The Role of Forests in Carbon Cycles, Sequestration, and Storage

Dear Colleagues,

Forests play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, sequestering and storing large amounts of carbon in biomass and soil. As natural carbon sinks, forests contribute significantly to climate change mitigation while simultaneously providing ecological, economic, and social benefits. However, these values are increasingly under threat by disturbances, such as deforestation, wildfire, and extreme weather events that strike against the stability and resilience of the forests.

In forest soils, two major mechanisms contributing to long-term carbon stabilization and storage have been identified: the Microbial Carbon Pump (MCP) and Mineral-Associated Organic Carbon (MAOC). MCP focuses on the transformation of organic carbon through microbial processes into resistant forms, whereas MAOC is more about the interaction of organic carbon with soil minerals, thus ensuring its persistence. Both mechanisms are promising pathways toward better carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems and furthering the understanding of soil carbon dynamics.

Despite recent advances, major knowledge gaps exist on the drivers and processes that affect carbon sequestration by forests. Key questions include the following:

• How do MCP and MAOC contribute to the persistence and stability of soil organic carbon over the long term?
• How does plant litter and root exudates impact MCP and MAOC?
• What is the impact of climate change, land-use change, and forest management practices on MCP and MAOC dynamics?
• How are these stabilization mechanisms regulated by microbial diversity and soil mineral composition?

The goal of this Special Issue of Forests is to advance the scientific understanding of the role that forests play in carbon cycling, sequestration, and storage, with an emphasis on integrating emerging concepts such as MCP and MAOC. We encourage submissions on a range of topics including, but not limited to, the following:

• Mechanisms of carbon sequestration in forest soils and biomass;
• The role of MCP and MAOC in soil carbon stabilization;
• Impact of plant litter and root exudates on MCP and MAOC;
• Dynamics and long-term stabilization of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in forest ecosystems;
• Impacts of forest management practices on carbon sequestration and soil health;
• Effects of climate change on forest carbon cycles;
• Climate change mitigation strategies through enhanced forest carbon storage;
• Long-term carbon storage trends during forest succession.

Through this Special Issue, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of how forests can be sustainably managed to maximize their carbon sequestration potential while maintaining ecosystem health.

Dr. Houxi Zhang
Prof. Dr. Lijun Chen
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.

• forest ecosystems
• biogeochemical cycles
• carbon sequestration
• carbon cycle
• soil organic carbon (SOC)
• microbial carbon pump (MCP)
• mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC)
• dissolved organic carbon (DOC)
• plant litter
• root exudates
• forest management
• climate change