中國國家林業局19日在一場討研會中表示，50年來最嚴厲的冬天造成中國林業部門573億人民幣的損失，中國的森林所受的影響可能會持續3-5年。
根據新華社報導，國家林業局的副局長祝列克表示：「這次雪災重創中國10％的林地，也使得原本對2020年國家森林覆蓋率20%的努力倒退。」
不尋常的冬季暴風雪從一月中旬起便嚴重的打擊中國南方，造成至少80人死亡。除了19個省份的森林遭受損害外，民政部預估有1億名的民眾受到天氣的影響，天氣造成大規模的交通阻塞、建築結構崩塌、斷電、斷水和農作物損失。
祝列克告訴記者：「這次的天氣毀損1781個國有林場、1,200個養殖場、有高達3萬個野生動物死亡或受傷。」由林業局發行的中國綠色時報指出，位於湖南省的洞庭湖因此結冰，而寒涼的天氣加上缺乏食物，使得進16萬隻的候鳥陷入危機。
另一個林業局官員肖興威表示：「未來5年，受災省份的木材產量都可能受到影響。有些木材工廠可能因為原物料短缺而關閉。」
肖興威進一步表示：「天氣的衝擊不致於影響生物多樣性，但區域性的損失無法避免。受創最嚴重的地方可能會面臨生物多樣性下降、逕流量增加、山崩、森林大火以及蟲害。」他呼籲建立一套林業保險系統。
官員們警告森林大火風險將升高，他們表示：「傾倒的樹木以及詭譎冬季風暴隨之而來的乾燥天氣，可能形成災難性大火的條件。」祝列克舉例，雪災過後的江西省經歷17場森林大火。
中國氣象專家表示，反聖嬰現象使太平洋赤道附近的海平面溫度下降，這樣的氣候模式使得暴風雪更加惡化。
遭受風雪及酷寒天氣打擊的19個省份包括：湖南、湖北、安徽、廣西、江西、貴州、河南、四川、重慶、青海、陝西、甘肅、新疆、浙江、江蘇、福建、廣東和海南省。
The worst winter in 50 years has cost China's forestry sector 57.3 billion yuan (about US$8 billion) and could affect China's forests for the next three to five years, the State Forestry Administration said in a news conference here today.
SFA Deputy Director Zhu Lieke said the heavy snows have damaged 10 percent of China's total forested lands and set back efforts to meet a national 20 percent forest cover target by 2020, according to the official state news agency, Xinhua.
Unusually heavy winter storms have buffeted southern China since mid-January, claiming the lives of at least 80 people. The Ministry of Civil Affairs estimates that 100 million residents have been affected by the weather which has caused widespread traffic jams, structural collapse, blackouts, tap water failures, and crop loss in addition to damaging forests in 19 provincial regions.
The weather has damaged 1,781 state-owned forest farms and 1,200 nurseries and killed or injured up to 30,000 protected wild animals, Zhu told reporters.
On Hunan Province's frozen Dongting Lake, the cold weather and a lack of food put the lives of 160,000 migratory birds at risk, according to the China Green Times, which is published by the State Forestry Administration.
Timber output in the snow-stricken provinces could be affected for up to five years, said Xiao Xingwei, another State Forestry Administration official. "Some timber manufacturers may have to close because of a raw material shortage," he said.
Xiao said the impact of the weather wouldn't affect biodiversity in general but regional losses are unavoidable. The hardest-hit areas would probably experience a decrease in biodiversity and an increase in water runoff and landslides, as well as forest fires and pests, Xiao said.
He called for the establishment of a forestry insurance system.
The officials warned against increasing forest fire risks, saying that toppled trees and dry weather after the unseasonable winter storms might create the conditions for devastating fires. Zhu cited the example of hard-hit Jiangxi Province, which has experienced 17 forest fires since the storms.
China's weather experts say a La Nina sea surface cooling weather pattern in the equatorial Pacific Ocean aggravated the stormy weather.
The 19 provincial-level areas plagued by snow and cold weather are Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan.
作者
In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
