Does a Logging Ban Policy Increase Socio-Ecological Resilience? A Case Study of Key State-Owned Forest Areas in Northeast China

Abstract

The resilience of forests refers to the ability of a forest to withstand disturbance and maintain its function and control. After an early phase of historical logging to support economic development, changes in the socio-ecological resilience of key state-owned forest areas in Northeastern China (later collectively referred to as Northeastern state-owned forests) after implementing a total logging ban policy remain unknown. In this study, the Northeast state-owned forest area was selected as the study area, and based on the panel data from 2008 to 2021, the indicator system at both social and ecological levels was established, and the socio-ecological resilience of the Northeast state-owned forest area was assessed using comprehensive weights and set-pair analysis. The results show that (1) the logging ban policy effectively improves socio-ecological resilience, which reached the highest point of the whole measurement period in 2018. (2) The socio-ecological system has a certain self-adjustment and resilience but has shown a decreasing trend in recent years. By exploring the causes behind the results, we can provide guidance and suggestions for the further implementation of the logging ban policy and, at the same time, provide some lessons for other developing countries with similar problems.