Forest Resources in Taiwan
Among the forest land area, of which the natural forest is 1,527,500ha, occupying 72.7%, plantation forest is 422,600ha occupying 20.1%, and bamboo forest 152,300ha occupying 7.2%. (Table 2)
Table 2 Forest Land by Major Forest Type
| forest type | Area (ha) | Percentage (%) |
| Natural forest | 1,527,500 | 72.7 |
| Natural conifers | 220,100 | 10.5 |
| Spruce, Fir | 27,100 | 1.3 |
| Hemlock | 52,600 | 2.5 |
| Cypress | 48,500 | 2.3 |
Other conifers
(pine included) | 91,900 | 4.4M |
| Mixed forests | 331,600 | 15.8 |
| Hardwoods | 975,800 | 46.4 |
| Plantation | 422,600 | 20.1 |
| Conifers | 218,400 | 10.4 |
| Mixed forests | 59,600 | 2.8 |
| Hardwoods | 144,600 | 6.9 |
| Bamboo | 152,300 | 7.2 |
| Total | 2,102,400 | 100.0 |
Table 3 Forest Land by Major Ownership
| Ownership | Area(ha) | Percentage(%) |
National land
(aborigines reserves incl.) | 1,869,492 | 88.92 |
| Public land | 46,782 | 2.23 |
| Private land | 186,126 | 8.85 |
| Total | 2,102,400 | 100.00 |
Table 4 Forest Growing Stock by Major Forest Type
| forest type | growing
stock (1000m3) | Percentage (%) |
| Natural forest | 310,533 | 86.56 |
| Natural conifers | 91,770 | 25.58 |
| Spruce,Fir | 10,564 | 2.94 |
| Hemlock | 31,490 | 8.78 |
| Cypress | 29,045 | 8.10 |
Other conifers
(pine included) | 20,671 | 5.76 |
| Mixed forests | 94,608 | 26.37 |
| Hardwoods | 124,155 | 34.61 |
| Plantation | 47,676 | 13.29 |
Conifers
Mixed forests | 34,065
4,793 | 9.50
1.34 |
| Hardwoods | 8,818 | 2.46 |
| Bamboo | 535 | 0.15 |
| Total | 358,744 | 100.00 |
Ownership of Forest Land
The ownership of forest land can be divided by national, public and private land. The national ownership including aborigines reserves, accounts for 88.92%, while the public and private ownership only 11.08%.(Table 3)
Forest Growing Stock
The estimated forest growing stock of the whole island is 358,744 thousand cubic meters, this number breaking down into 310,533 thousand cubic meters of natural forest or 86.56%, 47,676 thousand cubic meters of plantation or 13.29%, 535 thousand cubic meters of trees in bamboo forest or 0.15%. The average forest growing stock per hectare of the whole island is 203 cubic meters in natural forest, 113 cubic meters in plantation. (Table 4)
Forest Type
The forest in Taiwan supports a very rich flora. Under the influence of the climate, humidity and altitude, forest types can be divided into tropical, warm, temperate, and frigid forest zones. There are more than 200 species with high economic value, such as Taiwan zelkova, Formosan michelia, Stout camphor tree, Griffith's ash, Taiwan red cypress, Taiwan yellow cypress, Taiwan hemlock, and Taiwania just to mention a few. The excellent timber of Taiwan red cypress and Taiwan yellow cypress is well known in the world. Many plantations are established mainly with Japanese cedar, China fir, Taiwania, Taiwan red cypress, and Taiwan Acacia. Under the favorable environments, trees survive and are quickly established.
The main forest types in Taiwan are briefly described as follows:
Spruce-fir type: Spruce and fir are major trees and grow in pure stand of the most inaccessible region. They are found at elevation above 2,500 meters.
Hemlock type: This is one of the most significant conifer types. It is distributed between 2,000 and 3,000 meters above the sea level, usually mixed with fir at higher elevations but with pine or temperate hardwoods at lower elevations.
Cypress type: This is the most valuable species in Taiwan. It is composed of red and yellow cypress (Chamaecyparis spp.). They are found between 1,500 and 2,800 meters above the sea level, and either in pure stand or mixed stands.
Pine type: It is found at elevation between 300 and 2,800 meters, being in the most easily accessible area of the natural conifer forests. The Taiwan red pine has a wide range with good stocking.
Miscellaneous conifer type: China fir and Japanese cedar are exotic species and usually planted even-aged pure stands. This forest type also includes other native conifers, mixed mostly with hardwoods. They seldom exist as pure stand.
