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Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design
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Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Economics, Policy, and Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 June 2023) | Viewed by 29541

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Radu-Daniel Pintilii

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human and Economic Geography, University of Bucharest, 1, Nicolae Bălcescu, 010041 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: forests; land use and land cover; tourism; GIS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural and anthropogenic ecosystems can bring certain benefits to human communities, which humans can use to increase wellbeing. Forest ecosystem services currently play an important role; they are of both direct and indirect interest to specialists from different fields, and are receiving the attention of political decision makers. Knowledge of these forest services has become increasingly important in landscape management, as they may provide solutions for some of the problems of modern society. The structure of ecosystem services is represented by four main pillars:

  • Provisioning services as primary resources (timber and non-timber forest products, fuel, wildlife habitat);
  • Regulating services through the self-regulation capacity of forest systems (climate, water, disease regulation);
  • Supporting services, of rather high importance but often ignored (water cycle in Nature, water regulation, carbon sequestration, adaptation to climate change, soil formation);
  • Cultural services (offered as support benefits with a role in spiritual enrichment, knowledge development, tourism and leisure, reflection and aesthetics).

Landscape is also regarded as an important resource; its efficient valorization could contribute to the increase of environment quality and human communities’ well-being. A systemic sustainable approach to landscape design is critical for the future of both the present and future generations.

The Special Issue, “Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design”, encourages the submission of integrated multi- or interdisciplinary contributions related to forestry, including experimental studies, monitoring approaches and models, to promote the knowledge of conservation, as well as the management of forest ecosystems and landscape design. All theoretical, methodological, practical (qualitative and quantitative), GIS and remote sensing research is welcomed. 

Dr. Radu-Daniel Pintilii 
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • forest disturbance
  • forest management
  • ecosystem services
  • human and communities’ well-being
  • urban and rural landscapes
  • landscape design and modeling
  • landscape protection and conservation

Published Papers (15 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4383 KiB  
Article
Using Social Media Camping Data for Evaluating, Quantifying, and Understanding Recreational Ecosystem Services in Post-COVID-19 Megacities: A Case Study from Beijing
by Haiyun Xu, Guohan Zhao, Yan Liu and Meng Miao
Forests 2023, 14(6), 1151; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14061151 - 2 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1720
Abstract
Recreational ecosystem services (RESs) are the diverse recreational opportunities provided by nature to humans, which contribute to the improvement of public health and social well-being. The use of online social media is an efficient method for quantifying public perceptions of recreational ecosystem services [...] Read more.
Recreational ecosystem services (RESs) are the diverse recreational opportunities provided by nature to humans, which contribute to the improvement of public health and social well-being. The use of online social media is an efficient method for quantifying public perceptions of recreational ecosystem services (RESs) delivered by a given landscape. With the continuously changing demand for nature-focused outdoor recreational activities since COVID-19, camping has become the fastest-growing outdoor leisure activity in megacities and a key indicator for how people perceive and value the RESs provided by the landscape. Such unexpected changings triggered by COVID-19 have further led to an imbalance between demand and supply, which results in fierce conflicts in urban green space management. This study presents a spatial pattern analysis of how people perceive RESs in a megacity-scale case study of Beijing using geo-tagged camping notes posted on Little Red Book (LRB). We employed these camping notes in the context of a megacity to (i) map public camping behaviors patterns in urban green spaces, (ii) evaluate spatial clusters of high/low RESs, and (iii) investigate the relationship between RESs, local landscape features, and gender through correspondence analysis. Our results show that considerable spatial clustering of camping behaviors was observed in both suburban and urban green spaces. However, suburbs revealed a substantially higher RES value than central urban areas. In addition, water bodies were discovered to have remarkably low RES, while grassland and urban forests were found to have a close link with higher RES. In addition, significant gender preferences have been discovered, where female visitors prefer to camp in grassland, and male visitors favor bare ground and urbanized regions. Our findings would assist decision-makers in optimizing urban green space planning and management, adapting to fast-changing public camping demands in the context of the post-COVID-19 era. Findings also contribute to the literature by applying spatial analysis of social media data to understand public outdoor recreation activities and perceived value for megacities’ green space management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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22 pages, 3317 KiB  
Article
Sustainability Assessment for the Protected Area Tourism System from the Perspective of Ecological-Economic-Social Coordinated Development
by Xiangju Zhang, Linsheng Zhong, Hu Yu and Ling-En Wang
Forests 2023, 14(5), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14050890 - 26 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1332
Abstract
Tourism is a significant way for the public to enjoy the cultural ecosystem services provided by protected areas (PAs). However, with PAs being expected to make much wider ecological, social and economic contributions to sustainability and human well-being, PA managers face challenges in [...] Read more.
