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Forests
Special Issues
Sustainable Management of Forest Stands
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Sustainable Management of Forest Stands

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2025 | Viewed by 3035

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Deborah Guerra Barroso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Phytotechnics Laboratory, Forestry Sector, State University of Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil
Interests: forest
Prof. Dr. Marcos Vinicius Winckler Caldeira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Jerônimo Monteiro 29550-000, Brazil
Interests: nutrient cycling; seedling; biogeochemistry cycling; litterfall and litter; silviculture; decomposition; biomass production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. David Pessanha Siqueira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Scion-Research Institute, Titokorangi Drive Formerly, Longmile Road, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua 3010, New Zealand
Interests: seedling production; silviculture; plantation management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainable management of forest stands has gained global prominence as the demand for wood, fiber, and other forest products has increased. In this respect, ensuring that these resources are exploited in a balanced way, avoiding imbalances in the ecosystem, has become imperative. Forest stands, encompassing native and exotic species and their management practices, play a crucial role in conserving genetic resources and biodiversity, as well as mitigating the effects of climate change through carbon sequestration.

This Special Issue aims to explore the performance of sustainable forest plantations, including silvicultural techniques, forest harvest residue management, ecosystem services, and innovative approaches to ensuring sustainability across rotations.

By bringing together cutting-edge research and practical knowledge from experts in the field, we hope to advance our understanding of sustainable forest management.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Forest deployment;
  • Minimum tillage practices;
  • Forest plantations and biodiversity conservation;
  • Effects of forest management practices on forest growth;
  • Management of forest harvest residues;
  • Modelling growth and biomass production.

Prof. Dr. Deborah Guerra Barroso
Prof. Dr. Marcos Vinicius Winckler Caldeira
Guest Editors

