Abstract: [Objective] To explore the main socio-economic drivers of forest transition and provide reference for promoting the coordinated development of regional socio-economy and forest ecology.[Method] Based on the remote sensing images and socio-economic statistics of 32 sample counties in Fujian Province from 2000 to 2016, this paper studies the impact of socio-economic and institutional factors on forest transition under different resource endowments by quantile regression method.[Result] 1) Farmer per capita income has a significantly positive effect on the growth of forest area, and in counties with moderate forest resources endowment, per capita income has a greater effect on forest transition, while in counties with rich or relatively low forest resources endowment, per capita income has a smaller effect. 2) Grain yield per capita has a significantly positive impact on forest area, and in counties with relatively low forest resources endowment, grain yield per capita has a greater effect on forest transition. 3) The collective forest tenure reform has a negative effect on forest transition.[Conclusion] Increase of farmers income and grain yield per capita is an important factor to promote forest transition in Fujian Province, which shows that raising the per capita income level in rural areas and promoting intensive use of agricultural land contribute to the restoration and growth of forest area. The reform of collective forest tenure system has a negative effect on forest transformation, which indicates that the collective forest tenure reform should be further improved to form a long-term incentive for forest farmers to invest in forestry.

Key words: farmer income, collective forest tenure reform, forest area, Fujian