Tourism is a significant way for the public to enjoy the cultural ecosystem services provided by protected areas (PAs). However, with PAs being expected to make much wider ecological, social and economic contributions to sustainability and human well-being, PA managers face challenges in coordinating tourism with other goals, such as ecological conservation and local community development. To address this challenge, we developed a sustainability assessment framework that considers the PA, local community, and tourism as a complex system comprising social, economic, and ecological subsystems from the perspective of subsystem relationships. The coupling coordination degree model and the obstacle degree model were applied to assess sustainability of the tourism system in Qinghai Lake Nature Reserve of China. The assessment results indicate that the sustainability index fluctuated between 2010 and 2019, but generally exhibited an upward trend, undergoing three stages and reaching the stage in 2019 where ecological sustainability took the lead. At this stage, the coupling coordination degree between the economy and society subsystems was at its lowest, and the economic subsystem faced the highest obstacle degree. The study demonstrates that involving scholars and administrators in the index selection process and considering both index information and management concerns when determining index weight makes the coupling coordination degree model more suitable for PA tourism systems. The assessment method developed in this study effectively reflects the temporal evolution of PA tourism system sustainability and provides valuable implications for coordinated ecological-economic-social management by analyzing obstacle factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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15 pages, 3498 KiB  
Article
Stand Structure Management and Tree Diversity Conservation Based on Using Stand Factors: A Case Study in the Longwan National Nature Reserve
by Yue Li, Xue Wang, Chaofan Zhang, Jinpeng Li, Haibo Jiang, Lianxi Sheng and Zhenxin Li
Forests 2023, 14(4), 750; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14040750 - 6 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1259
Abstract
The management of stand structure and the protection of species diversity are crucial to forest ecosystem service functions. Changbai Mountain is one of the three major forest regions in Northeast China, and understanding the characteristics of stand structure and the allometric relationship between [...] Read more.
The management of stand structure and the protection of species diversity are crucial to forest ecosystem service functions. Changbai Mountain is one of the three major forest regions in Northeast China, and understanding the characteristics of stand structure and the allometric relationship between stand structure variables and the correlation between stand factors and species diversity is the basis for achieving effective forest management and ecological function improvement. In this study, the typical deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest and coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest of the Longwan Nature Reserve in the Changbai Mountain were taken as the research objects, and the stand structure and diversity were investigated in detail. Allometric growth equations were established using the breast height diameter (DBH), tree height, and crown width of the main dominant species. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted on the stand structure and diversity of the forest community. The experimental results showed that young forests with small diameters and small individuals were the main part of the stands. Optimal allometric growth models of the main tree species (Acer mandshuricum, Ulmus davidiana var. japonica, Juglans mandshurica, Acer mono, and Tilia amurensis) were 0.807D0.646, 0608D0.381H0.390, 0.502D0.533H0.295, 0.795D0.540H0.157, and 0.541D0.484H0.301, respectively, with R2 values ranging between 0.6 and 0.8, indicating a good fit for the models. Furthermore, tree density, crown width, and DBH were the main factors affecting tree diversity. The research results will provide theoretical support for the efficient management of forest stand structure and diversity conservation in the Longwan Reserve. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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26 pages, 6735 KiB  
Article
Eco-Efficiency Evaluation of Sloping Land Conversion Program and Its Spatial and Temporal Evolution: Evidence from 314 Counties in the Loess Plateau of China
by Yuanjie Deng, Ji Luo, Ying Wang, Cuicui Jiao, Xiaobo Yi, Xiaosong Su, Hua Li and Shunbo Yao
Forests 2023, 14(4), 681; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14040681 - 26 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1784
Abstract
China’s Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) is the largest ecological restoration program (ERP) in the world. Since its full implementation in China in 2002, it has achieved remarkable eco-effects worldwide. However, few researchers have paid attention to the efficiency behind the ecological achievements. [...] Read more.
