Invited by the organizers, Sun presented his latest forest hydrological research in two separate special sessions. In one session entitled ‘Bridging Ecohydrological Research from Arid Lands to Humid Environments’, he gave a talk ‘Variability of Hydrological Responses to Disturbances under A Changing Climate’ that examines how existing forest-water relations may change under a changing climatic condition across a hydrological gradients, from desert to wetland ecosystems. In another talk entitled ‘Science, Politics, and Policy: Lessons Learned from Sino-US Collaboration Research on Ecosystem Restoration’ at the Special Session ‘Ecological Practices and Public Awareness: A Dialogue between the US and China’. The paper summarizes SGCP’s long-term collaboration research activities with China through the US-China Carbon Consortium and examines how ecohydrological science intertwines with politics and policies.