Shi Kunshan
Institute of Scien-Tech Information
Chinese Academy of Forestry
Introduction
Production and utilization of non-wood forest products
Prospects for NWFP development in China
The forest is a plant community composed of trees and other vegetation which contains not only a great quantity of timber reserves, but also abundant non-wood plant and animal resources. According to incomplete statistics, there are over 1,900 species of woody plants in the forested areas of China. There are over 340 species of aromatic plants; more than 120 species of edible plants; about 400 species of medicinal plants; over 100 species of economic plants and 80 species of nectariferous plant. In addition, there are over 500 species of wildlife.
In China, the so-called "non-wood plant resources" in forest areas include leaves, bark, fruit, seed and flowers, as well as other non-woody plants. By rational exploitation and integrated utilization of these resources a great quantity of food, clothing and daily necessities are provided for the people and remarkable economic values can be generated.
Over the last 10 years, the development of NWFP resources has been given high priority in China. The area devoted to NWFP production now totals 14 million hectares and will increase at an annual planting rate of more than 600,000 hectares. In 1990, the output of main non-wood forest products such as chestnut, red jujube, walnut, tea oil, almond, hawthorn and ginkgo, topped all previous records. According to the preliminary estimate, the output value of NWFPs exceeded 4 billion yuan, accounting for one-fourth of the total output value of forestry in the country. Foreign exchange earnings from the sale of NWFPs reached US$340 million. NWFPs constitute a large proportion of total exports of forest products in China, and they have become essential means of livelihood for the people.
In China, non-wood forest products are roughly classified according to their uses, as described below:
Woody Food and Oil
Food trees and oil trees have common characteristics: strong resistance to natural disaster, stable yields and less manpower input compared with agricultural crops. These kinds of trees can be used to green the mountains and landscape, to beautify the environment, to conserve water and soil, and to produce a variety of forest byproducts such as timber, forage and medicinal materials. Therefore, broad prospects exist in the development and integrated utilization of food and oil trees.
Chestnut (Castanea spp) is a nutritious, fragrant and tasty forest-derived food, and an important export product. It grows in 23 provinces south of Liaoning Province, covering a total area of 300,000 hectares. The annual production of chestnuts averages about 33,000 tons, accounting for one-tenth of the world total. There are 51 counties that produce at least 250 tons. The output of Qianxi, Xinglong and Zunhua counties in Hebei Province tops 500 tons per year in each county. China exports 25,000 tons of chestnuts annually (most of which go to Japan), earning foreign exchange totaling about US$50 million each year.
Walnut (Juglans L.) is a traditional commodity of China which is exported in large quantities. The total area of walnut in the country is over 1 million hectares, and annual output averages about 100,000 tons. Chinese walnuts are delicious and of good quality. The calorific value of walnut nucleolus is six times that of beef. It contains protein and fat which are easy absorbed by the human body. Nucleolus is also a good solvent which can be used in extraction of rose oil, violet, essential oil of fish, and pelargonium. It is also valuable to the perfumery industry. The annual export quantity of walnuts from China is about 47,000 tons, with an annual export value of US$30-50 million. Walnuts are exported mainly to Europe, Canada and other countries in Asia.
Jujube (Zizyphus spp) is also a major forest-based food in China with a total area of about 240,000 hectares. The annual output of fresh jujube is 400,000 tons. The output in five provinces - Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi - makes up 90 percent of the total in the country. China exports about 4,700 tons of dry jujube, earning US$5 million in foreign exchange each year.
Gingko (Ginkgo) is a rare species peculiar to China. It contains rich starch, fat, protein and a variety of vitamins and can be used as food and medicine. Progesterone can be extracted from the fruits of gingko, used to treat cerebrovascular disease, cerebrum functional failure, coronary heart disease, and angina pectoris. Oral and injection liquids have also been extracted from the leaves of gingko in recent years. Gingko is distributed over more than 20 provinces in China with an annual output of 5,000 tons, most of which is exported. The foreign exchange earnings top US$7 million each year.
Tea-oil (Camellia oleigera) is a special product in China, growing in 15 provinces over an area of more than 4 million hectares. The annual output of tea oil is 500 tons, accounting for 8.6 percent of the edible plant oil produced in the country.
In Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, which are the central production areas of tea oil in China, over half of the edible oil consumed in the rural areas is tea oil. The unsaturated fatty acid contained in tea oil is as high as 98 percent and is easily absorbed by the human body. Integrated utilization of tea oil and its residues produces good effects. For example, China has extracted saponin from tea dregs, which can be used to manufacture cleansers, detergents, foaming agents and insecticides. It also acts as medicine to decrease cholesterol and prevent heart disease.
Yellowhorn (Xanthoceras sorbifolia) is an important oil tree species in Northeast China, North China and Northwest China. It has been introduced and cultivated in 14 provinces over a total area of about 50,000 hectares. The annual output is about 3,750 tons. Yellowhorn is very high in linoleic acid, thus good for health. Yellowhorn also yields an important material used in the manufacturing of liquid crystals used in color televisions and calculators.
Woody Fat, Lacquer and Wax
This category includes traditional forest by-products and special products such as tuna oil, tallow tree oil, white wax and raw lacquer as well as other woody oils.
Tallow Tree (Sapium sebiferum) is an important woody oil plant in China, found in 15 provinces. It covers more than 200,000 hectares with annual output of about 85,000 tons. The oil is extracted from the seed of tallow tree. Its fat and pulp are important chemical materials which are widely used in soap, wax candles, paint, printing ink, wax paper, skin-protecting lotions, metal-painting agents and others. The leaf contains much tannin which can be used in the manufacture of black pigment and pesticides. The leaf and root can be used as medicinal materials and for detumescence, toxification, diuresis and pain relief. The bark is a material for tanning extracts and the flower is a nectar source. China has made certain achievements in the utilization of tallow tree fat and the exploitation of new woody oil plants in recent years. There is a small quantity exported, mainly to Europe and America.
Tung Oil Tree (Aleurites fordii) is one of the major industrial oil tree species in China, occurring in the 16 southern provinces, with a total area of about 1.8 million hectares planted and an annual output of 105,000 tons (1989).
Tung oil has been exported by China for many years. The annual export volume is about 12,000 tons and the foreign exchange earned is about US$ 15 million. In recent years, Japan has been the biggest importer of tuna oil, accounting for about 75 percent of the total exported.
Raw Lacquer is made from the leaf liquid of the lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum) and has strong absorptive and anti-corrosive qualities. In addition to coating materials used widely for building construction it can also be widely used in defence, machinery, petroleum, and the chemical industries, mining, brewing, ship building, arts and crafts, and printing and dyeing.
The lacquer tree is distributed over the five provinces of Shaanxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Yunnan and Hunan, covering an area of about 500,000 hectares. The annual output of raw lacquer is 2,750 tons. Raw lacquer is a traditional export of China.
Between 1980 and 1986, the annual exports of raw lacquer averaged 300 tons. Japan, Hong Kong, Macao and the United Kingdom are the main importing countries. Foreign exchange earned is about US$4 million per year.
Rosin and Turpentine are important earners of foreign exchange for China. The annual output of rosin and turpentine are 400,000 tons and 46,000 tons, respectively. The annual export of rosin is about 200,000 tons, which represents 40 to 50 percent of the total trade of rosin throughout the world. The foreign exchange earned for China from rosin is about US$100 million a year. Over 550,000 tons of resin are produced in South China each year, which has created 300,000 jobs and increased personal income by 2,000 yuan per person per year on average.
Secondary processing of rosin produces added value and benefits. The Central-South Forestry College, in cooperation with Shaoyang Forest Chemical Factory, for example, earns 10,000 yuan profit per ton for ketone produced from rosin. The Dequing Forest Chemical Factory, Guangdong Province, produces a full line of secondary products made from rosin including high-quality rosin, turpentine, and synthetic camphor. Exports earn US$3.6 million in foreign exchange each year.
Forest Perfume Products
An important aspect in the exploitation and utilization of non-wood forest products in China is the use of residues from the final cutting and thinning of fragrant plants to produce oils or extracts.
Mountain Spicy Tree (Litsea cubeba) is an important aromatic oil plant widely distributed in almost all provinces. Most parts of the plant, including the root, stem, leaf, bark and fruit, contain aromatic oil. Especially useful is the fruit, from which aromatic oil (cubeba oil) can be obtained after simple distillation. Its oil contains lemon aldehyde, aromadendrol and terpene. It can be used directly as fragrant materials in soda drinks and beer, and indirectly for perfume, medicine, plastics, synthetic rubber, printing and food. It has been proved that cubeba oil can remove the carcinogenic substances from grain.
