China's ecological forestry development index has increased steadily, rising by 64% from 31.57 in 2011 to 51.63 in 2017, according to the Blue Book of Ecological Forestry: Report on the Development of Ecological Civilization with Chinese Characteristics and Forestry (2019–2020), jointly released by the Institute of Quantitative and Technical Economics at CASS, the Academy of Chinese Ecological Progress and Forestry Development Studies at Nanjing Forestry University, and Social Sciences Academic Press (China) on May 29.

The Blue Book indicates that forest plantation is the most important measure for China's ecological protection. The forest plantation index rose by 28% from 2.75 in 2011 to 3.52 in 2017. The index tracking farmland returning to forest rose by 65% from 0.31 in 2011 to 0.51 in 2017, showing the greatest gain.

Gratifying achievements have been made in China's forestry development, but the tasks of ecological conservation remain arduous, the Blue Book says. It suggests improving the evaluation mechanism of forest ecological protection, accelerating the industrial structuring and upgrading of ecological forestry and enhancing the ecological construction of forestry through science and technology.

CASS Member Pan Jiahua said that ecological civilization construction concerns ecological environmental protection, bio-safety and healthy and civilized public lifestyles. Forestry development is an important part of ecological civilization construction. Conducting a scientific evaluation of China's forestry development through the ecological forestry development index system established based on accurate and reliable data is an innovation in ecological civilization research methodology.