Dr. David Pessanha Siqueira
Guest Editor Assistant

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

  • harvest residues
  • forest performance
  • minimum tillage
  • forest productivity
  • ecosystem services
  • climate change mitigation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 7047 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Impacts of Selective Logging on the Forest Understory in the Amazon Using Airborne LiDAR
by Leilson Ferreira, Edilson de Souza Bias, Quétila Souza Barros, Luís Pádua, Eraldo Aparecido Trondoli Matricardi and Joaquim J. Sousa
Forests 2025, 16(1), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16010130 - 12 Jan 2025
Viewed by 497
Abstract
Reduced-impact logging (RIL) has been recognized as a promising strategy for biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration within sustainable forest management (SFM) areas. However, monitoring the forest understory—a critical area for assessing logging impacts—remains challenging due to limitations in conventional methods such as field [...] Read more.
Reduced-impact logging (RIL) has been recognized as a promising strategy for biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration within sustainable forest management (SFM) areas. However, monitoring the forest understory—a critical area for assessing logging impacts—remains challenging due to limitations in conventional methods such as field inventories and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) surveys, which are time-consuming, costly, and often lack accuracy in complex environments. Additionally, aerial and satellite imagery frequently underestimate the full extent of disturbances as the forest canopy obscures understory impacts. This study examines the effectiveness of the relative density model (RDM), derived from airborne LiDAR data, for mapping and monitoring understory disturbances. A field-based validation of LiDAR-derived RDM was conducted across 25 sites, totaling 5504.5 hectares within the Jamari National Forest, Rondônia, Brazil. The results indicate that the RDM accurately delineates disturbances caused by logging infrastructure, with over 90% agreement with GNSS field data. However, the model showed the greatest discrepancy for skid trails, which, despite their lower accuracy in modeling, accounted for the largest proportion of the total impacted area among infrastructure. The findings include the mapping of 35.1 km of primary roads, 117.4 km of secondary roads, 595.6 km of skid trails, and 323 log landings, with skid trails comprising the largest proportion of area occupied by logging infrastructure. It is recommended that airborne LiDAR assessments be conducted up to two years post-logging, as impacts become less detectable over time. This study highlights LiDAR data as a reliable alternative to traditional monitoring approaches, with the ability to detect understory impacts more comprehensively for monitoring selective logging in SFM areas of the Amazon, providing a valuable tool for both conservation and climate mitigation efforts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Forest Stands)
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18 pages, 4073 KiB  
Article
Land Use Evolution and Its Driving Factors over the Past 30 Years in Luochuan County
by Yuhang Xue, Wenbao Ma, Liangxu Liu and Yang Yang
Forests 2024, 15(8), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15081346 - 2 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 841
Abstract
Understanding the evolution of land use change and its drivers is vital in keeping the fragile balance between human activities and nature. The present study employs remote sensing data from between 1990 and 2020 during the Grain-for-Green Project (GGP) in Luochuan county, Shaanxi [...] Read more.
Understanding the evolution of land use change and its drivers is vital in keeping the fragile balance between human activities and nature. The present study employs remote sensing data from between 1990 and 2020 during the Grain-for-Green Project (GGP) in Luochuan county, Shaanxi Province, which offers 30 years of continuous data on precipitation, temperature, population, and GDP. Here, the combined method of supervised classification with manual visual interpretation was adopted for building a high-precision spatial distribution information database, in order to explore the links existing between the change features of land use, distribution, and spatial pattern, and the interference of local socio-economic development and natural factors before and after the GGP. According to the results, during the past three decades, Luochuan county has undergone large changes in land use types, displaying distinct features and regional disparities. Geographically, the north of Luochuan county is predominantly forest and grassland, while farmland is mostly in the south of Luochuan county. In 1990, farmland dominated this county; however, after 2000, forest and grassland areas expanded. Notably, the implementation of the GGP significantly influenced changes in grassland and forest areas. With the development of modernization, Luochuan county’s land use structure has gradually equilibrated, with increased uniformity in the distribution of various land use types. Obviously, the shift in land use from 1990 to 2020 primarily correlates with mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, total population, and GDP. Furthermore, regression analysis revealed that during the initial decade of the GGP, natural factors primarily drove land use changes. However, after the GGP, the conversion rate from farmland to forest and shrubland/grassland escalated, and population growth was the continual external force driving the expansion of forest and grassland. Despite substantial economic benefits from land development and utilization in Luochuan county during the past 30 years, certain human economic activities have posed significant pressure on regional agricultural development and sustainable land resource use. Overall, this study helps our government to enhance national land management and planning through a targeted method, also providing a reference for analyzing land use change processes within same areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Forest Stands)
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17 pages, 5584 KiB  
Article
Scale Effects of Individual Tree Thinning in Chinese Fir Plantations
by Liting Wei, Yuanfa Li and Weiguo Bai
Forests 2024, 15(7), 1105; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15071105 - 26 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1254
Abstract
Thinning is a crucial approach to the near-natural conversion of plantations, contributing to the sustainability of forest management. However, over a rotation, the effects of thinning on tree growth, structure, and species diversity, as well as their scale-dependent outcomes, remain unclear. Ten years [...] Read more.
Thinning is a crucial approach to the near-natural conversion of plantations, contributing to the sustainability of forest management. However, over a rotation, the effects of thinning on tree growth, structure, and species diversity, as well as their scale-dependent outcomes, remain unclear. Ten years after conducting individual tree thinning in a Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) monoculture in southwest China, we analyzed the thinning effects within the influence zone (r = 0–2.5 m) centered around stumps and center trees. The results indicate that (1) individual tree thinning did not significantly promote the increment of diameter at breast height, volume, and biomass of Chinese fir. The four nearest Chinese fir around stumps and center trees were in a state of random distribution, high mixing, and dominance; (2) individual tree thinning significantly promoted the formation of species abundance and richness at r = 2–2.5 m. With increased scale, more species were found, leading to increased stability in diameter and species distribution. Linear and nonlinear relationships between diameter classes, mingling, and dominance became more stable; (3) later-coming populations within both modes exhibited a common characteristic of random distribution, high mixing, and disadvantage at each scale, but with significant differences in species composition (kj = 0.22–0.61). These results suggest that individual tree thinning has limited impacts on the growth and structure of retained trees in Chinese fir plantations but significantly enhances the formation of species diversity, demonstrating scale effects. This underscores the feasibility of individual tree thinning in the near-natural conversion of plantations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Forest Stands)
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