On September 2 and 3, 2023, two experts (ZHANG Yuanming, director of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and SONG Xiaodong, a professor from the Liaoning Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences) visited Qingyuan County, Liaoning Province, to supervise and inspect the demonstration areas of a National Key Research and Development Project on improving the ecological products supply capacity of forests in Northeast China. The project is led by Professor HE Xingyuan, who also participated in the inspection along with other key members.

The experts first investigated the research plots of a subproject on the formation and maintenance mechanism of forest ecological products, such as carbon sequestration, water conservation, and biodiversity. The subproject is led by Researcher Yang Kai, who has established more than 50 permanent plots in the Qingyuan Plantation Experimental Area to study the effects of different forest development stages and management measures on the ecological products supply capacity.

The experts also visited the demonstration area of another subproject on the improvement technology and demonstration of forest ecological service and material products. The subproject is led by Associate Researcher YE Ji, who has set up a demonstration project at the watershed scale to test how the latest forestry technology can enhance the ecological service and material products of natural and artificial forests in the region.

The experts praised the research work of the two subprojects and gave suggestions for the next steps. The inspection helped the researchers to clarify their future work directions and lay a solid foundation for achieving their project goals.