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Forests
Special Issues
Forest Management: Planning, Decision Making and Implementation
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Forest Management: Planning, Decision Making and Implementation

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Economics, Policy, and Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 7821

Special Issue Editors

Dr. António Manuel de Sousa Xavier

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Guest Editor
Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: forest management; agricultural economics; natural resources economics; applied geography; multiple criteria decision analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rui Manuel de Sousa Fragoso

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Guest Editor
Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics, University of Évora, 2, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal
Interests: supply chain management; agribusiness; entrepreneurship and innovation; natural and environmental economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Maria De Belém Costa Freitas

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Guest Editor
MED-Instituto Mediterrâneo para a Agricultura, Ambiente e Desenvolvimento, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: supply chain management; agribusiness; entrepreneurship and innovation; natural and environmental economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forests present great ecological value and provide a wide range of ecosystem services, which are essential for natural and human activities. Therefore, forest management requires a good knowledge of both the ecological and economic processes. Sustainable forest management is concerned with the enhancement of various forest-related functions and, regardless of the purpose given to a forest and its products and services, it is undeniable that the end result should generate maximum utility. Managers’ choices are conditioned by economy and often change the ability of forests to produce resources for future generations, which should be maintained. Moreover, several risks, including forest fire occurrence, must be considered.

Most of the technical and scientific information generated over the last few decades seems to present several gaps regarding effective forest management. The development of decision support systems for forest management and fire prevention, and the inclusion of multiple criteria decision analysis techniques are crucial. This Special Issue encourages the submission of studies from several fields for contributions regarding forest management. These contributions may include methodological papers, practical applications, decision making issues, etc. In addition to this, we would like to receive studies that promote the integration of different ecosystem services into forest management, decision-making processes through quantitative models, multiple criteria decision analysis, and group decision-making models.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Sustainable forest management;
  • Forest economics;
  • Forest industry analysis;
  • Ecosystem services provided by forests;
  • Forestry and climate change;
  • Models for forest management;
  • Decision support systems;
  • Economic valuation;
  • Forest fire management;
  • Multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA);
  • Group decision models for forest management.

Dr. António Manuel de Sousa Xavier
Dr. Rui Manuel de Sousa Fragoso
Dr. Maria De Belém Costa Freitas
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 management
  • forest policy
  • decision support systems
  • ecosystem services
  • forest economics
  • ecosystem services
  • models
  • multiple criteria decision analysis

