China’s state-owned forest farms are the basic sectors of forestry production, and their carbon cycle functions, such as timber processing and forest carbon sequestration, are of great significance to the national emission reduction strategy. By three-stage DEA and Tobit models, this paper measures the carbon sequestration output efficiency of 3706 state-owned forest farms involved in China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration’s 2008–2018 survey. We figure out how the mechanism on the carbon sequestration impacts output efficiency of these forest farms and analyze the temporal trends and spatial distributions of their outputs in various regions. Our results indicate that the overall output efficiency of state-owned forest farms in China is relatively low compared with the international advanced level and show that distinctive north-south regional differences exist. Specifically, the carbon storage of the state-owned forest farms in Northeast China and Inner Mongolia occupies more than half of the carbon storage of total amounts, but their output efficiency is unsatisfactory. Conversely, the forest farms in Southwest China have a medium amount of carbon storage and the highest output efficiency. After improving the external environments of these farms, the efficiency value in each province appears as a significant increment. Moreover, the effects of afforestation, timber harvests, the under-forest economy, and other operating behaviors exhibit regional heterogeneity to some extent. Therefore, this paper advocates reforming the current forest cultivation strategy that emphasizes afforestation and neglects management, and relevant government departments are supposed to adjust operations according to local conditions to promote sustainable forest management.

Forest carbon sinks play an important role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Chinese government has demonstrated its proactive approach to addressing climate change by setting development targets for low-carbon transformation and making solemn commitments to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. In this article, the Chinese Government’s Work Reports and Five-Year Plans are used to construct an index named China’s Climate Change Policy Attention ($CCPA$), which reflects the government’s emphasis on climate change and forestry in China. This article aims to examine the impact of $CCPA$, the adjusted Climate Policy Uncertainty ($CPU$) index from the U.S., and the Economic Policy Uncertainty ($EPU$) index from China on the Chinese forest carbon stocks ($FCS$) comprehensively. On this basis, we are interested in clarifying the channels by which $CCPA$ promotes the growth of forest carbon sequestration in China. Specifically, panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2017 are used for empirical analysis, and the following results are obtained: (1) The baseline regression indicates that $CCPA$ significantly promotes the growth of $FCS$, while $CPU$ or $EPU$ inhibits its growth. (2) The interactive regression shows that the effect of $CCPA$ on the growth of $FCS$ can mitigate the inhibiting impact of $CPU$ or $EPU$. (3) Mediation analysis documents that $CCPA$ promotes $FCS$ growth by increasing the forest tending area, expanding the existing forest area, increasing renewable energy consumption, and improving green investment. (4) Heterogeneity analysis reveals a clear differentiation in the effect of $CCPA$ on $FCS$ under different situations. Finally, policy implications are proposed based on the results. This article is expected to provide a theoretical basis for the Chinese government to develop relevant policies from the perspective of promoting $FCS$ growth.

Unlike the decarbonization trajectories adopted by developed countries, some research suggests that non-pricing policies should be prioritized over pricing policies to mitigate carbon emissions in developing economies. This paper enriches the current literature on carbon pricing by empirically linking China’s carbon pricing and non-pricing policies, using a difference-in-differences approach. The results indicate the effectiveness of the carbon pricing strategy. Furthermore, by introducing an interaction effect model, we find that a higher carbon price will significantly increase the carbon emission abatement effects. In conclusion, the findings highlight the necessity of carbon pricing instruments for decarbonization in developing countries.

Forests, as a critical component of terrestrial ecosystems, have long been recognized for their vital roles as water, money, grain, and carbon repositories, collectively known as the “Four Repositories” concept. The significance of forests in the context of economic and ecological development has become increasingly prominent. As a novel economic paradigm and a new driver of growth, the digital economy ($DIG$) can significantly improve the management, operation, and preservation of forests, thus offering new prospects for advancing the high-quality development of forestry ($HQDF$) in China. This study constructs indicator systems for the levels of $HQDF$ and $DIG$ using panel data from 30 provinces in China over the period from 2012 to 2021. The empirical analysis utilizes a fixed effect model to assess the influence of $DIG$ in promoting $HQDF$ in China. Moreover, the mediation analysis model is employed to examine the underlying mechanisms. There are four main results as follows. First, the baseline regression results show that $DIG$ can directly drive $HQDF$ in China. Second, the mechanism analysis reveals that $DIG$ positively influences $HQDF$ through three mediating channels: strengthening environmental regulation, enhancing public environmental awareness, and increasing innovation in forestry. Third, the heterogeneity analysis indicates that the positive impact of $DIG$ on $HQDF$ is more pronounced in northern provinces, economically advanced regions, and provinces with stronger fiscal support for forestry. Fourth, further analysis reveals significant spatial spillover effects of $DIG$ on $HQDF$ in China. The study findings not only clarify the driving mechanisms of $DIG$ in $HQDF$, but also provide valuable policy insights for exploring practical pathways for $HQDF$ in China in the modern context.