Fossil fuel shortages and environmental pollution problems are worsening, while globally, countries are actively seeking alternative energy sources. As an important renewable energy, bio-fuel (including bio-fuel ethanol and biodiesel) has attracted extensive attention of governments and enterprises throughout the world. De-velopment and utilization of energy plants is one effective way to deal with energy issues and global change, and accurate information resource potential and the spatial and temporal important distribution is a foundation for re-source planning and related research. The main objective of this paper is to establish an operational method for comprehensive evaluating biodiesel potential of Pistacia chinensis in China by combining GIS with life cycle analysis (LCA). Geographic Information System (GIS) is adopted as a tool to process spatial data from different sources, and establish the integrated multiple factors model. Meanwhile, LCA is used to evaluate the GHG emis-sion from Pistacia chinensis plantation, yield acquisition, production, and product use through to post-process-ing. First, the potentiality, degree and spatial distribution of marginal land resources suitable for Pistacia chinen-sis planting are determined. Next, LCA-based analytical model of GHG emission reduction potential of biodiesel produced from Pistacia chinensis is established. By this means, the analysis and appraisal of maximum net GHG emission reduction potential of biodiesel from Pistacia chinensis can be achieved, thus offering technical meth-ods and typical cases for analysis of development potentials and environmental benefits of biofuels derived from energy plants. The results indicate that total area of marginal land exploitable for development of Pistacia chinen-sis is about 19.90 million hm~2, which is made up of the suitable area 7.10 million hm~2 and the fairly suitable area 12.79 million hm~2. And the total greenhouse gas emission reduction potential is 2.55 million tons per year.