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1297 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Prediction of Long-Term Carbon Absorption by Applying the Renewal Scenario of Forest in Korea
by Soongil Kwon, Yoon-Seong Chang, Junbeum Kim, Yong Woo Hwang and Jean-Christophe Lata
Forests 2025, 16(2), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020254 - 29 Jan 2025
Viewed by 348
Abstract
As global warming has emerged as an essential global solution, the role of carbon neutrality is required to respond to rapidly changing environmental policies. Forests are an important means for achieving carbon neutrality as they act as a key carbon sink, and, among [...] Read more.
As global warming has emerged as an essential global solution, the role of carbon neutrality is required to respond to rapidly changing environmental policies. Forests are an important means for achieving carbon neutrality as they act as a key carbon sink, and, among them, forest management called afforestation is emerging as a decisive factor. However, although various studies are being conducted to enhance carbon absorption capacity, there are not many long-term research cases on afforestation. In this study, the cumulative carbon absorption for a total of 90 years from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2100 was set as the baseline. Various changes were made according to the cyclical trend of the species and age classes planted nationwide, and various results were derived through the regeneration scenario. As a result of the study, the difference between the maximum value and the baseline CO2 absorption was approximately 130 million t CO2 when compared with the 90-year cumulative value. When converted into an annual unit, it increased by more than 14 million t CO2. Based on the highest figures, compared with statistics from the Ministry of Environment’s Greenhouse Gas Information Center, it was confirmed that the forest absorption source, which was offset by 6.26 percent in 2019, could be changed by up to 8.74 percent. When analyzing the maximum figures from this study, depending on the method of afforestation, the greenhouse gases emitted by approximately 9.32 million passenger cars per year could be offset. In conclusion, among the carbon neutrality tasks that must be addressed at the national level, it is very important to establish long-term direction decisions and detailed plans for the forest sector, which is the core of carbon sinks, and a strategic approach is essential. Based on this study, it is expected that a more systematic direction can be presented for planning and implementing future afforestation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management: Planning, Decision Making and Implementation)
16 pages, 8433 KiB  
Article
Land Use/Change and Local Population Movements in Stone Pine Forests: A Case Study of Western Türkiye
by Seda Erkan Buğday, Ender Buğday, Taner Okan, Coşkun Köse and Sezgin Özden
Forests 2025, 16(2), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020243 - 27 Jan 2025
Viewed by 411
Abstract
One of the important distribution areas of stone pine (Pinus pinea L.), a native tree species of the Mediterranean Basin in Türkiye, is the Kozak Basin. Pine nut production plays an important role in the livelihood of the rural people of the [...] Read more.
One of the important distribution areas of stone pine (Pinus pinea L.), a native tree species of the Mediterranean Basin in Türkiye, is the Kozak Basin. Pine nut production plays an important role in the livelihood of the rural people of the Kozak Basin. However, in recent years, as a result of mining activities, climate change, and damage caused by the alien invasive species, the western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann 1910 (Hemiptera; Coreidae), the decrease in cone and seed yield in the basin has reached significant dimensions. This process has caused the local people’s income sources to decrease. In this study, land use and land cover (LULC) changes and population changes in the Kozak Basin were discussed during the process, where changing forest land functions, especially economic effects, triggered vulnerable communities due to various factors such as climate change and insect damage. LULC classes of the Kozak Basin and their changes in three time periods are presented using the maximum likelihood method. In addition, the exponential population growth rates of the local people in three different time periods were calculated and these rates were interpolated in the spatial plane with a Kriging analysis. In conclusion, the responses of vulnerable communities to the cone and seed yield decline in the Kozak Basin are manifested by LULC changes and migration from the basin. Therefore, in the management of P. pinea areas, the creation of regulations within the framework of sustainability understanding regardless of ownership difference, stakeholder participatory approach management, close monitoring of ecological events occurring in the basin, awareness of vulnerable communities, and alternative livelihoods can be supported. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management: Planning, Decision Making and Implementation)
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15 pages, 4791 KiB  
Article
Thinning Improves Large Diameter Timber Cultivation but Undermines Ecosystem Multifunctionality in the Short Term
by Han Sheng, Fengling Long, Xu Li, Fasih Ullah Haider, Zhiyuan Shi, Lihua Xian, Chushu Meng and Hui Li
Forests 2025, 16(1), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16010134 - 13 Jan 2025
Viewed by 434
Abstract
Implementing thinning practices can enhance the growth of plantation forests and improve soil health. Nevertheless, the impacts of thinning applications on soil quality, large-diameter timber production of Castanopsis hystrix, and ecosystem multifunctionality are poorly understood. Therefore, we chose two sample plots, unthinned [...] Read more.
