History of Taiwan’s Forests

Taiwan’s forests have long been intertwined with people’s lives, cultures, and economy, serving as a mirror of each era. Tracing the history of Taiwan’s forests reveals the path of those who lived with the forests through turbulent times.

Prehistoric Era – Late Qing Dynasty

Sustainable Forest Stewardship by Indigenous Peoples

Since prehistoric times, Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples have protected the island’s forests deeply tied with their cultures and spiritual beliefs. They regarded forests as sacred places and used their resources sustainably.

From the 17th century, settlers began clearing lowland forests for development. By the late Qing Dynasty (19th century), camphor had become one of Taiwan’s three major exports, alongside tea and sugar, driving extensive harvesting of natural camphor trees. Yet Indigenous peoples continued to protect the mountain forests from overlogging and development.

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Japanese Colonial Period – End of World War II (1895–1945)

Large-Scale Forest Development under the Japanese Colonial Government

After Japan took control of Taiwan in 1895, the colonial government seized Indigenous forestlands and expanded forest development.

The opening of the Alishan Forest Railway in 1912 accelerated logging of Taiwan red cypress (Chamaecyparis formosensis) and Taiwan cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana). Alishan timer was widely used to build and restore shrines and temples in Japan.

In 1899, the Camphor Monopoly System placed camphor production, harvesting and replanting under state control. These policies continued until the end of World War II.

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Postwar Period – 1980s

From Forest Exploitation to Environmental Conservation

After World War II, forests nationalized under Japanese rule passed to the Taiwanese government, while Indigenous forest-use rights remained restricted.

Heavy logging, mountain orchards, and dams from the 1950s to the 1980s caused forest loss and ecological damage. As landslide risks grew, Taiwan began shifting from forest exploitation to conservation.

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1990 – 2016

Environmental Conservation, the Decline of the Forestry Industry

As environmental awareness grew, Taiwan banned logging of trees over 100 years old in 1990 and all natural-forest logging in 1991.

After severe typhoon-triggered landslides in 1996, the government launched a five-year National Afforestation Campaign” targeting 50,060 hectares.

Stricter conservation policies reduced plantation use, weakening forestry, lowering timber self-sufficiency, and leaving plantations neglected. They also contributed to the decline of Indigenous culture and increased reliance on tropical timber imports.

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2017 – Present

Sustainable Forest Management through Government–Indigenous Collaboration

In 2017, Taiwan declared the “First Year of Domestic Timber” to raise timber self-sufficiency from a mere 0.5%. The government restored Indigenous peoples’ rights to use forest resources and promoted collaborative management for sustainable forestry and a circular economy.

To build public trust and address logging concerns, Taiwan pursued Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management certification. Its first FSC-certified was established in 2018. By December 2024, all government-managed forests had been certified, making Taiwan the first public forest administration in the Asia-Pacific region to reach this milestone.

Taiwan is now advancing initiatives to expand domestic timber use and sustainable forest management, aiming to raise timber self-sufficiency to 5% by 2027.