Sustainable Economics and Management of Forest Resources and Products

Dear Colleagues,

The economic, social, and environmental importance of forests and, in general, the ecosystems associated with the forestry sector is indisputably crucial. Their relevance has been highlighted by the UN through the Sustainable Development Agenda, with forests constituting one of the main cross-cutting pillars for achieving many of the 17 SDGs formulated in 2015 to achieve this agenda by 2030.

Forests and the resources associated with them provide a means for rural communities to survive, and are, therefore, ultimately a key tool for combating poverty and eradicating hunger in rural areas and developing countries (SDGs 1 and 2). They are also crucial for achieving SDG 8, which relates to achieving adequate work and sustained economic growth over time, promoting the development of the most disadvantaged regions. Likewise, the environmental role of forests is crucial in halting desertification and slowing climate change, making their contribution to achieving SDGs 6, 7, 13, and 15 equally crucial. Furthermore, forests play a similarly important social role, constituting a fundamental element upon which to build sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and environmentally responsible production and consumption processes (SDG 12), fostering sustainable environments in every sense.

Within this framework, this Special Issue aims to receive and publish papers that analyze, from any perspective, the contribution of forests and their uses to the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of societies. The focus of these papers can be historical (we especially encourage manuscripts that highlight forest economic history) or refer to the current era, with important implications for future changes to forest management. Research that addresses present and future trends in sustainability is especially welcome, particularly if it considers new approaches and research methodologies related to the economic and environmental sustainability of forest resources. In addition, a specific focus on technological innovation that may enhance the monitoring and assessment of forest resources is welcome.

Similarly, this Special Issue aims to provide an interdisciplinary framework that brings together technical works, economic and productive analyses, sectoral or regional studies, and even humanistic and historiographical essays, provided that they are closely related to some of the themes proposed in this monographic issue.

Submissions should be related to climate change, carbon footprints, the circular economy, and economic and environmental sustainability. Research that explores new uses and applications of forest resources is equally desirable, especially if its implications are considered in relation to the aforementioned terms.

Finally, as Guest Editors we are interested in comparative studies that effectively address works on specific forest productions in different regional settings, or else that confront productive or sectorial dynamics related to different forest resources.

Dr. Francisco Manuel Parejo-Moruno
Dr. Antonio Miguel Linares Luján
Dr. José Francisco Rangel Preciado
Prof. Dr. José Álvarez-García
Dr. Carlos Manuel Faísca
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.