Welcome to Acta Prataculturae Sinica ! Today is Share:

Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (3): 175-188.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2024197

Previous Articles    

Classification system of inter-silva grasslands in Northern China

Yi-fu LI1,2(), Bin SUN1,2, Zhi-biao NAN3,4, Shi-rong LIU5,6, Zhi-hai GAO1,2(), Xiao-dong HUANG3, Mei-nan ZHANG5,6, Chang-long LI7, Jing-bo ZHANG8, Shui-rong WU9, Beng-yu WANG1,2   

  1. 1.Institute of Forest Resource Information Techniques,Chinese Academy of Forestry,Beijing 100091,China
    2.Laboratory of Forestry Remote Sensing and Information System,National Forestry and Grassland Administration,Beijing 100091,China
    3.College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology,Lanzhou University,Lanzhou 730020,China
    4.Grassland Research Center,National Forestry and Grassland Administration,Beijing 100091,China
    5.Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute,Chinese Academy of Forestry,Beijing 100091,China
    6.Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration,Beijing 100091,China
    7.School of Information Technology and Engineering,Guangzhou College of Commerce,Guangzhou 511363,China
    8.Experimental Center of Desert Forestry,Chinese Academy of Forestry,Dengkou 015200,China
    9.Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information,Chinese Academy of Forestry,Beijing 100091,China
  • Received:2024-05-22 Revised:2024-07-10 Online:2025-03-20 Published:2025-01-02
  • Contact: Zhi-hai GAO

Abstract:

Inter-silva grasslands, serving as a critical transitional zone between forest and grassland ecosystems or grassland within forest land, have significant ecological importance. However, a widely accepted concept and a unified standard classification framework for inter-silva grasslands is not well recognized, neither domestically nor internationally, and this lack of recognition leads to constraints on their ecological conservation and rational utilization. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the state-of-the-art research findings from around the world along with extensive field surveys in typical forests of northern China, this study proposes a scientific definition of inter-silva grasslands. Inter-silva grasslands are defined as grassland patches of varying sizes and forms that occur within or on the edges of large forests, or that are interspersed with sparse trees or shrubs. Considering the geographic environmental features, usability, and visibility derived from medium to high spatial resolution remote sensing imagery, this classification system for northern China’s inter-silva grasslands includes four classes: forest gap grasslands, forest edge grasslands, sparse forest grasslands, and shrub grasslands, with further subdivision into twelve distinct subclasses. This study provides a conceptual framework to support the ecological protection and sustainable use of inter-silva grasslands in northern China.

Key words: inter-silva grasslands, classification system, forest gap grasslands, forest edge grasslands, sparse forest grasslands, shrub grasslands