Using Landsat imagery to map forest change in southwest China in response to the national logging ban and ecotourism development

► We measured forest type and cover changes from 1975 to 2009 in Yunnan, China. ► Throughout the study area, logging declined following the national logging ban. ► However, old-growth forest logging accelerated, especially in ecotourism areas. ► Forest cover increased, but new forests are mostly non-pine scrub. ► These trends would be obscured by simple forest/non-forest satellite classifications.