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Forests
Special Issues
Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbances as Drivers of Forest Ecosystem Change
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Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbances as Drivers of Forest Ecosystem Change

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Hazards and Risk Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 7343

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Slobodan Milanović

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, 61300 Brno, Czech Republic
2. Department of Forestry, Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade, 11030 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: forestry entomology; forest protection; relationships between insects and their hosts; interactions between insects and plant diseases; forest fires
Dr. Jelena Lazarević

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biotechnical Faculty, University of Montenegro, Mihaila Lalića 15, 81 000 Podgorica, Montenegro
Interests: forest pathology; fungal plant pathology; fungal biology; fungal diversity; fungal ecology; fungal communities; mycorrhiza
Prof. Dr. Tomasz Oszako

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forest Protection, Forest Research Institute in Sękocin Stary, 05-090 Raszyn, Poland
Interests: forest protection; plant pathology; oomycetes; biodiversity; e-Nose; BCA; IPM; VOC; GC-MS; phosphites; phosphogipsum; silicon
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

"Natural and anthropogenic disturbances as drivers of forest ecosystem change" is the theme of this Special Issue, which focuses on how forest ecosystems are affected by natural and human-induced disturbances, and the wider implications for forest sustainability and biodiversity. The aim of this theme is to understand how these disturbances affect the structure, function and resilience of forest ecosystems, and to identify strategies for forest management in the face of these disturbances, as well as the potential for regeneration and adaptation. In addition, the interactions between natural and anthropogenic disturbances and their combined effects on forest ecosystems can also be studied, including interactions with insect pests and pathogens. Overall, this will lead to a better understanding of how forests should be managed in the face of disturbances to promote the sustainability and resilience of forest ecosystems.

Dr. Slobodan Milanović
Dr. Jelena Lazarević
Prof. Dr. Tomasz Oszako
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. 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 ecosystem
  • natural disturbance
  • anthropogenic disturbance
  • fire
  • drought
  • logging
  • entomology
  • forest conservation
  • insect–host relationships
  • pathogen–disease interactions
  • resilience

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 831 KiB  
Article
Microclimate Shifts and Leaf Miner Community Responses to Shelterwood Regeneration in Sessile Oak Forests
by Jovan Dobrosavljević, Branko Kanjevac and Čedomir Marković
Forests 2025, 16(5), 739; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16050739 - 25 Apr 2025
Abstract
For forests to provide ecosystem services and function optimally, they need to be managed. Forest management measures can cause significant environmental changes, which sometimes appear extreme. The most notable disturbance caused by forest regeneration is the change in canopy cover. Alteration of the [...] Read more.
For forests to provide ecosystem services and function optimally, they need to be managed. Forest management measures can cause significant environmental changes, which sometimes appear extreme. The most notable disturbance caused by forest regeneration is the change in canopy cover. Alteration of the canopy cover is followed by the modifications of many microclimatic factors. These changes subsequently affect all the living organisms in the forest. The present study was conducted to determine how the changes caused by modifications of canopy closure by shelterwood regeneration affect the leaf-mining insect community on sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.). We identified that the removal of the canopy significantly affects the microclimate, vegetation, and the leaf miner community. The insolation and temperature increased in the more open areas, while relative air humidity decreased. This affects the characteristics of the young oak plants, which grow taller and produce more leaves in the open-canopy areas. All these changes consequentially affect the leaf miner community. While the species richness and abundance per tree increased with the decrease in canopy closure, the species richness and abundance per leaf decreased. The opening of the canopy positively affected the leaf miners in the end by increasing the diversity and evenness of their community. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbances as Drivers of Forest Ecosystem Change)

Review

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18 pages, 1453 KiB  
Review
Research History of Forest Gap as Small-Scale Disturbances in Forest Ecosystems
by Aolei Tian, Ümüt Halik, Wentao Fu, Subinur Sawirdin, Shengyuan Cheng and Jiaqiang Lei
Forests 2024, 15(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010021 - 21 Dec 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4157
Abstract
Forest gaps, which are formed by small-scale disturbances that often occur in forest communities, are the most dominant form of disturbance in many types of forests around the world and play an essential role in the dynamics of forest regeneration, plant diversity conservation, [...] Read more.
Forest gaps, which are formed by small-scale disturbances that often occur in forest communities, are the most dominant form of disturbance in many types of forests around the world and play an essential role in the dynamics of forest regeneration, plant diversity conservation, nutrient cycling, and forest succession. Forest gaps are one of the vital directions in forest research. Dynamic disturbance and vegetation regeneration are important elements of forest gap research. The research on forest gaps has a history spanning over 70 years, but there is a lack of a systematic overview of the process. Therefore, this review outlines the spatial changes in the whole process of forest gap development by systematically analyzing the occurrence, basic characteristics, micro-environmental changes, and the effects of forest gap disturbance processes on understory animals, plants, soil microorganisms, and forest regeneration and succession. The results contribute to a better understanding of forest gaps and their impacts on forest regeneration and management. Based on this, we remapped the forest gap process during forest succession. We suggest directions and recommendations for improvements in response to the dilemmas and challenges facing the future of forest gaps. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbances as Drivers of Forest Ecosystem Change)
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17 pages, 3790 KiB  
Review
Afforestation of Land Abandoned by Farmers Poses Threat to Forest Sustainability Due to Heterobasidion spp.
by Tomasz Oszako, Olga Kukina, Valentyna Dyshko, Warren Keith Moser, Sławomir Ślusarski, Adam Okorski and Piotr Borowik
Forests 2023, 14(5), 954; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14050954 - 5 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2038
Abstract
Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. sensu lato (s.l.) is a dangerous forest pathogen causing root and butt rot disease in most conifers of the northern hemisphere. This pathogen is most widespread in the forests of Europe and North America. The economic impact on forestry [...] Read more.
Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. sensu lato (s.l.) is a dangerous forest pathogen causing root and butt rot disease in most conifers of the northern hemisphere. This pathogen is most widespread in the forests of Europe and North America. The economic impact on forestry related to tree mortality, reduction in timber yield, and wood rot is calculated in millions of dollars and euros. The genus Heterobasidion (Basidiomycota; Russulales) has been relatively recently separated into three genetically distinct groups (H. annosum, H. insulare and H. araucariae) comprising a total of 12 species and one newly described hybrid taxon. These species are the best studied in terms of the ecology, the physiology of control methods, and the tree’s resistance to the pathogen. The article gives an overview of the symptoms and the etiology of the disease and provides information on ways to recognize the disease and limit the economic damage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbances as Drivers of Forest Ecosystem Change)
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