Forest ecosystem observation research stations provide valuable data for forest management and ecological benefit assessments. Currently, the lack of long-term, standardized ecological data is one of the most important factors limiting effective ecological benefit assessments and the implementation of ecological engineering projects. As a result, there is a need to plan forest ecosystem observation research networks. This study focuses on the development of a forest ecosystem observation research network for Hubei province, China. First, the main indicators used as a basis for network planning were defined. These included temperature, vegetation type, terrain, and functional ecological zone. Annual accumulated temperatures (average daily temperature ≥10 ℃) and accumulated temperature days (average daily temperature ≥10 ℃) were selected as the temperature indicators. Vegetation groups in level 5 of the China vegetation regionalization program were chosen as the vegetation indicator. Terrain data, corrected by the digital elevation model (DEM), were chosen as the terrain indicator. Zones with different ecological functions within forest types were selected as ecological function indicators. These were also defined by overlying important ecological function zones and priority biodiversity conservation zones. Interpolation was carried out using ordinary kriging with a spherical model in ArcGIS software. This GIS analysis enabled the creation of a zoning plan for Hubei province that included eco-geographic and ecological function aspects. Second, relatively homogeneous areas were identified as target areas for the forest ecosystem monitoring network on the basis of the eco-geographic zones of Hubei Province. A spatial analysis of the monitoring scope was implemented to determine the potential coverage of the network plan. Functionally important zones were identified as a priority and the areas at the centers of these zones were located with ArcGIS software. The final stage in the development of the forest ecosystem observation research network plan was a spatial analysis of the density of forest ecological stations to determine optimal station locations. The results of our analysis indicated that an optimal forest ecological monitoring network is achieved when Hubei province is divided into 12 partitions and 16 forest ecological stations are constructed; 12 forest ecological stations are planned and 4 forest ecological stations are established. In this network, the area of forest monitored and the accuracy of the ecological function zone area were as high as 81.8% and 88.9%, respectively. In addition, coverage of important ecological function areas and biodiversity conservation priority areas was also high, with accuracies reaching 98.2% and 87.5%, respectively. The plan to include nine forest ecological stations was consistent with the existence of four important ecological function zones and three biodiversity conservation priority zones. The results provide strong scientific evidence for the adoption of a forest ecosystem observation research network planning approach in Hubei province. Finally, the safeguards for this network were analyzed, including organization and policy, funding, management, and team building. The construction, operation, and management of ecological monitoring stations and data collection work followed the People's Republic of China forestry industry standards. The development of this network followed a "plan first and then build" approach and differed in a number of ways from other networks. There were some limitations to the data collection capacity of this network. For example, the presence of forests and crops on the Jianghan Plain resulted in classification errors that slightly influenced the results. To conclude, this monitoring network enables the effective implementation of forest ecosystem monitoring and provides data for assessment of forest ecosystem services and ecological benefits, along with providing important information that aids decision-making for major ecological projects.