How Does Forest Management Affect Soil Dynamics?

Dear Colleagues,

Forest management practices can have both positive and negative effects on soil property dynamics and can significantly influence various factors such as soil structure, nutrient cycling, organic matter content, and microbial activity. Sustainable management approaches aim to minimize soil disturbance, maintain soil fertility, and promote long-term ecosystem health and resilience. The method of administration and management of the forest fund has a direct influence on forest soils. Also, the complexes of forest management measures, which are applied in the stands of the forest fund, have a differentiated impact on forest soils depending on their specificity. The accessibility of the forest fund, mainly of the stands that are included in the ten-year harvest and culture plans related to forestry management, also has a major influence on the quality of forest soils. Forest soils and plants present unique microbiomes, associated with a multitude of processes and ecosystem services. The key position of microbial communities in forests makes them suitable indicators of applied management, with rapid reactions to any biotic or abiotic changes. Studies on microbial models, community assemblages, and reactions to applied management are necessary in order to better understand how these ecosystems function. Methodological approaches and the establishment of new indicators related to forest soils are vital for the realistic understanding and conservation of these ecosystems. This Special Issue is aimed at publishing selected contributions on the influence of forest management on soil property dynamics. The goal of the current Special Issue is to publish high-quality original scientific articles, paying special (but not exclusive) attention to the following topics:

• Influence of silvicultural practices and treatments on soil properties;
• Negative impacts of selective harvesting on soil quality;
• Forest microbiomes;
• Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems;
• Effects of reforestation and afforestation on improvements in soil properties;
• Effects of prescribed fires on soil properties;
• Sustainable forest management approaches that promote forest soil health.

Dr. Cristian Oneț
Dr. Vlad Stoian
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.

• sustainable forestry
• forest management practices
• forest regeneration
• soil health
• forest disturbances
• forest microbiomes