第一条 为了保护、培育和合理利用森林资源，加快国土绿化，发挥森林蓄水保土、调节气候、改善环境和提供林产品的作用，适应社会主义建设和人民生活的需要，特制定本法。
Article 1 With a view to protecting, nurturing and rationally utilizing the forest resources, speeding up the greening of the country's territory, bringing into play the roles of the forest in terms of storing water, saving soil, adjusting the climate, improving the environment and supplying forest products, and meeting the needs of the socialist construction and the people's life, this law is hereby formulated.
第二条 在中华人民共和国领域内从事森林、林木的培育种植、采伐利用和森林、林木、林地的经营管理活动，都必须遵守本法。
Article 2 This law shall be abided by in the conduct of forest and forest tree cultivating, planting, logging and utilizing and in the operation and management of forests, trees and woodlands.
第三条 森林资源属于国家所有，由法律规定属于集体所有的除外。
Article 3 The forest resources shall belong to the state, unless the law stipulates they belong to the collective.
国家所有的集体所有的森林、林木和林地，个人所有的林木和使用的林地，由县级以上地方人民政府登记造册，发放证书，确认所有权或者使用权。
For the forests, trees and woodlands owned by the state and the collective and the trees and woodlands owned by private individuals, the people's government above the county level shall register and record them, issue certificates and confirm the ownership and the right to use.
国务院可以授权国务院林业主管部门，对国务院确定的国家所有的重点林区的森林、林木和林地登记造册，发放证书，并通知有关地方人民政府。
The State Council may authorize the competent forestry authorities under the State Council to register and record the forests, trees and woodlands in key forest districts determined by the State Council to be owned by the state, issue certificates and inform relevant local people's governments.
森林、林木、林地的所有者和使用的合法权益，受法律保护，任何单位和个人不得侵犯。
The legitimate rights and interests of the owners and the users of the forests, trees and woodlands shall be protected by the law; no organization and private individual shall such rights and interests.
第四条 森林分为以下五类：
Article 4 The forests are divided into the following five categories:
（三） 经济林：以生产果品，食用油料、饮料、调料，工业原料和药材等为主要目的的林木；
(3) Economic forests: trees mainly aimed at the production of fruits; edible oils, soft drinks and ingredients; industrial raw materials; and medicinal materials;
（四） 薪炭林：以生产燃料为主要目的的林木；
4) Firewood forests: trees mainly aimed at the production of fuels;
（五） 特种用途林：以国防、环境保护、科学实验等为主要目的的森林和林木，包括国防林、实验林、母树林、环境保护林、风景林，名胜古迹和革命纪念地的林木，自然保护区的森林。
5) Forests for special uses: forests and trees mainly aimed at national defense, environmental protection and scientific experiments, inclusive of national defense forests, experimental forests, parent stands, environmental protection forests, scenic beauty forests, trees for sites of historical interests and the forests of natural protection areas.
第五条 林来建设实行以营林为基础，普遍护林，大力造林，采育结合，永续利用的方针。
Article 5 Construction of forestry shall be guided by the approach of forest ranging as the basis, universal forest protection, great forestation efforts, combination of cutting and planting, and sustainable utilization.
第六条 国家鼓励林业科学研究，推广林业先进技术，提高林业科学技术水平。
Article 6 The State encourages research of the forestry science, popularizes advanced forestry technology and raises the level of forestry science and technology.
第七条 国家保护林农的合法权益，依法减轻林农的负担，禁止向林农违法收费同、罚款，禁止向林农进行摊满腔派和强制集资。
Article 7 The State protects the legitimate rights and interests of forest growers, alleviates their burdens according to the law, forbids law-breaking imposition of levies and fines on them, and forbids the imposition of contributions and mandatory fund-raising on them.
国家保护承包造林的集体和个人的合法权益，任何单位和个人不得侵犯承包造林的集体和个人依法享有的林木所有权和其他合法权益。
The State protects the legitimate rights and interests of the collectives and private individuals who have contracted for forestation; no organization and private individual shall encroach upon the ownership of trees and other legitimate rights and interests entitled according to the law to the collectives and private individuals who have contracted for forestation.
第八条 国家对森林资源实行以下保护性措施：
Article 8 The State adopts the following protective measures on the forest resources:
（一） 对森林实行限额采伐，鼓励植树造林、封山育林，扩大森林覆盖面积；
1) To impose a quota on forest cutting and encourage forest planting in order to expand the area of forest coverage;
（二） 根据国家和地方人民政府有关规定，对集体和个人造林、育林给予经济扶持或者长期贷款；
2) To offer economic support or long-term loans to the collectives and private individuals who plant and cultivate forests according to relevant stipulations of the central and local people's governments;
（三） 提倡木材综合利用和节约使用木材，鼓励开发、利用木材代用品；
3) To advocate comprehensive utilization and saving on the use of timber and encourage the development and utilization of timber substitutes;
（五） 煤炭、造纸等部门，按照煤炭和木浆纸张等产品的产量提取一定数额的资金，专门用于营造坑木、造纸等用材林；
5) To make sure that coal and paper sectors shall apportion out of their output of coal, pulp and paper a certain amount of funds which shall be used exclusively for the nurturing of mine timber and timber for paper making; and
（六） 建立林业基金制度。
6) To establish the forestry fund system.
国家设立森林生态效益补偿基金，用于提供生态效益的防护林和特种用途林的森林资源、林木的营造、抚育、保护和管理。
The State shall establish the forestry ecological efficiency compensation fund, which shall be used for the building, cultivation and management of protection forests with ecological efficiency and the forest resources and trees with special uses.
森林生态效益补偿基金必须专款专用，不得挪作他用。
The forestry ecological efficiency compensation fund shall be used exclusively for its designated purpose and shall not be used for any other purpose.
The specific methods shall be formulated by the State Council.
具体办法由国务院规定。
The forestry ecological efficiency compensation fund shall be used exclusively for its designated purpose and shall not be used for any other purpose.
The specific methods shall be formulated by the State Council.
第九条 国家和省、自治区人民政府，对民族自治地方的林业生产建设，依照国家对民族自治地方自治权的规定，在森林开发、木材分配和林业基金使用方面，给予比一般地区更多的自主权和经济利益。
Article 9 In terms of the forestry production and construction in ethnic minority autonomous areas, in line with the stipulations of the state in regard to the autonomous right of ethnic minority autonomous areas, the State and the people's government at the provincial or autonomous region level will offer more autonomy and economic benefits than ordinary areas in connection with forestry development, timber distribution and forestry fund utilization.