Characteristics of Spatial–Temporal Differences and Measurement of the Level of Forestry Industry Integration in China
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The authors have prepared the manuscripts very well. There is no significant typo has been found. The method or the approach used can be implemented in another country. However, adding more data sources, not only from the China Forestry Statistical Yearbook 2005-2019, will significantly improve the merit. Please review the paper structure.
Please check the detailed reviews in the manuscripts.
Good, only need to pay attention to the tense, especially at the Methodology Chapter
Author Response
1、Minor editing of English language required.
This paper has made minor editing of English language, as detailed in the modifications in manuscript revision mode.
2、only need to pay attention to the tense, especially at the Methodology Chapter.
This paper has revised the writing tense, especially at the Methodology Chapter, as detailed in the modifications in manuscript revision mode.
Reviewer 2 Report
Spatial-temporal Difference Characteristics and Measurement of Forestry Industry Integration Level in China
The paper assesses the integration of forestry industry by using the Herfindahl index method. It is a very interesting topic. The authors focused on different types of forestry integrated products
However, several issues need to be addressed before the paper can be considered for publication:
· the formal editing of some tables (e.g. table 3 on p.7) is inappropriate, it is necessary to align the values and use thousands separators, it will be more clear and user-friendly
· consider renaming some chapters to “Results” and “Discussion” in terms of the requirements for formal editing of the papers
· in chapter 4 the main problems of the forestry sector are named, it would be appropriate, e.g. in chapter 5, add a proposal for measures to improve the situation at the national level in the field of forestry and its integration
Author Response
1、the formal editing of some tables (e.g. table 3 on p.7) is inappropriate, it is necessary to align the values and use thousands separators, it will be more clear and user-friendly.
This paper has aligned the values and used thousands of separators in Table 3. Please refer to p.8 for details.
2、consider renaming some chapters to “Results” and “Discussion” in terms of the requirements for formal editing of the papers.
This paper has changed the chapter names of Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 to “3. Results of forestry industry integration development” “4. Analysis and discussion on the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of forestry industry integration level”.
3、in chapter 4 the main problems of the forestry sector are named, it would be appropriate, e.g. in chapter 5, add a proposal for measures to improve the situation at the national level in the field of forestry and its integration.
This paper has added a proposal for measures to improve the situation at the national level in the field of forestry and its integration in Chapter 6, as detailed in section 6.2 (4) p.19 lines 7-19.
“At the national level, improving the macroeconomic regulation capacity of the government and the relevant public service system is essential for promoting forestry industry integration. A strong policy system and public services can improve the operational efficiency of the forestry industry, reduce hidden costs, and maximize economic benefits. Firstly, a policy system should be established to promote forestry industry integration development. This can include support from technology project approval, financial support, and financing policies to ensure successful policy implementation. Secondly, regulations on forestry industry integration development should be introduced to solve problems related to resource depletion, food safety, and ecological health. This can be achieved by strictly controlling the quality standards of integrated forestry products, standardizing flow channels, and reducing negative externalities through product certification, inspection, and supervision, thus safeguarding human health and the development of ecological civilization.”
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
General comments: Language should be improved (e.g. it seems, authors do not know another term instead “show”….)
In-text citation does not meet requirements of MDPI journals (please consider, in the text, reference numbers should be placed in square brackets [ ], and placed before the punctuation; for example [1], [1–3] or [1,3]. The order of in-text citations is wrong. (Please see source: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/standards/instructions, and revise MS correspondingly) ….
If it is Review paper, MS arrangement could by approximately OK, but if it is the article, sorry, authors must re-arrange paper by journal requirements. Reference list is not meet MDPI requirements…. Please see comments in the text
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Language must be improved
(e.g. it seems, authors do not know another term instead “show”….). See sentence structure...
Author Response
1、General comments: Language should be improved (e.g. it seems, authors do not know another term instead “show”….)
This paper has made improvements to the writing language, as detailed in the modifications in manuscript revision mode.
2、In-text citation does not meet requirements of MDPI journals (please consider, in the text, reference numbers should be placed in square brackets [ ], and placed before the punctuation; for example [1], [1–3] or [1,3]. The order of in-text citations is wrong. (Please see source: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/standards/instructions, and revise MS correspondingly) ….
If it is Review paper, MS arrangement could by approximately OK, but if it is the article, sorry, authors must re-arrange paper by journal requirements. Reference list is not meet MDPI requirements…. Please see comments in the text
This paper has made modifications to the citation format of the literature in accordance with the requirements of MDPI journals, as detailed in the modifications in manuscript revision mode.
3、“Most existing studies focus on the whole country or a single province, and rarely involve 31 provinces in China.” Lack of citations!
The literature citations in this section have been supplemented, as detailed in p.3 lines 15-16.
4、“1. Measurement of forestry industry integration” is this chapter “Material and Methods”—not clear as Introduction is numbered like the first chapter of the MS while this sector is numbered also 1. So, it is some mixture……
The main content of this chapter “1. Measurement of forestry industry integration” is “materials and methods”. This paper has changed the chapter name to “2. Materials and methodology”, as detailed in section 2.
5、“2. Current situation of forestry industry integration development” is it continuation of Introduction, or, perhaps, Results?
The main content of this chapter “2. Current situation of forestry industry integration development” is “results”. This paper has changed the chapter name to “3. Results of forestry industry integration development”, as detailed in section 3.
6、“forest animal breeding” what is it? Livestock in the forest or, perhaps, deer farming?
“forest animal breeding” is relying on forest land resources with science and technology as a productive force; using idle land under the forest to integrate aquaculture and animal husbandry within the industry through the biological chain; cultivating and utilizing under-forest areas for the benefit of forestry and animal husbandry. For example, “forest animal breeding” includes understory aquaculture and the added value generated by aquaculture products.
