In recent years, the Zijin County Forestry Bureau has taken the comprehensive implementation of the forest chief system as a key lever, continuously deepened the "forest chief plus" collaboration mechanism, steadily improved forest resource management and protection, and strictly cracked down on all types of illegal and criminal acts related to forests in accordance with the law, effectively safeguarding the county's forest ecological security.
To adhere to the approach of learning from cases, promoting reform through cases, and promoting governance through cases, further enhance the public's legal awareness of protecting forest resources in accordance with the law, and deter illegal acts involving forests, five typical cases are now being released.
Case 1: Ancestor worship paper burning triggers a mountain fire, a profound lesson
Case summary: In January 2025, a villager in Waxu Town, Zijin County, was worshipping ancestors and setting off firecrackers when sparks flew into nearby grass on the hillside, accidentally igniting a mountain fire.
Handling result: The villager's behavior violated Article 43 of the Guangdong Province Forest Fire Prevention Regulations, and the county forestry bureau imposed an administrative penalty of a 2,000 yuan fine in accordance with the law.
Legal provisions: Article 24 of the Guangdong Province Forest Fire Prevention Regulations states that the following behaviors are prohibited in forest fire prevention areas: (1) burning paper, burning incense, and lighting candles at graves; (2) setting off fireworks and firecrackers, sky lanterns, and the like; (3) carrying flammable and explosive materials; (4) smoking, picnicking, barbecuing, and warming oneself by fire; (5) burning wasps, smoking out snakes and rats, and burning mountains for hunting; (6) slash-and-burn farming, burning weeds, burning ash for fertilizer, burning wasteland for charcoal, or burning field ridges, sugarcane leaves, rice straw, orchard grass, and the like; (7) other fire-use behaviors likely to cause forest fires. Article 43 of the Guangdong Province Forest Fire Prevention Regulations states that those who violate Articles 24 and 25 of these regulations and do not cause a forest fire shall be ordered by the forestry competent department of the people's government at or above the county level to stop the illegal act and be given a warning, with a concurrent fine of 200 yuan to 2,000 yuan for individuals and 10,000 yuan to 30,000 yuan for units; if a forest fire is caused, a concurrent fine of 2,000 yuan to 3,000 yuan shall be imposed on individuals and 30,000 yuan to 50,000 yuan on units; if losses are caused, civil compensation liability shall be borne in accordance with the law; if a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.
Warning: Ancestor worship is tradition; fire prevention is responsibility. A string of firecrackers or a single spark may destroy a stretch of mountain forest. Civilized ways of remembrance such as offering flowers and cleaning tombstones are encouraged, without burning paper money or setting off firecrackers. Those who violate the Forest and Grassland Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Regulations, the Guangdong Province Forest Fire Prevention Regulations, and other laws and regulations shall be subject to administrative penalties in accordance with the law; if suspected of a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.
Case 2: Cutting one's own trees without a permit still leads to punishment
Case summary: In May 2026, a villager in Yirong Town, Zijin County, without approval from the forestry competent department of the people's government at or above the county level, arbitrarily cut trees.
Handling result: The villager violated Article 76, Paragraph 2 of the Forest Law of the People's Republic of China, and the county forestry bureau imposed an administrative penalty of a 13,634.4 yuan fine in accordance with the law.
Legal provisions: Article 56, Paragraph 1 of the Forest Law of the People's Republic of China states that anyone cutting trees on forest land shall apply for a felling permit and conduct felling in accordance with the provisions of the felling permit; cutting bamboo forests outside nature reserves does not require a felling permit, but shall comply with tree felling technical regulations. Article 76, Paragraph 2 of the Forest Law of the People's Republic of China states that anyone who indiscriminately fells trees shall be ordered by the forestry competent department of the people's government at or above the county level to replant trees in the original place or another place within a time limit at one to three times the number of trees indiscriminately felled, and may be fined three to five times the value of the indiscriminately felled trees.
Warning: Trees on one's own mountain still require a permit to cut. Cutting without a permit not only requires replanting trees but also leads to doubled fines; once the standing volume of the trees involved reaches the criminal filing standard, it will also violate criminal law and lead to imprisonment. If trees truly need to be cut, please consult the forestry competent department in advance and handle the felling permit procedures, and resolutely eliminate illegal felling.
Case 3: Stealing and cutting collective trees shows no mercy under the law
Case summary: In November 2023, Zeng XX personally or by hiring workers repeatedly went to a mountain ridge in Huangtang Town, Zijin County, to illegally fell miscellaneous trees owned by a village committee, and transported the stolen miscellaneous wood home for personal use or sold it to others.
