin is currently the Director of Forestry Strategy and Planning Research Department, and the Executive Deputy Director of the Validation and Verification Committee of Chinese Certified Emission Reduction (CCER). At the same time, he is also a core member of the Forestry Strategy and Planning working Group of National Forestry and Grass Administration (NFGA), and independent consultant on forestry carbon sinks and markets in AFD and KFW, independent consultant on Forest Environmental Management and Forestry Policy for WWF, International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR), member of the first Technical Committee on Standardization of Forest and grass Response to Climate change, member of the first Forestry Carbon sequestration Expert Advisory Committee of Zhejiang Forestry Bureau.

In recent years, Prof. He Youjun has implemented more than 80 projects as project leader, funded by Ministry of Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Forestry and Grass Administration (NFGA), WWF, GIZ, GEI, EU, FAO and GEF et al.

Prof. He Youjun has plenty of experience in forestry strategy and planning, and was involved in the development of National Forestry 13th and 14th Five-Year Plan, in which he highlighted the approaches of formulation and implementation of forestry plan, ecological restoration. He was recommended by NFGA to participate in drafting the document of the 2020 Central Rural Work Conference (Central Document No.1) and was appreciated by the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group. He participated in the research and compilation of the Ecological Protection and Economic Transformation Plan for the Great & Lesser Khingan Mountains Forest Area (2021-2035), and was appreciated in a joint letter from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Forestry and NFGA.

Focusing on the major national needs, Prof. He Youjun has carried out research on forest and grass strategies and policies, such as forest and grass supply side reform, green Belt and Road Initiative, systematic management of mountains, water, forest, farmland, lake, grass and sand, 2030 SDG on forest and grass implementation action strategy, forest and grass policies in the Yangtze and Yellow River basins, national park construction and management, ecological compensation and green infrastructure construction of forest and grass. The relevant results have been adopted by the NFGA, NDRC and the Ministry of Natural Resources of China.

Innovative research on forest and grass carbon sink policies to provide technical and policy support for helping carbon reach peak and carbon neutrality. It has formed a theoretical and technical research system on forest and grass carbon sink, value realization and carbon sink planning research system. He clarified the management and sink increase mechanism of natural secondary forests of Red pine, Mongolian oak and Larch, and put forward the carbon sequestration and sink increase mechanism and policy recommendations of natural ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, wetlands and deserts, provided technical support for carbon justice in forest management to offset carbon emissions of the 19th Asian Games (Hangzhou). Prof. He Youjun proposed two CCER methodology to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, namely, "Carbon Sink Project Methodology for Natural Secondary Forest Restoration" and "Carbon Sink Project Methodology for Oil Tea Forest Management". He also participated in the drafting of the first national forestry carbon sink standard - "Guidelines for validation and verification of forestry carbon projects" (GB/T 41198-2021). The research results of "Status Quo and Policy Recommendations on Carbon Sink Market Trading in Forest and Grass Field" submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources and "Status Quo of China's Ecosystem Carbon Sink, Improving Spatial Analysis and Implementation Path" submitted to the National Development and Reform Commission which have been adopted, and the research results of the "14th Five-Year Plan" forest and grass action points to address climate change have been adopted by the NFGA. He also provided technical support for carbon sequestration and increase in ecosystem in Heilongjiang, Ningbo and Tianfu New District, which has been widely reported by the NFGA, Guangming Daily, Science and Technology Daily, Green Times, and China Science and Technology Network.

Prof. He Youjun also has inter-departmental working experience, which affected forest governance, such as forestry development and issues in sustainable agriculture plan which prepared by Ministry of Agriculture, forest biodiversity conservation and management by Ministry of Ecology and Environmental Protection of China, and forest adaptation and mitigation to climate change in the national Five-Year development Plan.

