Desertification/land degradation progressing in China is an environmental issue that requires strong measures because it mercilessly destroys the foundation of people’s livelihoods. The main causes include climate change and human activities, such as land-use changes from agricultural development and urbanization, as well as inappropriate land management practices like unplanned fuelwood harvesting. In other words, we are destroying our own livelihood base and endangering our own survival through our own activities. The degradation and extinction of Juniperus sabina (=Sabina vulgaris) communities in the Mu Us Sandy Land is land degradation in shrub forest lands, which is the loss of function of the forest ecosystem. The degradation of forest ecosystems in drylands causes further degradation of the environment over a much wider range than in humid lands. Reafforestation in drylands as a measure against desertification is urgently required, but there are not many tree species that can be used as restoration materials. By clarifying the ecophysiological characteristics of as many tree species as possible to understand the species specificity of the tree species growing in drylands, it is indispensable to expand the range of choices for reafforestation materials for the proper restoration of degraded drylands.