Abstract: Objective  To explore the suitable way of forests rehabilitation in rural areas of low hilly areas in south China, improve the forest structure, maintain biodiversity and ensure the sustainable development of forest ecosystems and the sustainable use of forest resources. Method  Taking Xikou Village of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, as the research object, based on high-resolution GF-2 data and field surveys, the forest landscape and plant community characteristics were investigated and studied. Result  The area of forest in Xikou Village accounted for 80.80% of the total area of the village. The main types of forest are broadleaved forests, coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest, Pinus massoniana forests, Cunninghamia lanceolata forests, bamboo forests, and Torreya grandis forests. In the village, the area of natural forest and artificial mixed forest is small, while the area of artificial single-layer pure forest is large, and the undergrowth vegetation coverage is low, and the plant diversity was obviously lost. Conclusion  The overall structure of the forest ecosystem in Xikou Village is simple and the diversity is low. If the traditional afforestation and management mode continues, it is bound to lead to forest degradation, soil degradation and other problems. It is suggested that the existing broadleaved forest and coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest should be closed and reformed to promote its transformation to high-quality evergreen broadleaved forest. The ecological public-welfare forests of Pinus massoniana should be transformed by introducing and replanting native species to create mixed forests. Industrial plantation and non-timber plantation should be planted in small scale and small areas, and the local native broadleaved tree species and suitable broadleaved tree species should be selected to create mixed forests as green isolation zones and inlaid with small area of industrial forests and non-timber forests with reasonable tending and management measures.