Forestation and Hydrology: Lessons Learned from China

China’s unprecedented forest-based ecological engineering programs over the past several decades present a unique opportunity to understand forest-water interactions at a large scale. This review synthesizes advances of forest hydrological studies in China in the context of dramatic forest cover recovery, hydrologic change, and a shift in land management policy. We review current monitoring networks and research tools and key ecohydrological processes influenced by massive national forestation, including increases in evapotranspiration and carbon sequestration, decline in total water yield, significant reductions in soil erosion, and trade-offs among ecosystem services. We discuss lessons learned and identify critical research gaps in understanding hydrologic responses to shifts of land management policy from international perspectives. We conclude that while enormous progress has been made in understanding forest-water relations in China, long-term watershed-scale studies are needed to fully characterize the diverse forest hydrologic processes across China’s vast landmass. Continuously monitoring and assessing hydrologic recovery processes and consequences is critical to sustaining ecological restoration programs under a changing environment.