Key research projects

  • Supporting the Five Year Plan for National Forestry and Grassland development and policy (NFGA, 2014-2026)

  • Feasibility study on regional systematic management project of forest and grass (NFGA, 2023-2024)

  • Studies on Policies of Nature Forests Protection beyond 2020 (NFGA, 2019.10-2023.12)

  • Study on Policies of Forestry and Grassland Protection and Restoration in Yangtze River Economic Belt (NFGA and ADB, 2020.1-2021.12)

  • Ecological Benefit Compensation and Policy Research in Wetland and Grassland (NFGA,2016.1-2019.12)

  • Ecological Benefit Compensation and Management System in the national park system pilot area (NAFGA and CAF, 2017.1-2019.12)

  • Sustainable Management and Climate-Resilient Land Management in Western Regions (NO.s53071) (GEF-CF-01) GEF and NFGA, 2017.7-2018.12)

  • Developing Methodology on Carbon Accounting and Monitoring for Secondary Natural Forest Management (Inner Mongolia Development and Reform Commission, 2016.9-2017.12)

  • Sutides on Multi-purpose Managment for Secondary Quercus mongolica Forest Based on Plant Functional Traits Approaches (National Natural Science Foundation, No.31570633, 2016.1-2017.12)

  • Study on the influence mechanism and simulation prediction of alternative forest management regime on multi-objective function of natural secondary forest of Red pine in Northeast China (National Natural Science Foundation, No.31170593, 2012.1-2015.12)

  • Development Strategies for PRC-GEF Partnership on Land Degradation Control in China Dryland Ecosystem (GEF and NFGA, 2011.9-2012.8)

  • Assessment and Analysis on Forest Farmer Cooperatives in Collective Forest Area in Fujian Province (EU and FAO, 2009.1-2012.12)

  • Growth, Climate and Equity–addressing the impact of forest plantation policies for sustainable development (Sida, Sweden, 2010.1-2012.12)

  • Formulation and mainstream of China bamboo forest biodiversity conservation policy (EU, UNDP, INBAR, 2009.1-2009.12)

  • Improvement on Forest Protection and Management Policies in Western China (GTZ, 2005.10-2007.12)

Awards & achievements

  • Forest insurance rate determination and policy research based on disaster risk zoning, Forestry Science and Technology Progress Award second prize, Liang Xi Forestry Science and Technology Award (2019).

  • Measurement and monitoring of carbon transfer in international forest products trade, Forestry Science and Technology Progress Award second prize, Liang Xi Forestry Science and Technology Award (2016).

Published articles & books

Selected papers:

  • Dou, Y.; Wu, C.; He, Y*.2023. Public Concern and Awareness of National Parks in China: Evidence from Social Media Big Data and Questionnaire Data. Sustainability, 15, 2653. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/su15032653

  • Wang, P.; Li, N.; He, Y.; He, Y*. 2022. Evaluation of Cultural Ecosystem Service Functions in National Parks from the Perspective of Benefifits of Community Residents. Land, 11, 1566. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/land11091566

  • Zhang, L.; He, Y*.; Wang, J.; Meng, J. 2022. Development of a Climate-Sensitive Matrix Growth Model for Larix gmelinii Mixed-Species Natural Forests and Its Application for Predicting Forest Dynamics under Different Climate Scenarios. Forests, 13(4), 574; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040574

  • Wang, P.; Zhang, C.; Xie, H.; Yang, W.; He, Y*. 2022. Perception of National Park Soundscape and Its Effects on Visual Aesthetics. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health,19, 5721. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph19095721

  • Peng Wang, Wenjuan Yang, Dengju Wang and Youjun He*. 2021. Insights into Public Visual Behaviors through Eye-Tracking Tests: A Study Based on National Park System Pilot Area Landscapes. Land, 10, 497. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10050497

  • Xiaodi Zhao, Youjun He*, Chao Yu, Danyun Xu and Wentao Zou. 2019. Assessment of Ecosystem Service Value in National Park Pilot. Sustainability, 11(23), 6609; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236609  (SCI2018, IF=2.592)

  • Pu Zhang, Youjun He, Yiming Feng, Rafael De La Torre, Hongyan Jia, Jixin Tang, Frederick Cubbage. 2019. An analysis of potential investment returns of planted forests in South China. New Forests, 50: 943-968, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-019-09708-x (SCI2018, IF=2.664)