China’s Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) is the largest ecological restoration program (ERP) in the world. Since its full implementation in China in 2002, it has achieved remarkable eco-effects worldwide. However, few researchers have paid attention to the efficiency behind the ecological achievements. Understanding the eco-efficiency of the Sloping Land Conversion Program (EEoSLCP) and its spatial and temporal evolution is necessary for the design and implementation of other ERPs. Therefore, we took the counties reflecting the basic implementation units of the SLCP as the research samples, and evaluated and analyzed the EEoSLCP on the Loess Plateau (LP) and its spatial and temporal evolution based on remote sensing data and county statistics. Our results reveal that: (1) The SLCP in LP has achieved good eco-effects, but the eco-efficiency is generally low. (2) The EEoSLCP of the LP is increasing year by year in time and the spatial distribution pattern is “high in the southeast and low in the northwest” with a gradual decrease in efficiency from southeast to northwest. (3) The EEoSLCP in each county of the LP has a positive spatial autocorrelation and this correlation increases with the passage of time. (4) The EEoSLCP in each county of the LP shows relatively stable geographical spatial agglomeration characteristics of “H-H” and “L-L” in local spatial autocorrelation, and there are spatial neighboring companion effects and spatial neighboring spillover effects in the EEoSLCP in each county of the LP. (5) Natural conditions and redundancy of input and output are important reasons that affect the level of EEoSLCP. Our study will not only provide a general approach and methodological framework for evaluating the eco-efficiency of ERPs and their spatial and temporal evolution, but also provide better guidance and inspiration for the implementation of large-scale ERPs in the background of “The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration” and the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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14 pages, 4276 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Legacy Effects of the Historical Predatory Seed Harvesting on the Species Composition and Structure of the Mixed Korean Pine and Broadleaf Forest from a Landscape Perspective
by Kai Liu, Hong S. He, Hang Sun and Jingfeng Wang
Forests 2023, 14(2), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020402 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1400
Abstract
Adequate seed provenance is an important guarantee for the restoration of the mixed Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) and broadleaf forest (MKPBF). However, the commercial harvest exclusion in natural forests has led to a sharp decline in economic income from timber. Given the economic [...] Read more.
Adequate seed provenance is an important guarantee for the restoration of the mixed Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) and broadleaf forest (MKPBF). However, the commercial harvest exclusion in natural forests has led to a sharp decline in economic income from timber. Given the economic value of Korean pine seeds, predatory seed harvesting (PSH) has become increasingly serious in the past 20 years and has significantly reduced the seed and seedling bank, which might seriously threaten the restoration and sustainable management of the MKPBF. How the historical PSH has affected the future of the MKPBF is unclear at the landscape scale. In this study, we quantified the effects of seed harvesting at the landscape scale by a forest landscape model LANDIS PRO, and then assessed the legacy effects of the historical PSH on the composition and structure of the MKPBF in the Xiaoxing’an Mountains, Northeast China. Our results showed that the historical PSH decreased the Korean pine basal area of all age cohorts, with an average decrease of 0.06 to 0.19 m2 ha−1 but insignificantly altered the age structure diversity of Korean pine throughout the simulation. Our results indicated that the historical PSH remarkably decreased the dominance of Korean pine by 11.1%, but significantly increased the dominance of spruce (Picea koraiensis and Picea jezoensis) and fir (Abies nephrolepis) by 3.8% and 4.5%, respectively, and had an insignificant effect on the other tree species over the simulation. We found that the historical PSH evidently changed the succession trajectories of the disturbed stands, which would result in the transition from the succession pattern dominated by Korean pine to that dominated by spruce and fir. The historical PSH decreased the importance value of Korean pine by 12.2% on average but increased it by 5.1% and 6.0% for spruce and fir, respectively, and resulted in an average 33.2% increase in the dissimilarity index compared with the initial state during the whole simulation period. Future forest management should strictly limit the intensity and rotation of seed harvesting to protect the seed provenance of Korean pine and consider how to ensure the recovery and sustainable management of the MKPBF through direct seeding or seedling planting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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13 pages, 1955 KiB  
Article
Rainfall Modifies the Disturbance Effects on Regulating Ecosystem Services in Tropical Forests of Bangladesh
by Fahmida Sultana, Mohammed A. S. Arfin-Khan, Md Rezaul Karim and Sharif A. Mukul
Forests 2023, 14(2), 272; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020272 - 31 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1767
Abstract
Tropical forests are critical for ecosystem functioning and are the major provider of global ecosystem services. The combined effects of climate change and anthropogenic disturbances in the tropics, however, have caused a mass decline in major ecosystem services in recent decades. Nevertheless, most [...] Read more.