Handling result: Zeng XX's behavior constituted the crime of illegal logging of trees, and he was sentenced to eight months in prison with a one-year suspension, and was also fined 2,000 yuan.
Legal provisions: Article 345, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China [crime of illegal logging of trees] states that anyone who illegally logs forests or other trees in a relatively large amount shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or control, and shall also or only be fined; if the amount is huge, the sentence shall be fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years, and a fine shall also be imposed; if the amount is especially huge, the sentence shall be fixed-term imprisonment of not less than seven years, and a fine shall also be imposed.
Warning: Forest tree resources, regardless of value, are protected by law. Collective trees are not "ownerless property," and individuals have no right to dispose of them. Logging for the purpose of illegal possession, as long as it reaches the quantity standard, shall bear criminal liability. Trees on the mountain are not "ownerless." Stealing and cutting collective trees shows no mercy under the law.
Case 4: Illegal bird catching may lead to imprisonment
Case summary: From March 2023 to December 2024, defendant He XX used self-made bird-catching tools such as recorders and glue in multiple townships in Zijin County to illegally hunt birds, keeping a small portion for personal consumption and giving some away, while slaughtering the rest and selling them to restaurants for profit. In December 2024, the Zijin County Public Security Bureau seized 276 suspected bird carcasses at a restaurant. Upon appraisal, the morphological characteristics of the above carcasses were consistent with species of the order Passeriformes in the class Aves, and all 30 randomly sampled individuals were sparrows. The above birds are all included in the List of Terrestrial Wild Animals with Important Ecological, Scientific, and Social Value.
Handling result: He XX's behavior constituted the crime of illegal hunting. Defendant He XX was convicted of illegal hunting and sentenced to one year in prison; he was ordered to compensate 82,800 yuan for national environmental resource losses and to publicly issue a statement of apology in media at or above the municipal level.
Legal provisions: Article 341, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China [crime of illegal hunting] states that anyone who violates hunting regulations, hunts in prohibited hunting areas, during prohibited hunting periods, or with prohibited tools or methods, destroys wildlife resources, and the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, control, or a fine.
Warning: Regardless of whether the hunted target is precious, illegal hunting of wild animals worth more than 10,000 yuan, or hunting in prohibited hunting areas or during prohibited hunting periods with prohibited tools or methods, constitutes the crime of illegal hunting. Although sparrows are small, they are also "three-have" animals protected by law. Eating wild game not only damages the ecology but also carries the risk of disease transmission. Abandon the bad habit of eating wild game; only by obeying the law can one avoid punishment.
Case 5: Digging mountains and expanding roads beyond scope constitutes a crime
Case summary: From December 2021 to November 2023, defendant Yan XX hired workers, excavators, transport vehicles, and others to dig mountains and take soil to expand roads and level sites in a village mountain ridge in Zicheng Town, Zijin County, exceeding the approved scope of forest land use and causing damage to forest vegetation.
Handling result: Yan XX's behavior constituted the crime of illegally occupying agricultural land, and he was sentenced to eight months in prison with a one-year suspension, and was also fined 10,000 yuan.
Legal provisions: Article 342 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China [crime of illegally occupying agricultural land] states that anyone who violates land management laws and regulations, illegally occupies cultivated land, forest land, and other agricultural land, changes the use of the occupied land, and the amount is relatively large, causing massive damage to cultivated land, forest land, and other agricultural land, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention, and shall also or only be fined.
Warning: Agricultural land such as forest land and cultivated land is strictly controlled by law, and construction, factory building, and road building all require approval procedures in advance. "Approved less but occupying more" and "occupying before approval" are both illegal occupations of agricultural land. If the amount is relatively large and causes massive damage to cultivated land, forest land, and other agricultural land, a crime is constituted. Before construction, the forest land attributes of the plot should be verified in advance. If forest land truly needs to be occupied, an application must first be submitted to the forestry competent department for approval procedures for occupying forest land. All units and individuals must strictly observe the red line of forest land protection.
Next, the Zijin County Forestry Bureau will always maintain a high-pressure stance on forest-related law enforcement, improve the normalized inspection and supervision mechanism, increase inspection frequency, consolidate supervision responsibilities, strengthen the deterrent effect of law enforcement, severely crack down on all types of illegal acts involving forests, and resolutely ensure that every case discovered is investigated, every case handled, and every case serves as a warning, effectively consolidating the achievements of green and beautiful Zijin ecological construction and building a solid ecological security barrier for the county's high-quality development.