7、“from 2005 to 2019, the proportion of output value of understory planting and collecting industry, forest animal breeding and utilization industry, wood processing and manufacturing industry, forest ecotourism and forestry production technology management industry in the eastern region changed from 36.341%, 0.490%, 60.870%, 0.166% and 2.133% to 17.660%, 0.257%, 64.065%, 16.784% and 1.235% respectively.”too many numerals(for percentage) strange set “from…to” how to understand such this change in numerals like “from 36.34% to 0.49…”
This part of the data is abundant, mainly because it explains the changing trend of the proportion of the output value of the five major integrated forestry products in the eastern, central, western, and northeastern regions. “36.341%, 0.490%, 60.870%, 0.166%” are the proportion of the output value of the five major integrated forestry products in 2005, rather than changing from 36.341% to 0.490%.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 4 Report
The analysis measures the level of forestry industry integration in 31 provinces in China from 2005 to 2019 by using the Herfindahl index method, and with the help of ArcGIS and exploratory spatial data analysis method, the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics, dynamic change trends, spatial correlation characteristics and existing problems of China’s forestry industry integration development were analyzed. Results showed that, first, the total output value of forestry integrated products and the output value of each product segment showed a growth trend, but the proportion of product development was out of balance, and it was concentrated in the understory planting and collection industry and wood processing and manufacturing industry, with great room for improvement and integration. The Herfindhal index is interesting for the analysis of industrial integration, but the literature should consider also other important dimensions such as technological one. In this case, the process of technological diffusion could have a relevant impact on the industrial integration. The methodology, the spatial analysis, should be described more in detail and the relative results should be discussed in terms of policy implications. The conclusions should be improved with the weaknesses of the analysis and the insights for future research.
The text should be proofread because some sentences are not clear.
Author Response
The analysis measures the level of forestry industry integration in 31 provinces in China from 2005 to 2019 by using the Herfindahl index method, and with the help of ArcGIS and exploratory spatial data analysis method, the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics, dynamic change trends, spatial correlation characteristics and existing problems of China’s forestry industry integration development were analyzed. Results showed that, first, the total output value of forestry integrated products and the output value of each product segment showed a growth trend, but the proportion of product development was out of balance, and it was concentrated in the understory planting and collection industry and wood processing and manufacturing industry, with great room for improvement and integration. The Herfindahl index is interesting for the analysis of industrial integration, but the literature should consider also other important dimensions such as technological one. In this case, the process of technological diffusion could have a relevant impact on the industrial integration. The methodology, the spatial analysis, should be described more in detail and the relative results should be discussed in terms of policy implications. The conclusions should be improved with the weaknesses of the analysis and the insights for future research.
(1) Although technological diffusion does have an impact on industry integration, the primary manifestation of forestry industry integration is resource-sharing rather than technology integration. However, many regions do not classify patents according to industrial patent statistics, which makes it difficult to apply the patent coefficient method with sufficient precision.
(2) To analyze the spatial correlation of the level of forestry industry integration, the exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) is used to assess the global Moran’s I index and the local Moran’s I index. The global Moran’s I index reflects the relevance of research objects or phenomena in the entire research field, while the local Moran’s I index reveals the relationship between a given region and its surrounding regions. The value range of both indices is [-1,1]. A global Moran’s I index value closer to 1 or -1 indicates stronger spatial correlation in the sample space, while a value closer to 0 suggests a lower spatial autocorrelation of the sample enterprises. A positive value indicates a positive correlation between the level of forestry industry integration development in the sample space, while a negative value indicates negative correlation; a zero value indicates a random distribution.
The local Moran’s I index measures the spatial homogeneity or heterogeneity of the sample area, with a higher value indicating stronger spatial homo- or heterogeneity between the level of forestry industry integration in a given region and its neighboring regions. Conversely, a value closer to 0 indicates that there is no significant spatial correlation between the level of forestry industry integration of the sample region and that of the neighboring regions. The local Moran’s I index can be used to classify spatial autocorrelation into four types: HH (high and high concentration), HL (high and low concentration), LH (low and high concentration), and LL (low and low concentration). [Spatial analysis method]
The spatial correlation analysis revealed that the integration of China's forestry industry was significantly influenced by spatial factors at both overall and local levels. Global autocorrelation analysis showed a positive spatial correlation in the integration of China’s forestry industry, but the strength of the correlation varied across different regions. Local autocorrelation analysis revealed that provinces in Northeast and Central China had high levels of forestry industry integration, as indicated by the presence of HH clusters. In contrast, provinces such as Shanghai, Gansu, and Qinghai had low levels of integration manifesting as LL clusters. To enhance the level of integrated development of the forestry industry, it is necessary to establish effective mechanisms for cross-border cooperation and benefit-sharing. [Relevant results of spatial analysis]
(3) This paper adopted the output value of forestry industry integration to measure the level of forestry industry integration, but the classification and calculation of forestry industry output values are still relatively rough. In this study, only the category names in China Forestry and Grassland Statistical Yearbook and China Forest Resources Report (2005-2019) were used. Due to a lack of data, no further refinement was made. In the future, with increasingly complete data and continuous improvements in measurement methodologies, we will further explore more reasonable and effective methods to improve upon our present work. This may include segmenting the integrated forestry industry for more precise research, conducting a comprehensive analysis considering the relevant impact of technology diffusion on industry integration via Herfindahl index, and researching in key areas where conditions permit to support theoretical analysis and practical development, which may improve the accuracy of our conclusions.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