Tropical forests are critical for ecosystem functioning and are the major provider of global ecosystem services. The combined effects of climate change and anthropogenic disturbances in the tropics, however, have caused a mass decline in major ecosystem services in recent decades. Nevertheless, most previous studies focused entirely on these disturbances’ effects on forest ecosystem services without taking into consideration the combined effects of climate change and disturbances on key ecosystem services’ indicators. This is more pronounced in Bangladesh, which is one of the countries most adversely affected by global climate change. We investigated anthropogenic disturbances’ effects on regulating ecosystem services under different rainfall regimes in Khadimnagar National Park (KNP) and Satchari National Park (SNP), two major forested, protected areas in Northeast Bangladesh. We considered twelve indicators for five aboveground ecosystem services (i.e., primary production, carbon storage, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and timber production) and four indicators for four belowground ecosystem services (i.e., organic carbon storage, soil aggregate stability, soil physical support, and soil water regulation) in our study. The effects of disturbances on the indicators of four aboveground ecosystem services (i.e., primary production, tree carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, and timber production) and one belowground ecosystem service (soil physical support) differed in terms of rainfall regimes. Disturbances negatively influenced indicators of primary production (p = 0.03, r = −0.28), tree carbon storage (p = 0.02, r = −0.29), and timber production (p = 0.002, r = −0.39), and positively impacted soil organic carbon storage (p = 0.04, r = 0.27) only under a medium-rainfall regime. Interestingly, a significant positive impact of disturbances on soil physical support (p = 0.001, r = 0.39) was observed under heavy rainfall in our study. In addition, disturbances were significantly associated with biodiversity conservation (p < 0.05) and wildlife habitat quality (p < 0.05) under both rainfall classes. Our findings provide critical insights into the synergistic role of anthropogenic perturbations in regulating ecosystem services with rainfall pattern as a key climatic parameter, which can be useful in restoring large tracts of degraded tropical forests in the United Nations (UN) Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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17 pages, 56909 KiB  
Article
Variations in Ecosystem Service Value and Its Driving Factors in the Nanjing Metropolitan Area of China
by Shulin Chen, Xiaotong Liu, Li Yang and Zhenghao Zhu
Forests 2023, 14(1), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14010113 - 6 Jan 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1975
Abstract
More than 60% of the world’s ecosystem services have deteriorated over the past few decades. Studying the spatio-temporal fluctuations in ecosystem service value and its influencing factors is important for identifying regional ecosystem service value issues, upholding regional ecological harmony, and encouraging regionally [...] Read more.
