New Round of Collective Forest Rights Reform, Forestland Transfer and Household Production Efficiency

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

In general, the paper is well structured and it offers a clear analysis that is supported with statistically sufficient data. Although the societal and scientific relevance is clear, the latter could be improved by extending the discussion of the contextual framework as well as the results of the analysis beyond only the specific issue of China's forest land management but perhaps also towards the issue of forest land management in general. How have the results of the analysis improved the current theoretical debates and understanding of forest land management in general? The authors argued at the beginning that “Although there are many studies on the relationship between land circulation and farmers' production efficiency, there are few studies on forest land…”. Have the results of the analysis, which is focused on forest land in China, shows a similar pattern with the case in a different context where farmers are also involved as the main actor? Also, have the results of the analysis helped in settling the different results on the impact of land outflow on farmers' productivity in the current literature as also explained by the authors at the beginning?

Author Response

Thanks very much again for your attention to our paper. 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The article received for review contains valuable content. The ownership of forest land by farms changes the way they function and profitability, but in a completely different way than increasing the acreage of agricultural land. Undoubtedly, the study fills a certain gap in this respect.

However, a number of aspects need to be improved, in particular some information is unclear for people who are not familiar with the Chinese conditions of agriculture and land ownership.

It remains unclear how the model accounts for the impact of forest land inflow and outflow on farmers' income, which is one of the three main objectives of the study. How do forests increase yearly farm income during periods other than felling mature trees ? In Chinese conditions, is partial, annual felling of the forest allowed, depending on the needs, or only after reaching a certain age of the tree stand, for example 50 years? The patterns of forest use around the world vary, and we know nothing about the rules in China.

In table 3, lack of units (Total area of household contracted agricultural, Total area of household contracted forest land). Is this hectares?

I miss an outline of the rules of forest land trade (circulation) that are clear to a reader from outside China. What are the sale rules, long-term leases of forest land in China? Is state land allocated for this purpose, or is there some form of forest land bank? What does private land trade look like? Whether prices are set by the state or are they market prices? Have there been any significant changes in land prices in China during the CFRR program period? What is the current structure of forests in China (state-owned, private, long-term leased) and how have these values changed since the introduction of these CFRR programs in China?

Research has found that the degree of fragmentation of forest land has a negative impact on improving profitability. Table 3 presents the residual information on fragmentation in the form of the 'forestfragment' parameter. The average size of a forest plot of 15 area units does not say anything, because we do not know the unit, if it is hectares, it is large plots. However, information on whether plots of land are scattered and located far away from buildings is crucial for fragmentation.

What long-term conclusions from the research? Does private property seem better, or other forms, like long-term leases, some forms of joint ownership, or maybe state-owned property?

Collective and state forms of agriculture (arable land) have historically proven their weaknesses in many times and places around the world and have definitely lost in terms of productivity to private forms. However, in the case of forest use, many European experiences (for example)  are completely different. Joint or state ownership works better, precisely because of the long-term nature of forest cultivation and obtaining a higher income after several dozen years from the beginning of forest cultivation.

The article does not refer to non-Chinese experiences in the field of changes in the ownership structure of forests, neither in the introduction nor in the discussion. This should be corrected. There are also existing studies on changes in the profitability of Chinese farms due to many factors, but without taking into account forests. It is also advisable to refer to the results of these studies. 

Author Response

Thanks very much again for your attention to our paper. 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf