Ecology of Tree Regeneration in Mature and Old Forests

Dear Colleagues,

Successful tree regeneration depends on many key factors, including mature mother trees for natural regeneration, light regime, competition, herbivory and other biotic or abiotic impacts. In order to sustain the current tree species composition or to enhance tree species diversity in old forests, it is many times questionable to achieve this with natural regeneration and under total protection. Depending on the forest ecosystem, legal constraints and the owner’s objectives and management strategies may be very different. Here, we are seeking studies that either found stable patterns of self-preservation in mature and old forests or studies describing ways to increase the resilience of the forest ecosystem in times of climate change. Investigated management strategies could e.g. focus on total protection, on artificial tree species enrichment, on other silvicultural treatments, on wildlife management or on forest protection measures (against insects, fungi, etc.). We are looking forward to your contribution to this Special Issue in order to gain a deeper insight into strategies of forest ecosystem management focusing on the protection of mature and old forests.

Dr. Torsten Vor
Guest Editor

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