More than 60% of the world’s ecosystem services have deteriorated over the past few decades. Studying the spatio-temporal fluctuations in ecosystem service value and its influencing factors is important for identifying regional ecosystem service value issues, upholding regional ecological harmony, and encouraging regionally healthy and coordinated sustainable development. Ecosystem service value has so far been studied primarily in relation to the effect of socioeconomic and physical–geographical variables. However, the trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem service values also drive the spatio-temporal variations in ecosystem service value. Few studies have been conducted to date to investigate the trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem service values and their impact on ecosystem service value. Therefore, this paper used sensitivity analysis, correlation analysis, trade-offs and synergies analysis, and a Geodetector to examine changes in ecosystem service value and their influencing factors within the Nanjing metropolitan region. The ecosystem service value decreased somewhat overall between 2000 and 2020, with a decline rate of 2.19 million CNY/year. In comparison to the north of the Nanjing metropolitan region, the ecosystem service value was relatively higher in the south. The water bodies had the highest total ecosystem service value, followed by forest land, cultivated land, and grassland, with construction land and unused land having the lowest ecosystem service values overall. The main socioeconomic factor influencing the spatial variations in ecosystem service value was population density, while the main physical–geographical factors were the digital elevation model, the normalized difference vegetation index, and precipitation. As a result, the Nanjing metropolitan area should tighten its grip on excessive population growth. In contrast to the expository strength of a single factor on the ecosystem service value, the influence of all individual elements on the ecosystem service value under interaction was significantly increased, and the interaction among the normalized difference vegetation index and gross economic product had the most obvious effect on the ecosystem service value. The spatial variation in the ecosystem service value was also influenced by trade-offs and synergies between the value of supply services, regulation services, support services, and cultural services. Therefore, trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services also need to be considered in land-use decisions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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16 pages, 1716 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Visitors’ Recreation Experience and Environmental Attitude on Environmentally Responsible Behavior: A Case Study of an Urban Forest Park, China
by Lisheng Weng, Yijin Zhu, Xiangting Xu, Jiayi Yang, Shuhui Zheng, Huifang Liu, Hairong Wang and Liqun Zhu
Forests 2023, 14(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14010024 - 23 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2851
Abstract
Nature-based tourism destinations such as national forest parks have become important places for outdoor recreation. This study empirically investigates the structural relationships among the four subdivided dimensions of recreation experience (education, aesthetics, entertainment, and escapism), environmental attitude, and environmentally responsible behavior. In addition, [...] Read more.
Nature-based tourism destinations such as national forest parks have become important places for outdoor recreation. This study empirically investigates the structural relationships among the four subdivided dimensions of recreation experience (education, aesthetics, entertainment, and escapism), environmental attitude, and environmentally responsible behavior. In addition, the mediating effect of environmental attitude and the moderating effect of gender are also examined. A field survey was conducted in an urban forest park to collect data, and 468 usable questionnaires were collected. Results indicate that, in addition to the educational experience, the entertainment experience, aesthetic experience, and escape experience have significant positive impacts on visitors’ environmental attitudes and environmentally responsible behavior. In addition, environmental attitude partially mediates the relationship between recreation experience and environmentally responsible behavior. The results of moderating effect analysis demonstrate that men and women have differences in terms of recreation experience and environmental attitude. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and nature-based tourism destinations are encouraged to emphasize the four subdivided dimensions of recreation experience, especially the educational experience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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17 pages, 2438 KiB  
Article
Land Use Preference for Ecosystem Services and Well-Being in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh
by Ronju Ahammad, Natasha Stacey, Terry Sunderland and Kamaljit K. Sangha
Forests 2022, 13(12), 2086; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122086 - 7 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2248
Abstract
Researchers increasingly investigate ecosystem services to assess their role in supporting livelihoods, well-being and economic value in order to inform decision-making. Many studies have explored links between ecosystem services and community-based livelihoods, with a very narrow focus on the importance of land use [...] Read more.
