Driving forces of the efficiency of forest carbon sequestration production: Spatial panel data from the national forest inventory in China

In response to climate change, carbon emission reduction has become an important goal worldwide. Forests are the largest carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems with a high carbon density and a fast carbon accumulation rate, and play a key role in the global carbon cycle. In this paper, the dynamic change and influence factors of forest carbon sequestration efficiency was analysis using the Data Envelopment Analysis Malmquist method in province level of China. The results showed that Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Tibet, Sichuan, and Inner Mongolia had the highest carbon sequestration, while northern China, eastern China, and southwestern China had the highest carbon sequestration efficiency. Furthermore, the factors of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, urbanization, and the length of the highway network had significant positive impacts on the carbon sequestration efficiencies, while the total imports and exports had a significant negative impact. Ecological afforestation, temperature, GDP per capita, urbanization, population, and total imports and exports had spillover effects. It is recommended that the northeastern, central-southern, and southwestern regions with high carbon sequestration efficiencies should be used as the main areas to enhance carbon sinks in the future, and the areas with low efficiencies should respect the laws of nature more. Provinces should take into account the characteristics of the science and technology needs of forest areas and should provide forestry technology extension services. The results of this study are of great significance to improving the efficiency of financial investments, forest quality, and carbon sinks. •Forest transition has shifted from increased forest land cover to increased forest ecosystem services;•Factors affecting the level of forest carbon sequestration productive efficiency are Natural conditions--bio-physical; urbanization rate; economic and demographic conditions; degree of openness•Northeast, Central South, and Southwest of China with high carbon sequestration efficiency can be used as the main areas;•This result would be conducive to carry out the ecological construction of suitable forests.