A considerable benefit has been obtained from the secondary processing of cubeba. For example, the Yiyang Chemical Factory, Hunan Provinces has produced a variety of products from nucleolus oil with an annual output value of 8.5 million yuan. As the content of nucleolus oil is similar to that of coconut oil, it has been used in Hunan to replace the latter. This has saved a large amount of foreign exchange.
Eucalypts were introduced into China more than a hundred years ago. Now they are cultivated on over 670,000 hectares distributed over 16 provinces. The output of eucalypt oil, which can be extracted from the leaves is about 3,000 tons for an average year, of which one-third is exported, mainly to France and Germany. Eucalypt oil is mainly used in medicine, perfumery and industrial production. At present, good economic benefits have been achieved in many eucalypt oil-producing factories in China. For example, the annual output of essential oil in the Kunming Perfume Factory, Yunnan Province, is about 500 tons, including the "Yilan" Brand which contains 80 percent eucalypt oil and enjoys high prestige in the international markets. Eucalyptus citriodora oil produced in the Baihua Perfume Factory, Guangzhou, as well as pure citronellal, citronellol and rhodinol extracted from crude oil in the Fuzhou Perfume Factory, and the Zhangzhou Perfume Factory have been put on the market, resulting in high economic benefits.
Forest Drinks
Forest drinks are natural drinks which are produced or extracted from tree juice, wild berry, fruit, leaves and flowers of plants, as well as the pollen of nectariferous plants. This kind of drink is enjoyed by consumers because of its nutritional and medicinal values. There are abundant materials for making forest drinks from birch, seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), yangtao (Actinidia chinensis), bureja gooseberry (Ribes burejense), raspberry (Rubus), amur grape (Vitis amurensis), wild rose, cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), black currant (Ribes nigrun), Siberia nitaria (Nitraria sibirica) and pine needle powder. Some of these are discussed below.
Birch Juice is a popular soft drink in China. China has abundant birch resources, with 34 species covering a total area of 10 million hectares. These resources are mainly distributed in North, Northeast, Northwest and Southwest China, including Heilogjiang Province (1.5 million hectares), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (3.96 million hectares) and Jilin Province (290,000 hectares). The drink made from birch juice is widely enjoyed by consumers. Good quality birch juice soft drink produced by the Chifeng Forest Research Institute, Inner Mongolia, in cooperation with Ningcheng County Tin Factory, has been displayed and sold in many national exhibitions. A series of products such as birch syrup, birch cola, birch honey peach, and others produced by the Forest Drink Factory of Dailing Forestry Bureau, Heilongjiang Province, represents an annual value of 2.94 million yuan. More than a hundred people have been employed since production began in 1986. The Forest Research Institute of Korea Autonomous Prefecture and Wangqing Forestry Bureau, Jilin Province, in collaboration with research organizations, have trial-produced "Senhua Champagne," "Senhuabao" and "Birch Haw Drink." These birch products are also exported to South Korea and Hong Kong.
Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhomnoides) is a wild shrub growing in 20 provinces in North China, Northeast China and Northwest China, covering an area of over 1 million hectares. In the past, Seabuckthorn was mainly used to establish soil and water conservation forests and fuelwood forests. The exploitation and utilization of this rare resource dates from only the mid-1980s, but has developed rapidly, producing remarkable economic and social benefits. Seabuckthorn contains rich nutritional and medicinal qualities. Seabuckthorn juice is a healthy drink, and Seabuckthorn wine is anti-pyretic and good for the mind. The oil reduces radiation, fatigue, and blood fat, and strengthens vitality.
In 1990, there were over 150 Seabuckthorn processing factories in China, with an annual production capacity of about 150,000 tons. The variety of products made from Seabuckthorn has evolved from the original crude juice and soft drinks, to over 200 finished products in 8 different categories, including soft drinks, food, wine, daily-use chemicals, medicine, health protection, forage and additives. Over 50 products have won high awards at national and provincial levels. The products of Seabuckthorn produced by Hualin Seabuckthorn Factory, Shanxi Province, are of particularly high quality. This factory is the most advanced and biggest of its kind in China and has production lines with advanced technology using a high degree of automation.
Great benefits will result from the exploitation of seabuckthorn. Fifteen tons of juice can be obtained from 1 hectare of wild Seabuckthorn forest, yielding a net profit of 10,000 yuan. The Seabuckthorn Beverage Factory of Youyu County, Shanxi Province, has an annual production capacity of 4,000 tons, with output of 1,640 tons of condensed Seabuckthorn juice, powder and light sparkling wine, valued at 5 million yuan. The total value of Seabuckthorn products in the 7 provinces in middle and upper reaches of the Changjiang River exceeded 100 million yuan in 1988. In recent years, joint ventures have been set up between China and the United States, Japan and Switzerland to develop Seabuckthorn products.
