Taitung Branch

Branch Office Overview

The Taitung Branch manages all state-owned forest compartments in Taitung County and a small portion in Pingtung County. The area is divided into five working circles including Guanshan, Yanping, Taitung, Dawu, and Chenggong, comprising 253 compartments with a total area of approximately 226,394 hectares, accounting for about 64.4% of Taitung County’s total area. Since June 30, 2003, the Branch has assumed responsibility for all protected forests in Taitung County previously managed by the county government. In addition, beginning in 2006, it took over forestry lands formerly managed by the National Property Administration, bringing the total managed area, including protection forests outside working circles, to approximately 237,795 hectares.

Climate

The jurisdiction includes high mountain ranges with significant vertical temperature variation, spanning plains to alpine areas and encompassing tropical, subtropical, temperate, and alpine zones. Temperature and rainfall vary between mountain and plain regions. Based on data from Taitung City over the past decade, the average minimum temperature was 19.3°C, with annual rainfall ranging from 2,500 to 4,500 millimeters. Rainfall occurred on an average of 174 days per year, most frequently in May, September, and October. Winters are generally dry throughout the region.

Geology and Soils

The jurisdiction is divided by the East Longitudinal Valley, with the Chihshang Fault extending in a north-northeast to south-southwest direction. This valley marks a distinct geological boundary. The eastern flank of the Central Mountain Range, located west of the fault, consists mainly of metamorphic rocks, while the Coastal Mountain Range to the east is composed of Miocene sedimentary rocks along with Pliocene to Pleistocene andesite and agglomerate. The geological characteristics of the two ranges are markedly different. Notably, Compartments 5 to 10 of the Chenggong Working Circle at the southern end of the Coastal Mountain Range have unique geology formed from volcanic pyroclastic deposits. Over time, these deposits weathered into unconsolidated soils with very low permeability. Consequently, landslides frequently occur during earthquakes or extreme weather events.

Forest Distribution

Forest cover within the jurisdiction ranges in elevation from 50 meters to 3,660 meters, creating vertical forest zones that include tropical, subtropical, temperate, and alpine forests:

• Between 50 and 700 meters, tropical forests are dominated by camphor, Castanopsis, acacia, oak, alder, and Nanmu species.
• From 700 to 1,800 meters, subtropical forests feature Castanopsis species, oaks, Nanmu, Formosan Ash, and Formosan Michelia.
• Between 1,800 and 2,600 meters, temperate forests are characterized by Taiwan red cypress, cypress, Taiwan cypress, pine species, hemlock, spruce, Yushan Cane, and Japanese Anisetree.
• From 2,600 to 3,000 meters, pure stands of fir or hemlock prevail. If these pure stands are disturbed by events such as wildfires, they are first replaced by fast-growing pioneer species like Fargesia, which eventually give way to Taiwan red pine before mature fir or hemlock forests regenerate through succession.
• From 3,000 meters to the forest line, the subalpine conifer belt is primarily composed of fir and Chinese juniper.

Regional Work Station