Forest Disturbance and Management

Dear Colleagues,

Forests cover approximately 31% of the global land area and are home to an estimated 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, playing a crucial role in providing ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, watershed protection and timber resources. However, forests are increasingly threatened by a variety of disturbances, including wildfires, insect outbreaks, diseases and human activities such as deforestation and land use change.

Climate change is exacerbating these threats, leading to more frequent and severe disturbances in many forested regions. For example, warmer temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are altering the frequency and intensity of wildfires, while also affecting the distribution and abundance of forest pests and diseases. These disturbances can have profound impacts on forest ecosystems, leading to a loss of biodiversity, changes in forest structure and composition and reduced ecosystem resilience.

In response to these challenges, there is a growing need for effective forest management strategies that can help mitigate the impacts of disturbances and ensure the long-term sustainability of forest ecosystems. This Special Issue aims to address this need by bringing together the latest research on forest disturbance and management from around the world. By advancing our understanding of the drivers, impacts and management strategies related to forest disturbances, this Special Issue will contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of forests globally.

This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research in the field of forest disturbance and management. It will cover a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to:

• Spatial and temporal patterns of forest disturbance;
• Drivers and mechanisms of forest disturbances;
• Impacts of disturbances on forest ecosystems and biodiversity;
• Innovative approaches for monitoring and assessing forest disturbances;
• Sustainable forest management practices and their implications;
• Restoration and rehabilitation of disturbed forest ecosystems;
• Socio-economic aspects of forest management and conservation.

Dr. Jie Zhao
Dr. Chao Yue
Dr. Zhiwei Wu
Dr. Ziqiang Du
Guest Editors

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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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.

• forest disturbance
• forest management
• climate change
• climate impacts
• sustainable management
• vegetation responses
• biodiversity
• forest restoration