Implementing thinning practices can enhance the growth of plantation forests and improve soil health. Nevertheless, the impacts of thinning applications on soil quality, large-diameter timber production of Castanopsis hystrix, and ecosystem multifunctionality are poorly understood. Therefore, we chose two sample plots, unthinned (control) and thinned, to investigate productivity and ecosystem multifunctionality after thinning for six years. Results revealed that thinning significantly reduced the soil’s bulk density, enhanced large-diameter timber growth, and undermined ecosystem multifunctionality in the short term compared to control (unthinning) treatment. Compared to the control, the thinning treatment considerably enhanced the soil organic carbon (0–30 cm soil layer) and tree diameter at breast height (20–30 cm), and enhanced shrub leaf nitrogen (N), shrub root N, herb aboveground N, Gram-positive bacteria (0–10 cm soil layer), and Gram-positive bacteria (20–30 cm soil layer) contents by 29.61%, 65.29%, 44.61%, 274.35%, and 323.44%, respectively. Furthermore, the thinning application could improve the N and P resorption efficiency more than control. Furthermore, compared with control, thinning treatment maximized decomposition and nutrient cycling function by 11.81% and 143.40%, respectively. Moreover, total PLFA content significantly impacts carbon stocks, wood production, and water regulation functions. In conclusion, this study underscores the considerable potential of thinning in augmenting large-diameter timber production by stimulating the positive effects of forest stands. These findings provide valuable insights for ecosystem multifunctionality elevation and the judicious application of thinning to improve forestry productivity, facilitating sustainable development in the forestry sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management: Planning, Decision Making and Implementation)
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17 pages, 15638 KiB  
Article
Unveiling the Secrets: How Landscape Patterns Shape Habitat Quality in Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park
by Xishihui Du, Ying Chen and Zhaoguo Wang
Forests 2024, 15(11), 1889; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15111889 - 26 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1226
Abstract
The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (NCTLNP) is a critical habitat for the endangered Amur tiger and Amur leopard, making it a global biodiversity hotspot. This study explores how changes in landscape patterns have influenced habitat quality in the park, aiming [...] Read more.
The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (NCTLNP) is a critical habitat for the endangered Amur tiger and Amur leopard, making it a global biodiversity hotspot. This study explores how changes in landscape patterns have influenced habitat quality in the park, aiming to develop strategies for enhancing biodiversity conservation and ensuring the park’s long-term sustainability. From 2012 to 2017, habitat quality in the NCTLNP experienced a significant decline; however, the launch of the national park pilot program in 2017 resulted in improvements, particularly in core protected areas, where habitat quality increased and landscape fragmentation decreased. These findings indicate that the national park initiative reduced the degradation of habitat quality. Key landscape metrics, especially the Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI), were found to significantly affect habitat quality. Additionally, the interaction between SHDI and landscape contagion (CONTAG) played a pivotal role in shaping habitat quality over time. Areas with high SHDI and low CONTAG showed declines in habitat quality, pointing to the need for focused conservation efforts. This study offers valuable insights for policymakers seeking to improve habitat quality through targeted landscape management practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management: Planning, Decision Making and Implementation)
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16 pages, 2977 KiB  
Article
Prediction of the Potential Distribution and Conservation Strategies of the Endangered Plant Tapiscia sinensis
by Mei Liu, Xiaoyu Li, Liyong Yang, Keyi Chen, Zixi Shama, Xue Jiang, Jingtian Yang, Guanghua Zhao and Yi Huang
Forests 2024, 15(9), 1677; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15091677 - 23 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1147
Abstract
Tapiscia sinensis Oliv. (T. sinensis), known as the Yingjiao tree, belongs to the Staphyleaceae family. It is a deciduous tree species endemic to China and represents an ancient species from the Tertiary glacial relics, possessing significant ecological and economic value. This [...] Read more.
Tapiscia sinensis Oliv. (T. sinensis), known as the Yingjiao tree, belongs to the Staphyleaceae family. It is a deciduous tree species endemic to China and represents an ancient species from the Tertiary glacial relics, possessing significant ecological and economic value. This study is based on 154 effective distribution points of T. sinensis in China and 12 environmental factors. Using integrated modeling and ArcGIS software (v10.8), the potential geographic distribution of T. sinensis under climate change was predicted to assess its future impact on distribution and ecological niche. Additionally, on-site surveys were conducted to compare the characteristics of T. sinensis forest communities across different habitability zones. The study also proposes conservation strategies based on the influence of climate change on the distribution of T. sinensis and the characteristics of its forest communities. The results indicate that (1) the current highly suitable areas for T. sinensis are primarily located in the municipal regions where Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces meet, covering an area of 20.44 × 104 km2. (2) In three suitable community categories, T. sinensis is consistently a subdominant species, with the community in moderately suitable areas being the most diverse and exhibiting higher stability and evenness. (3) Under future climate change scenarios, the potential distribution area for T. sinensis will gradually decrease with rising temperatures. It will shift toward northern higher latitude regions, with the degree of ecological niche migration also increasing. (4) Conservation measures for T. sinensis primarily involve in situ and ex situ protection approaches. These results provide a theoretical basis for the scientific management and resource conservation of T. sinensis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management: Planning, Decision Making and Implementation)
