Article 1: The 14th Five-Year Plan period marks the first five years of China’s comprehensive achievement of a moderately prosperous society and the commencement of a new journey; it is also the period during which the modernization drive of the new era begins and takes its first steps. To accelerate the development of the forestry industry in our county, stimulate its healthy and rapid growth, and continuously enhance the modernization of the forestry governance system and governance capabilities, these Measures are hereby formulated in accordance with the provisions of the Forestry Law of the People’s Republic of China and the requirements of relevant provincial and municipal documents, taking into account the actual conditions of our county.
Article 2: Funding Sources and Scope of Incentives and Subsidies. Funding includes national, provincial, and municipal forestry incentive and subsidy funds, as well as county-level fiscal funds. A bundled incentive and subsidy policy combining higher-level forestry project funds with county-level fiscal funds will be implemented. Priority will be given to providing incentives and subsidies for the construction of green corridors, afforestation of barren mountains, the planting of “three tree species and one seedling” (thin-shelled hickory, eucommia, Chinese oak, and specialty seedlings), and the creation of provincial-level forest towns and provincial-level forest villages.
Article 3: Eligibility for Incentives and Subsidies. Units, enterprises, and individuals engaged in forestry production and operations throughout the county.
Article 4: Subsidy Standards
(1) Green Corridor Construction. Excluding government-funded projects, a single afforestation entity that plants trees on both or one side of railways, expressways, national highways, provincial highways, county roads, rivers, or other major roads, with a newly planted length of 4 kilometers or more (excluding residential areas, water bodies, and other areas unsuitable for afforestation),with a width of no more than 5 meters on a single side (3 meters for roads at the county and township levels or below), a contiguous area of 50 mu or more, and the planting of tree species or fruit orchards, including native and distinctive tree species (such as ginkgo, Chinese tallow tree, goldenrain tree, Chinese hackberry, Chinese elm, Chinese cork tree, osmanthus, soapberry, magnolia grandiflora, white magnolia, Chinese hackberry, Chinese elm,liquidambar, and trident maple), with a stem diameter at breast height of 2.5 cm (or ground diameter of 3.5 cm) or more, and a planting density of no less than 74 trees per mu. Upon successful inspection, a subsidy of 2,000 yuan per mu will be provided (paid over four years: 600 yuan/mu in the first year, 600 yuan/mu in the second year, 400 yuan/mu in the third year, and 400 yuan/mu in the fourth year).
(2) Three Trees and One Seedling.New plantings of pecan trees covering a contiguous area of 30 mu or more on non-arable land using high-quality varieties that are at least two years old: (Pure stands: no fewer than 22 trees per mu, with a spacing of 5×6 meters or 4×7.5 meters; grafted seedlings must be at least 2+1 [2-year-old seedling + 1-year-old grafted seedling] or seedling stock must be at least two years old; alternating planting of seedling stock and grafted seedlings is permitted;Mixed forests:For the primary species, pecan, there must be no fewer than 10 grafted seedlings per mu with a spacing of 8×8 meters, or no fewer than 17 seedling-grown trees per mu with a spacing of 5×8 meters. Additionally, no fewer than 64 seedlings of other tree species with a breast height diameter of 2.5 cm or more must be interplanted, or no fewer than 100 seedlings or ball-rooted plants with a breast height diameter of less than 2.5 cm must be interplanted, distributed evenly;For afforestation projects that employ deep-pit land preparation and apply sufficient base fertilizer, the afforestation entity will receive a subsidy of 2,400 yuan per mu upon successful inspection, distributed over 5 years (according to the 84444 schedule, i.e., 800 yuan per mu in the first year, and 400 yuan per mu annually from the second to the fifth year).To encourage large-scale operations, for contiguous areas of 100–300 mu, a subsidy of 2,800 yuan per mu will be provided (distributed as 85555, i.e., 800 yuan per mu in the first year, and 500 yuan per mu annually from the second to the fifth year);For contiguous plots of 300 to 500 mu, a subsidy of 3,200 yuan per mu is provided (calculated as 86666, i.e., 800 yuan per mu in the first year, and 600 yuan per mu annually from the second to the fifth year);For contiguous areas of 500 mu or more, a subsidy of 3,600 yuan per mu is provided (under the 87777 scheme, i.e., 800 yuan per mu in the first year, and 700 yuan per mu annually from the second to the fifth year). To improve land utilization, intercropping of greenery seedlings, medicinal herbs, forage grasses, peanuts, legumes, and other crops under the trees is encouraged.
For new Eucommia plantations on non-arable land covering 30 mu or more (using 2-year-old high-quality seedlings, with a height of at least 1.5 meters, a stem diameter of at least 2 centimeters, and no fewer than 111 seedlings per mu), a subsidy of 2,000 yuan per mu will be provided upon successful inspection, distributed over four years (600 yuan per mu in the first year, 600 yuan per mu in the second year, 400 yuan per mu in the third year, and 400 yuan per mu in the fourth year).