Researchers increasingly investigate ecosystem services to assess their role in supporting livelihoods, well-being and economic value in order to inform decision-making. Many studies have explored links between ecosystem services and community-based livelihoods, with a very narrow focus on the importance of land use to well-being. We evaluated the value of ecosystem services from various land uses supporting livelihoods and the overall well-being of local communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh. By applying a participatory habitat valuation approach with the ethnic communities from eight villages, we explored their preferences for, and perceptions of, ecosystem services and their sources in a multi-functional landscape under different land use, i.e., forest, swidden and low-land agriculture, fruit orchard and water bodies, and three land ownership contexts (state, private and mixed ownership on forest lands). Our findings revealed that community land use preference for ecosystem services supports ten different well-being needs. Among others, forests were valued land used for two-thirds of well-being needs, including the provision of shelter, nutrition, primary health care, an adequate supply of potable water, a lower level of ecological stress (i.e., protection from associated landslide soil erosion), cultural and spiritual benefits and livestock foraging. People commonly valued the food, income and nutrition contributions of all land uses. However, different forest and land ownership contexts and rights within the landscape influence people’s preference for ecosystem services from land use in supporting their well-being. People with secure ownership (i.e., private and private-community) showed a broad and positive appreciation for ecosystem services to meet their well-being needs. Our study highlights that local and ethnic people’s land-use preferences and ownership contexts are critical factors in assessing well-being in the context of multifunctional landscapes. We recommend that ecosystem services be considered in future decision-making related to forest and land use to support human well-being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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14 pages, 2657 KiB  
Article
Disturbance Severity and Human–Nature Relationships: A New Approach to Analyze People’s Well-Being along a Bark Beetle Infestation Gradient
by Mareike Kortmann, Per Angelstam, Marius Mayer, Franz Leibl, Jessica Reichert, Christine Thorn and Simon Thorn
Forests 2022, 13(11), 1954; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111954 - 18 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1757
Abstract
Contact to nature and greenspace is important for emotional well-being and can promote human health. Forest landscapes provide such access to greenspace, especially in protected areas. However, forested protected areas are impacted by natural disturbances such as bark beetle infestations. On the one [...] Read more.
Contact to nature and greenspace is important for emotional well-being and can promote human health. Forest landscapes provide such access to greenspace, especially in protected areas. However, forested protected areas are impacted by natural disturbances such as bark beetle infestations. On the one hand, such disturbances have positive impacts on ecological processes and biodiversity. On the other hand, they have allegedly negative impacts on the recreational value of a landscape. Limited knowledge about the public’s perception of forests subject to natural disturbances still hampers forest management to balance ecological functions and visitors’ recreational experience. Thus, our aim was to determine how attitudes towards nature influence the personal well-being in a naturally disturbed landscape. We investigated self-reported well-being and attitudes towards nature in a standardized questionnaire-based survey of 1008 German inhabitants in an experimentally adapted landscape visualization. Self-reported well-being was generally highest in landscapes with relatively few bark-beetle-killed trees. This was especially the case for people who felt included with nature and preferred an appreciative use or preservation of nature. Conversely, people who had previously visited a national park with visible bark beetle infestations rated their personal well-being highest in landscapes with larger proportions of beetle-killed trees. Our results indicate that it is necessary to analyze people’s knowledge about and relations to forest landscapes as well as concepts of nature conservation, natural landscapes, and biodiversity to gain a better understanding of people’s perceptions of natural disturbances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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24 pages, 6682 KiB  
Article
Through the Eyes of Forest Visitors—Perception and Scenic Preferences of Munich’s Urban Proximate Woodlands
by Gerd Lupp, Valerie Kantelberg, Julia Fäth, Theresia Hirschbeck, Corinna Käsbauer, Anna Ritter, Julia Schisslbauer and Stephan Pauleit
Forests 2022, 13(10), 1584; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101584 - 27 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1702
Abstract
With the increasing individualization of society, perceptions and attitudes towards nature and forest management is changing. Knowledge about motives for visiting woodlands as well as the aesthetic perception of forests can support forest management and communication strategies. In Central Europe, multifunctional, close-to-nature silviculture [...] Read more.