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17 pages, 6772 KiB  
Article
Spatial Distribution Patterns of the Key Afforestation Species Cupressus funebris: Insights from an Ensemble Model under Climate Change Scenarios
by Jingtian Yang, Yi Huang, Miaomiao Su, Mei Liu, Jingxuan Yang and Qinggui Wu
Forests 2024, 15(8), 1280; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15081280 - 23 Jul 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1325
Abstract
Cupressus funebris Endl. (C. funebris) is an evergreen tree endemic to China that is classified as a national second-class endangered plant. This species plays critical roles in soil and humidity conservation, climate regulation, and ecological restoration. It is also important in [...] Read more.
Cupressus funebris Endl. (C. funebris) is an evergreen tree endemic to China that is classified as a national second-class endangered plant. This species plays critical roles in soil and humidity conservation, climate regulation, and ecological restoration. It is also important in silvicultural production, which is crucial for maintaining the stability of the ecosystem in Southwest China. In this study, an integrated modeling approach was used to integrate 10 species distribution models to simulate the potential distribution of C. funebris and predict the impact of future climate change on its distribution and ecological niche. Field surveys were conducted to compare the forest stands of C. funebris under different habitat suitability levels. The results showed that the most suitable areas for C. funebris were mainly located in Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou, covering an area of approximately 15.651 × 104 km2. The productivity of the C. funebris forest stands in these highly suitable areas and was significantly higher than that in low and moderately suitable areas, although understory plant diversity did not show a competitive advantage. Under future climate scenarios, the potential distribution of C. funebris in China will expand and the geographical range of the niche will shift to higher latitudes in northern China as temperatures increase. The extent of this change in the niche’s geographical range intensified as warming increased. Specifically, under the 2090s-SSP585 climate scenario, the highly suitable area for C. funebris is projected to double, suggesting a significant expansion of the geographical range of the niche under this climate model, with more than half of the niche experiencing separation. In summary, the potential distribution of C. funebris may continue to expand and shift to higher latitudes in the context of global warming and its ecological niche’s geographical range will be adjusted accordingly. These findings provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for in situ conservation, ex situ conservation, and rational utilization of C. funebris genetic resources by conducting niche modeling and climate suitability assessments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management: Planning, Decision Making and Implementation)
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21 pages, 3606 KiB  
Article
Brazilian Forest-Based Sector Perceptions and Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—Developing Strategies Using the Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA) Approach
by Renata Aguayo Lopes da Silva, Leandro Duarte dos Santos, Renato Cesar Gonçalves Robert and Thomas Purfürst
Forests 2024, 15(1), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010198 - 19 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1805
Abstract
The Brazilian forest-based sector (FBS) has a complex and important role in leading local and global bioeconomy and sustainable development initiatives. Among these tasks is the improvement and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, key actors in the FBS still have [...] Read more.
The Brazilian forest-based sector (FBS) has a complex and important role in leading local and global bioeconomy and sustainable development initiatives. Among these tasks is the improvement and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, key actors in the FBS still have different perspectives regarding their contributions to the implementation and achievement of the SDGs, and this shortage of understanding and complex problem structure may result in misleading strategic planning, which must be improved to increase and strengthen their participation. This study proposes a participatory assessment to comprehend the perceptions of the Brazilian forest-based sector’s key actors and their contributions to achieving the SDGs by using a problem structuring method (PSM). Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA), a method from PSM and soft operational research, was used to support the strategic decisions and assist in formulating the strategies. Following the SODA approach, this study interviewed 13 key actors from different forest sector institutions in Brazil and listed strategies to improve their contributions to the SDGs. As a result, 29 main goals and 68 strategic options were mapped. The goals reflect the key actor’s understanding of the main contributions of the Brazilian FBS to the SDGs, and the strategic options represent the main strategies that can be implemented to strengthen the participation and positioning of these institutions in Agenda 2030. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management: Planning, Decision Making and Implementation)
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