Commodity Chain Analysis on Commercial Timber Profits in Southern Collective Forest Region in China

Abstract

"This article analyses the profit distribution of commercial timber by using commodity chain analysis method, tracing the vertical and horizontal distribution of profit along the commodity chain of commercial timber among different actors based on a typical county in southern Chinese collective forest region. Before the commodity chain analysis, the article describes harvest quota policy as a chain of events, analysing its equity and impact of the policy on the distribution of commercial timber profit. It is concluded that the forest property reform in southern Chinese collective forest region will not be sufficient to fully ensure rural households benefit from commercial timber marketing. As a general policy recommendation, it is suggested that, in order to stimulate rural household's activity for forest resource management, companying with current reform, it is very important for government to formulate a certain mechanism to ensure rural households to fully access to forest resource and market."