The forests of Northeast Asia cover a large area and face a multitude of social and environmental challenges. Widespread deforestation and forest degradation have resulted in the mass alteration of forests. Overgrazing and desertification in Mongolia, an absence of efficient methods to prevent and extinguish forest fires in Russia, widespread wind erosion and desertification in China, forests ownership issues in Japan, overexploitation of forests for economic gain and urbanization in DPR Korea, and industrialization in the Republic of Korea are some of the past and present issues plaguing the region. Among these, one of the most prominent areas of concern is desertification. The desiccation of land - whether from overgrazing, conversion, deforestation, or other - results in 'yellow dust storms' whose effects can be felt throughout Northeast Asia. To some degree, the governments of these nations have made strides to offset the negative impacts of deforestation by implementing reforestation and rehabilitation initiatives. Some of the environmental initiatives include pest mitigation; erosion control through ten-acing, drainage canals, sodding, and afforestation; fire suppression and burned area management; shelterbelt construction; reforestation of clearcuts and glades; and changes in forest harvesting patterns and mechanisms, among others. The introduction of social initiatives include the implementation of logging quotas; forest tax and fee systems; the reevaluation of forest ownership and tenure systems; and the creation of educational and training programs for the sustainable management of forests. The most significant recent change in forest management has been the shift from "industrial" forest management to "ecosystem" forest management. Simply by examining the State of Northeast Asia's forests it is easy to see that a great deal more effort and investment is required to rehabilitate the region's forests. The continuance of the "Keep Asia Green" book series indicates a concerted effort to work towards the rehabilitation of the region's devastated forests. It aims to understand national capacities in terms of forest rehabilitation and existing education programs, and to analyze the need for further strengthening of forest landscape restoration efforts in each country, as well as each region, in Asia. This project was made possible through the initiative of the ASEAN-Korea Environmental Cooperation Project (AKECOP) in cooperation with the International Union of Forest Research Organizations' Special Programme for developing Countries (lUFRO-SPDC). I am inspired by the effort and commitment shown to this project and am honored to be a part of what will be a great contribution to the Northeast Asia region. The second volume of the book focuses on the six countries encompassed in the Northeast Asia region; namely the People's Republic of China, Japan, DPR Korea, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, and the Russian Federation. It compiles information on the historical perspectives of land use change, the present State of forest degradation, and addresses forest rehabilitation needs, including major lessons learned from the countries' case studies. Additionally, recommendations are made for future actions to further enhance the approaches to forest rehabilitation, so that investments in trees and forests can achieve an even greater impact, thus providing enhanced environmental services and economic benefits for the well-being of present and future generations. This book is the first of its kind in Northeast Asia. It is an important contributor to the objectives of forest restoration and essential reading material for practitioners and decision-makers involved in forest restoration.
