Objectives The study aimed to analyze the dynamic changes in land cover in Xianxialing Nature Reserve and evaluate the ecological environment quality of the reserve.

Methods The dynamic changes and transfer of land covers in the Xianxialing provincial nature reserve were analyzed using the maximum likelihood method and transfer matrix based on Landsat remote sensing images in 1991, 2001, and 2021.

Results (1) The maximum likelihood method can accurately extract land cover types in the nature reserve, with an overall accuracy of over 90%. Broad-leaved forests were easliy misclassified as coniferous forests. The land cover type of the nature reserve was mainly broad-leaved forests, followed by coniferous forests and bamboo forests. (2) From 1991 to 2021, the area of non-forest land and bamboo forest significantly decreased by 77.74% and 55.91%, respectively. The area of broad-leaved and coniferous forests significantly increased by 19.26% and 114.44%, respectively. The largest transfer in and out of land cover types in the nature reserve were broad-leaved forests and bamboo forests with the areas of 1916 hm² and 1201 hm², respectively. (3) The increase in broad-leaved forests mainly came from bamboo forests and non-forest land, accounting for 53.08% and 30.48% of the total increased area of broad-leaved forests, respectively. To avoid biodiversity degradation, it is necessary to strengthen the control of the invasion of bamboo forests into coniferous and broad-leaved forests.

Conclusions In the past 30 years, the vegetation quality of the Xianxialing Nature Reserve has significantly improved, and the construction of the nature reserve has played an important role in protecting the ecological environment and biodiversity.