  • He Youjun, Qin Lin*, Li Zhiyong, Liang Xingyu, Tan Ling, Shao Meixiang. 2013. Carbon storage capacity of monoculture and mixed-species plantations in subtropical China. Forest Ecology and Management, 295,193–198 (SCI, IF=2.919）

  • Su Lijuan, Zhang Pu, He Youjun*. 2015. Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation on Forest Management and Its Development Trend. World Forestry Research, 28(6):6-11

  • M. Sandewall, H. Kassa, S. Wu, P.V. Khoa, Y. He and B. Ohlsson. 2015. Policies to Promote Household Based Plantation Forestry and Their Impacts on Livelihoods and the Environment: Cases from Ethiopia, China, Vietnam and Sweden. International Forestry Review, 17(1):98-111

  • He Youjun, Liang Xingyun, Qin Lin∗, Li Zhiyong, Shao Meixiang, Tan Ling. 2013. Community characteristics and soil properties of coniferous plantation forest monocultures in the early stages after close-to-nature transformation management in southern subtropical China. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 33(8): 2484-2495

  • Rong Jiantao, He Youjun*. 2014. Effects of Different Forest Management Regimes on Carbon Stock in Natural Secondary Forests at Danqinghe Forestry Farm. Scientia Silvae Sinicae, 50(9):26-35

  • He Youjun, Liang Xingyun, Qin Lin, Li Zhiyong, Tan Ling, Shao Meixiang. 2013. Community Structure, Species Diversity of Pinus massoniana and Castanopsis hystrix Plantation and the Nature-Based Forest Management in the Southern Subtropical China. Scientia Silvae Sinicae, 49(4):24-33

  • Liang Xingyun, He Youjun*, Zhang Pu, Rong Jiantao, Qin Lin, Li Zhiyong. 2013. Effects of Different Forest Management Regimes on Plant Community Structure and Biodiversity of Natural Secondary Forests in Danqinghe Forestry Farm. Scientia Silvae Sinicae, 49(3):93-102

  • He Youjun, Qin Lin, Li Zhiyong, Shao Meixiang, Liang Xingyun, Tan Ling. 2012. Carbon storage capacity of a Betula alnoides stand and a mixed Betula alnoides × Castanopsis hystrix stand in Southern Subtropical China: a comparison study. Acta Ecologicia Sinica. 32(23):7586-7594

  • Qin Lin, He Youjun*, Li Zhiyong, Shao Meixiang, Liang Xingyun, Tan Ling. 2011. Allocation Pattern of Biomass and Productivity for Three Plantations of Castanopsis hystrix, Pinus massoniana and Their Mixture in South Subtropical Area of Guangxi, China. Scientia Silvae Sinicae, 47(12):17-21

Selected Books

  • Chen Shaozhi, He Youjun, et. al., Evaluation Methodology of Forestry Planning. Beijing: Science Press. 2020

  • He Youjun, Zhao Xiaodi, et. al., Ecological Compensation and Management System of a National ParkSystem Pilot Area. Beijing: Science Press. 2020

  • Wang Dengju, He Youjun, et. al., Institional Framework and Policy Mechanism of Sustainable Land Managment. Beijing: Science Press. 2020

  • He Youjun, Qinlin et. al., Multiple Objective Management and Its Economic Effects of Secondary Natural Forests in Northeast China. Beijing: Science Press. 2019

  • Chen Shaozhi, He Youjun, Chen Jiawen, Qin Xinhao. Studies on Forest Road Construction and Investment and Financing Management. Beijing: China Forestry Publishing House. 2015

  • He Youjun, Qin Lin, Li Zhiyong. Evaluation and Simulation of the Impact of Forest Management on Multi-Dimensional Objective Function. Beijing: Science Press. 2013

  • Liu Daoping, He Youjun, translate, Artificial Forests-Use, Impact and Sustainability. Beijing: China Agricultural Press. 2011

  • Li Nuyun, He youjun, Li Zhiyong, Han Zheng. Sustainable Forest Cultivation and Management Practice. Beijing: China Forestry Publishing House. 2011

  • Li Zhiyong, Li Nuyun, He Youjun. Studies on the Technology of Ecological Environment Management for Multi-functional Industrial Plantation. Beijing: Science Publishing House. 2011