With the increasing individualization of society, perceptions and attitudes towards nature and forest management is changing. Knowledge about motives for visiting woodlands as well as the aesthetic perception of forests can support forest management and communication strategies. In Central Europe, multifunctional, close-to-nature silviculture aims to convert the still dominating conifer monocultures towards mixed, structured forests to establish forests that are better adapted to the changing climate, thus enhancing the value for nature conservation and increasing their ability to provide ecosystem services. Reflecting these management objectives, we examined the perception and scenic preferences of the resulting forest stands in Munich´s urban proximate woodlands. We applied both surveys with choice experiments using visualizations of different forest stands and conducted Photovoice walks. In the choice experiments, most interviewees preferred the visualizations of mixed forests. Deadwood was appreciated in mixed stands. Knowledge about the positive effects of deadwood influenced this choice. With the Photovoice walks, it could be shown that many forest types and even monocultures were perceived to be very attractive, such as tall Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands. In addition, small details such as single trees, colorful leaves, or small vegetation features contributed to a positive perception of the forest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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23 pages, 943 KiB  
Article
Ownership, Governance, Uses, and Ecosystem Services of Community Forests in the Eastern United States
by Meredith Hovis, Gregory Frey, Kathleen McGinley, Frederick Cubbage, Xue Han and Megan Lupek
Forests 2022, 13(10), 1577; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101577 - 26 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1990
Abstract
Over time, community forests (CFs) have been established across the globe to meet various social, economic, and ecological needs. Benefits of CFs include conserving resilient forests and natural resources and ecosystem services, enhancing social and economic capital, and leveraging local and indigenous knowledge [...] Read more.
Over time, community forests (CFs) have been established across the globe to meet various social, economic, and ecological needs. Benefits of CFs include conserving resilient forests and natural resources and ecosystem services, enhancing social and economic capital, and leveraging local and indigenous knowledge in forest and natural resource management and decision-making. Research on CFs in the U.S. is quite limited, and cases that have been assessed show a wide spectrum in terms of CF ownership, organizational structure, governance, property rights, and uses. Through an exploratory research approach, this study enhances the understanding of the characteristics of CFs in the U.S. and the ecosystem services and other benefits that they provide. Through online web searches, we compiled one of the first comprehensive lists of CFs in the Eastern U.S. Prior to this study, there was no publicly available comprehensive database or list of CFs in the country. Subsequently, we conducted comparative case study research, which included semi-structured in-person interviews with key stakeholders from four CFs in the Eastern U.S. to understand CF ownership, governance, uses, and benefits. CFs benefits frequently included cultural services, such as recreation and education, and regulating and supporting services, such as water quality and wildlife habitat. Much less common was a focus on provisioning services such as timber or non-timber forest products. Maintaining collaboration and funding for CF efforts in the long run without significant CF revenues remains a challenge for most forests. Overall, this research sheds lights on CF characteristics and capacities in the Eastern U.S. and identifies potential opportunities and needs for the U.S. in the future. CFs researchers, managers, and community members. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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13 pages, 3595 KiB  
Article
The Carbon Sink of Mangrove Ecological Restoration between 1988–2020 in Qinglan Bay, Hainan Island, China
by Peihong Jia, Weida Huang, Zhouyao Zhang, Jiaxuan Cheng and Yulong Xiao
Forests 2022, 13(10), 1547; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101547 - 22 Sep 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2417
Abstract
As the world’s largest reactive carbon reservoir, the ocean plays a critical role in global climate change. Among coastal plant ecosystems, mangroves have the highest carbon storage efficiency and are prone to the impact of anthropogenic activities. In this study, taking the mangrove [...] Read more.
As the world’s largest reactive carbon reservoir, the ocean plays a critical role in global climate change. Among coastal plant ecosystems, mangroves have the highest carbon storage efficiency and are prone to the impact of anthropogenic activities. In this study, taking the mangrove wetland of Qinglan Bay as an example, we extracted information on mangrove coastal surface change from 1988 to 2020 based on multi-temporal Landsat remote sensing data through field ground surveys and laboratory analysis and used the InVEST model to calculate the spatial and temporal structure of blue carbon in the mangrove area to investigate the effects of mangrove change in an ecological restoration context. The result shows that the overall area of mangrove forests exhibited a decreasing trend from 1988 to 2020, and the area of mangroves decreased from 1559.34 ha to 737.37 ha of which 52.71% was transformed into aquiculture, construction, and farm land. Accordingly, the mangrove carbon sinks from 1988 to 2020 were significantly reduced and the carbon stock decreased at an annual tendency from 1,025,901.71 tons to 712,118.69 tons. With the implementation of mangrove restoration, the decline of mangrove forests has decreased since 2003, promoting the stabilization and enhancement of carbon sinks in the mangrove wetlands of Qinglan Bay. The results of this study provide a technical method to evaluate the carbon sink contribution of mangrove wetland restoration in Hainan Province, a scientific basis and methodological innovation to monitor the carbon sink of mangrove cover change in larger regions of China, a theoretical basis to select criteria for mangrove restoration, and a scientific and systematic management strategy for ecological and mangrove restoration on Hainan Island. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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38 pages, 8813 KiB  
Article
Dynamics and Management of Restored Forests in Post-Mining Sites with Respect to Their Recreation Value: A Matrix Growth Model
by Jan Melichar, Emil Cienciala, Jan Albert, Markéta Braun Kohlová, Vojtěch Máca and Petr Pavelčík
Forests 2022, 13(9), 1519; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091519 - 19 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1338
Abstract
Afforestation has been a popular restoration procedure for spoil heaps in the sites affected by coal open-cast mining in the Czech Republic. Forest replantation is a frequent restoration variant when spoil heaps are recovered, but unreclaimed sites are often left to spontaneous succession. [...] Read more.
