To study the characteristics of resource flow and its dynamics in socio-economic syst-em is of great help for us both to compare the changes of demands of natural resources in different development periods and to understand the relationship between resource flow and environment.Based on statistical data of forest resource and its products including the data of their imports and exports,this paper analyzed,using the method of MFA(material flow analysis) and the uniform physical unit-timber volume equivalent(cubic meter),the flowing characteristics of the forest resource and its products in China's economic system during 1981～2000.The results showed that the annual consumption amount of forest resources in the Sixth,in the Seventh,in the Eighth and in the Ninth Five-Year Plan period is 10 230×104m₃,11 678×104m₃,13 444×104m₃, and 16 962×104m₃ respectively.The accelerated increasing trend of resource flow is obvious,as well as that of imports.During 1981～1985,about 19.1% of total consumed resources are imported from various countries and regions,and the percentage has risen to 49.3 in the Ninth Five-Year Plan period.The main import commodities include log,paper pulp,paper and veneer.These comm-odities come mainly from North America (USA and Canada),Russia,Southeast Asia (Malaysia,Indonesia,Philippines and Myanmar) and East Asia (Japan,South Korea,Hong Kong and Taiwan).In 1981～1985,the forest resources mainly flowed to the industries of manufactured log, saw-wood and so on.With the improvement of resource flow,more and more resources flowed to the industries of manufactured paper pulp,veneer and so on.Otherwise,the paper pulp and the forest consumption by manufacturing paper had been mainly depended upon import of forest resources.Therefore,the authors suggest that China has to increase the utilization efficiency of forest resources and the input to paper production for higher economic benefit for the purpose of cont-rolling the exhaustion of forest resource and making it sustainable.