China's forestry and grassland industries have demonstrated robust growth, underpinned by substantial ecological gains that provide a solid foundation for high-quality development. The country's forest coverage rate has reached 25.09%, with forest and grassland coverage exceeding 56%, and total forest stock volume standing at 20.988 billion cubic meters. A new system of protected natural areas has been initially established, covering more than 18% of China's land area.
The scale of the forestry and grassland industry continues to expand. In 2025, the total output value of China's forestry and grassland industries approached 11 trillion yuan, with import and export trade volume exceeding US$180 billion. Forest food production surpassed 240 million tons, making it China's third-largest agricultural product after grains and vegetables, enriching the nation's dining tables. The forestry and grassland industry directly employs over 60 million people, contributing more than 20% of farmers' income in mountainous and forest areas, with this figure exceeding 50% in key forestry counties-demonstrating tangible ecological benefits for the public. At the 2025 World Forest Industry Conference, 36 key forestry projects signed contracts totaling over 50 billion yuan, reflecting sustained industrial vitality.
Currently, China's forestry and grassland industries have formed four pillar sectors each exceeding 1 trillion yuan in annual output value: wood and bamboo processing, economic forests, ecotourism, and under-forest economy. China has become the world's largest producer, consumer, and trader of major forest products.
In the wood processing sector, the effects of industrial clustering have accelerated significantly. The country's annual timber production has reached 140 million cubic meters, an increase of 36.9% compared to 2020. The output value of wood processing and wood and bamboo product manufacturing has reached 3.4 trillion yuan, with over 10,000 varieties of wood and bamboo products, and the custom home furnishing market exceeding 300 billion yuan. In 2024, China's wood-based panel production reached approximately 378 million cubic meters, including 204 million cubic meters of plywood, 50 million cubic meters of fiberboard, and 37 million cubic meters of particleboard.
Footnote (Data Sources)
The data and analysis presented in this report are derived from official statistics released by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration. Information on forest coverage, industrial output values, employment figures, and wood-based panel production reflects the most recent publicly available data as cited in national forestry development summaries and industry reports for 2024 and 2025.
