Abstract: We estimated the emission of carbon and carbonaceous gases including carbon dioxide(CO₂), carbon monoxide(CO), methane(CH₄), and nonmethane hydrocarbons(NMHC)from forest fires from 1971 to 2011 in Heihe city of Heilongjiang province, China. We used a geographic information system(GIS)-based modeling approach to estimale emissions through a two-step procedure. In step one, we calculated total carbon released from forest fires in Heihe for selected years between 1971 and 2011 by merging and analyzing several measurement parameters. In step two, we calculated amounts of four carbonaceous gases released during the burn, CO₂, CO, CH₄, and NMHC, using several different experimentally derived emission factors. The origin of each of the inputs used in our models was based on a combination of analysis of forest fire inventory, forest resources inventory, field research, and laboratory experiments. Direct total carbon emissions from forest fires in Heihe during 1971 to 2011 was about 4.00×10⁷ t, and mean annual carbon emissions was about 9.76×10⁵ t per year, accounting for 8.63% of the direct total carbon emissions from forest fires in China. Amount of carbon emission resulted from the atmospheric emissions of four trace gases was as follows:the emissions of CO₂, CO, CH₄ and NMHC from forest fires were 1.24×10⁸,6.51×10⁶,4.30×10⁵, and 3.47×10⁵ t, respectively, and mean annual emissions of CO₂, CO, CH₄, and NMHC from forest fires were 3.01×10⁶,1.59×10⁵,1.05×10⁴, and 8.46×10³, respectively, accounting for 7.42%, 5.86%, 9.37% and 7.49% of amounts of four carbonaceous gases released from forest fires in China, respectively. We promoted the corresponding forest fire management strategy. At the same time, the studies showed that the area mean annual carbon emissions had an important impact on the regional carbon balance. We suggested that the management strategy of forest fire should strengthen the sustainable management of forest fuel.