Afforestation has been a popular restoration procedure for spoil heaps in the sites affected by coal open-cast mining in the Czech Republic. Forest replantation is a frequent restoration variant when spoil heaps are recovered, but unreclaimed sites are often left to spontaneous succession. Studies on the dynamics of such restored forests are missing, and the evidence of restored forests with respect to their recreation value is also sporadic. To study the dynamics and management of restored forests—both replanted and recovered by spontaneous succession—on spoil heaps, we used a matrix growth model, which accounts for harvest, artificial and natural regeneration, and recreation value of these forest stands. The model calibration was performed on data from 250 inventory plots distributed across the Velká Podkrušnohorská spoil heap and the Matyáš spoil heap in the Sokolov brown-coal mining area. The growth model was applied on six restored forest types to simulate—over 65 years with a 10-year cutting cycle—the effect of various management regimes of thinning on their recreation value and aboveground biomass (AGB). The results indicate that initial planting density and stand type have an effect on the dynamics of restored forest stands in the short-term horizon. Applying the thinning management resulted in an increase in recreation value for all types of restored stands, while AGB decreased. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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18 pages, 4333 KiB  
Article
Management of Recreational Forests in the Romanian Carpathians
by Gheorghe-Marian Tudoran, Avram Cicșa, Maria Cicșa (Boroeanu) and Alexandru-Claudiu Dobre
Forests 2022, 13(9), 1369; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091369 - 27 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1498
Abstract
Research Highlights: Forests, due to their aesthetic properties, have huge recreational potential, but their management must take into account the requirements of all parties interested in these services. Background and Objectives: We sought to determine the main indicators that characterize the structural diversity [...] Read more.
Research Highlights: Forests, due to their aesthetic properties, have huge recreational potential, but their management must take into account the requirements of all parties interested in these services. Background and Objectives: We sought to determine the main indicators that characterize the structural diversity of a recreational mountain forest, with relevance for the management of these forests, given that they fulfill multiple functions. Materials and Methods: The structure of 446 stands was investigated and the Shannon (H) diversity index was applied at the level of species (Hsp), age (Hage), tree diameter (Hdg), and tree height (Hhg). Results: Beech occupied 49% of the forest area and fir and spruce 16% each. Generations of trees older than 100 years occupied 71% of the forest area and those older than 150 years occupied 10%. At an age of 120 years, the beech reached a diameter (d, at breast height) of 45 cm and the fir 52 cm. At the forest level, Hsp had a value of 1.63, Hdg of 3.17, and Hhg of 2.76. At the stand level, Hsp reached 1.54, while Hdg and Hhg reached 1.72. Mixed beech–coniferous stands had the greatest diversity. High values of 1.00 for Hsp were determined for 18% of the stands, for Hdg 38%, and for Hhg 35%. Conclusions: Stand structures are in a continuous state of change, so diversity indices can be used to monitor structural and species diversities and to evaluate the recreational potential of stands and forests. A compatibility between the aesthetic qualities of Romanian forests, which is a priority, and the other protection and production services they offer can be achieved by leading the forest stands toward a selection system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design)
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