Yangtao Actinidia (Actinidia chinesis) is an important wild fruit, growing in 24 provinces, with an annual output of about 300,000 tons. Xixia County, Henan Province, has abundant yangtao actinidia with an average annual output of 2,500 tons. The biggest plantations of yangtao actinidia in China are situated in the province, with a total area of 672 hectares. A research institute has been set up specifically to support yangtao actinidia development. Yangtao actinidia products such as soft drinks, wine and jam produced in Xixia County are sold both in domestic and international markets. The yangtao actinidia wine produced by Guanxian County Yangtao Actinidia Wine Factory, Sichuan Province, has won awards and wide recognition.
Black Currant (Ribes nigrum) is a perennial berry shrub whose fruits are rich in nutrients and a variety of vitamins, organic acids, trace elements sugar, and others. Black currant can be processed into wine, fructose, fruit juice and jam. As one of the major non-wood forest products in Heilongjiang Province, the cultivation area of black currant covers 14,000 hectares supplying more than 70 processing factories.
"Huanle" Brand high-grade beverage, jointly produced by Acheng Black Currant Products Factory, Heilongjiang Province, and a factory in Chengde, Hebei Province, was assigned to produce for state banquets by the State Council in 1985, and has won broad acceptance in international markets.
Edible Fungus
Several hundred species of edible fungi are found in forest areas in China. In Yunnan Province there are more than 300, and in the Changbaishan forest area in Northeast China there are 140 species. The most valuable fungi are: Dictyophora duplicata, Hericium erinaceus, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, Boletus spp., Morchella esculenta, Auricularia auricula, Ganoderma lucidum, Grifola umbellata, and Cordyceps sinensis. Many of the fungi have substantial medicinal value. In the last 10 years, edible fungus has become a staple forest by-product along with the development of a diversified economy and the emergence of modernized production of edible fungus factories. According to incomplete statistics, the total output of edible fungus in the country is 540,000 tons (including agricultural areas), with an annual value of 1.6 billion yuan, and export quantities (including processed products) over 180,000 tons. The annual foreign exchange earned is US$200 million.
The forestry departments in China have their own personnel and special bases to produce edible fungus. They have paid attention to quality control and management, with remarkable results. The Hebei Forestry Bureau, Heilongjiang Province, for example has set up 6 production bases and produced 95 tons of edible fungi in 1989.
Mountain-Grown Edible Wild Herbs
There are abundant mountain-grown edible wild herb resources in China. In Heilongjiang Province, for example, the reserves of brakes (Pleridium aquilinum) amount to over 100,000 tons, with the annual output of 2,000 tons. Mountain-grown edible wild herbs are rich in nutrition and contain a variety of amino acids which are essential to the human body. High economic benefit has been achieved by exploiting mountain-grown edible wild herbs in the forestry departments of China. The Tin Food Factory of Dongfanghong Forestry Bureau, Heilongjiang Province, for example, has introduced an advanced domestic automatic production line to produce quick meals, with the abundant local edible herbs as raw materials. Annual sales account for 1 million yuan. The Soft-Packed Edible Herb Tin Food Factory, Langxiang Forestry Bureau, Heilongjiang Province, produces 1 ton of tinned products each day, with annual value of 25 million yuan.
Chinese Medicinal Materials in Forest Areas
Forest areas are the important bases in China for production of Chinese medicinal materials. These include: ginseng, American ginseng, pilose antler, fruit of common macrocarpium (Macrocarpium officinalis), tall gastrodia (Gastrodia elata), bezoar, fulling (Ports cocos), eucommia (Eucommia ulmoides), root of common baphicacanthus (Baphicacanthus cusia), liquorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis), lily magnolia (Magnolia liliflora), Chinese thorowax (Bupleurum chinense), officinal magnolia (Magnolia officinalis), Chinese wolfberry (Lycium chinense), cinchona (Cinchona), Chinese magnoliavine (Schisandra chinensis), manyprickle acanthopanax (Acanthopanax senticosus), common stone crop (Hylotelephium erythrostictum), amur corktree (phellodendron amurense), and glossy ganoderma (Ganoderma lucidum). Some of these are briefly described below.
Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is one of the key medicinal products from North China. Jilin Province, a major ginseng-producing area, produces about 80 percent of the ginseng of the country, making up 40 percent of the world total. Output values for the Baishishan Forestry Bureau, Jilin Province, reached Forestry Bureau, of this province, developed an area of 20 Hectares of ginseng with an output of 175 tons and a value of 5 million yuan during the period of The Seventh Five-Year Plan. The forestry departments in the province are engaged in research and extension work on techniques of cultivation, processing and storage, establishment of a scientific quality-control system, and the exploitation of a series of products.
American ginseng (Panax quinquefollius) was introduced to China in 1975 and is being planted in more than 10 provinces with an annual output of over 50 tons. Muling Forestry Bureau, Heilongjiang Province, the biggest production base in China, has an area of 47,000 square meters of American ginseng. The total annual sales exceed 3.5 million yuan. The bureau has experienced good economic results from the management of ginseng and American ginseng, employing more than 8,000 in its operations.
Common Macrocarpium (Macrocarpium officinalis) occurs in many provinces, including Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Sichuan. Its fruit contains glucoside, organic acids, vitamin A, sugar and minerals. It is good for the liver and kidneys, good for the stomach and eyes, diuresis, and the blood and for reducing blood pressure. The country's annual output fluctuates between 600 and 900 tons. Under normal management, the output of fresh fruit is 30 to 50 kilograms per hectare, valued at 230 to 300 yuan. As of 1987, the total area planted reached 1,333 hectares, with an annual output of 160 tons, producing an income of 82 million yuan.
Pilose Deer Antler production goes back a long time in China. The price of pilose antler per kilogram is 1,300 to 1,400 yuan, with the price for first class pilose antler produced in Jilin Province reaching 2,260 yuan per kilogram. Being a high-grade tonic medicine, the pilose antler is of high medicinal value. Pilose antler processed using the microwave technique in the state-run Dunhua Deer Farm, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province is of exceptional quality. Over 30 tons of pilose antler were produced in Jilin Province in 1987, yet the supply falls short of the demand.
Forest-based Forage
Forest-based forage includes tree leaves, shoots, bark, and various non-tree forage plants.
Pine needle powder is a supplementary forage for fowl and livestock developed by the Research Institute of Chemical Processing and Utilization of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry. It has been shown that with 5 percent pine needle in the daily forage of hens, production of eggs is increased more than 13 percent. If 2.5 to 4.5 percent pine needle powder is added to pig forage, the growth rates increase by 15 to 30 percent and the percentage of lean meat is increased. If 10 percent pine needle powder is added to the forage of milk cows, the output of milk can be increased by 7.4 percent. The cost of processing pine needle powder is about 2 yuan per kilogram. As of 1987, 19 provinces produced and used needle powder forage. Sixty pine needle powder factories have been established, with an annual output of 15,000 tons.
Pine needle ointment has also been developed by the Research Institute of Chemical Processing and Utilization of Forest Products. It has been found that .02 to .04 percent pine needle ointment added to fowl forage increases egg output by 10 percent and increases the weight of young ducks by 13.7 percent. If used to feed rabbits, the length of hair can increase by 165 percent; the rabbit enjoys good health and a luminous coat. Pine needle ointment has also been shown to cure diseases of the mouth and chilblains. A factory has been set up in Xugou Forestry Bureau, Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province to produce pine needle ointment.
Under China's reforms and opening-up policy, the production and utilization of non-wood forest products has developed rapidly over the last 10 years. China must now focus on improving products quality and developing new products to improve environmental, economic and social benefits. China plans to develop 45 crop tree species and establish, by the year 2000, a production base for special NWFPs of 530,000 hectares in 459 counties throughout the country. Advanced seed selection, cultivation, management, collection, processing, storage and transportation will be applied.
It will be necessary to develop programs for non-wood forest products that adhere to the principle of "three dimensional forestry" linking exploitation, integrated utilization and all-round development. Such exploitation and utilization must be combined with protection of the forest.
Effective development plans for forest areas must be drawn up and management capacity must be strengthened. Meanwhile, China must also strengthen technical training; train more technical personnel and workers, carry out international technical cooperation and exchanges, and draw additional foreign capital. The overall objective must be to contribute to the economies of forest areas and improve the living standards of the people in rural areas.
Resins are important NWFPs nearly everywhere pines are grown.
Beedi (Diospyros melanoxylon) leaf collection in India.
