Abstract: Based on the sum-up of 30-year achievements and experiences in the construction of the Three-North Shelter Forest Program (TNSFP) and aiming at the current development trend in related fields at home and abroad, a comprehensive analys is was made on the opportunities and challenges of the TNSFP. The opportunities included the responses to the climate change, income-boosting of local rural residents, and expansion of domestic demands; while the challenges included the afforestation on hard sites, the motive force for developing the TNSFP, the enhancement of investment level, and the promotion of reform and innovation. In the future, the TNSFP should aim to the establishment of self-contained regional shelter system, with the prevention of sand erosion and the conservation of water and soil resources as the main tasks, and with serving new countryside construction, developing special industries, and promoting forest tenure reform as the key development strategies.

Key words: Alpine tundra, Biomass, Changbai Mountains