Afforestation of barren hills with Chinese oak in contiguous areas of 50 mu or more (using high-quality one-year-old seedlings, with a height of at least 1 meter, a stem diameter at ground level of at least 0.5 cm, and no fewer than 300 seedlings per mu). Upon successful inspection, a subsidy of 1,600 yuan per mu will be provided, distributed over four years (400 yuan per mu annually).
New planting of native specialty tree species on non-arable land in contiguous areas of 50 mu or more (with a breast height diameter of 2.5 cm or a ground diameter of 3.5 cm or more, and no fewer than 111 trees per mu): Upon successful inspection, a subsidy of 2,000 yuan per mu will be provided, distributed over four years (600 yuan per mu in the first year, 600 yuan per mu in the second year, 400 yuan per mu in the third year, and 400 yuan per mu in the fourth year).
(3) Specialty Economic Forests: For new plantings of high-quality fruit tree varieties (peaches, plums, apricots, apples, pears, sweet cherries, chestnuts, camellia oleifera, etc.) on non-arable land covering a contiguous area of 30 mu or more, provided they meet the planting density and survival rate requirements specified in the *Anhui Province Technical Guidelines for Artificial Afforestation*, a subsidy of 1,600 yuan per mu will be provided, distributed over four years at 400 yuan per mu annually.Those who have already received subsidies under the modern agricultural industry development program are not eligible for this subsidy.
(4) Regeneration of Logging Sites and Renovation of Low-Yield Forests. For the regeneration and afforestation of thin-shelled pecan trees on approved logging sites, a subsidy of 60% of the standard subsidy for new thin-shelled pecan plantations will be provided upon successful inspection. For the planting of other tree species (excluding paper mulberry and poplar), a subsidy of 40% of the standard subsidy for new plantations of the corresponding species will be provided.
(5) Creation of Forest Towns and Forest Villages. A reward of 200,000 yuan will be granted for the creation of a provincial-level Forest Town that has been approved; a reward of 50,000 yuan will be granted for the creation of a provincial-level Forest Village that has been approved.
(6) The county government shall allocate 100,000 yuan annually for operational expenses.
Article 5: Project Application, Acceptance, and Disbursement of Funds
(1) Project Application. Each spring, townships shall compile and report statistics on new forestry industry development and conduct preliminary surveys. In the fall, they shall carry out self-inspections and acceptance checks for new forestry industries; those meeting the criteria for awards and subsidies shall be reported to the County Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning (Forestry Bureau).
(2) Project Acceptance. The County Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning shall formulate detailed acceptance guidelines. Each autumn, the County Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning (Forestry Bureau), the County Finance Bureau, and the County Government Supervision Office shall jointly organize the acceptance process.
(3) Disbursement of Funds. Upon successful project acceptance, the county finance department is responsible for reviewing and disbursing project funds, with incentive and subsidy funds disbursed in the following year. Upon expiration of the incentive and subsidy period, the County Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning shall lead relevant departments in conducting an evaluation. Projects that fail to achieve the expected results shall be ordered to rectify within a specified timeframe; if rectification is inadequate, the incentive and subsidy for that year shall be withheld.
Article 6 Management Measures
Strict management shall be implemented for afforestation to ensure the success of afforestation efforts.
(1) Afforestation projects eligible for incentive and subsidy policies must sign afforestation contracts that clearly define afforestation rights and management obligations.
(2) Strict approval procedures shall be followed, and limited logging shall be implemented. The principle of “replacing one area for every one occupied, and restoring before occupying” shall be applied to afforestation plots to ensure that the total forested area in the county does not decrease.
(3) Townships and natural resources (forestry) departments shall strengthen supervision of afforestation plots, promptly urge afforestation households to carry out replanting and tending, suspend funding for plots that fail to rectify issues, and cooperate with relevant departments to recover afforestation incentive funds in accordance with the requirements of the afforestation contract.
(4) For illegal acts such as fraud or malicious misappropriation of subsidy funds, once verified, the obtained funds shall be recovered; where criminal suspicion exists, the case shall be transferred to judicial authorities in accordance with the law to pursue criminal liability.
Article 7 The County Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning (Forestry Bureau) shall be responsible for interpreting these Measures.
Article 8 These Measures shall take effect on January 1, 2021, and shall remain in force for a period of five years. Upon the implementation of these Measures, the following documents issued by the Fengyang County People’s Government shall be superseded: the “Notice on Issuing the Interim Measures for Fiscal Funding Incentives for the Implementation of the ‘400,000-Mu Forest Expansion Project’ in Fengyang County in 2013” (Feng Zheng [2012] No. 142),the “Supplementary Notice of the Fengyang County People’s Government on Adjusting the <Interim Measures for Fiscal Incentives and Subsidies for the Implementation of the ‘400,000-Mu Forest Expansion Project’ in Fengyang County in 2013>” (Feng Zheng [2013] No. 63), and the “Notice of the Fengyang County People’s Government on Issuing the Implementation Plan for Afforestation and Greening in Fengyang County during the 13th Five-Year Plan Period” (Feng Zheng [2017] No. 4) shall be repealed(Unpaid incentive funds for afforestation projects completed in 2020 and earlier shall continue to be administered in accordance with the original documents).
