The role of forestland size on rural household’s forest management efficiency

In the context of the global challenge of sustainable resource management and rapid urbanization in China, the scarcity of forestland resources presents a critical barrier to improving forestland management efficiency (FME) for rural households. The present study aims to explore the constraints of the small-size agricultural sector by assessing the relationship between forestland management size (FMS) and efficiency. The survey data is applied from the 505 rural households in Jiangxi Province, China from 2017 to 2018. This research employs a nonlinear relationship model and threshold effect analysis to assess how FMS influences FME. Furthermore, the moderating effect analysis conducted to assess the role of socialized forestry services in shaping this relationship. The key findings revealed that there exists positive and favorable correlation between FMS and FME, indicating that larger FMS tend to improve the efficiency of rural households. Socialized forestry services are enhance FME by progressively upregulating the marginal effects, indicating their critical role in optimizing resource allocation and promoting efficient forestland management. The threshold effect observed the impact of FMS on FME underscores the nonlinear nature of this relationship. It suggested that optimal efficiency can achieved at specific FMS thresholds. This study provides valuable insights into the dynamics of forestland management in China, and highlighting the requirement for policies and interventions that promote appropriate scaling of forestland management while leveraging socialized forestry services to enhance efficiency and sustainability for socioeconomic development in years to come.