Topic Editors

Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 4888, Shengbei Street, Changchun 130102, China
Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China

Remote Sensing of Urban Forests and Their Ecological Functions

Abstract submission deadline
31 May 2025
Manuscript submission deadline
31 July 2025
Viewed by
4007

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

As globalization and urbanization accelerate, urban environments face numerous challenges, including deteriorating air quality, intensified urban heat island effects, and degradation of ecosystem services. These environmental issues not only impact the sustainability of cities but also pose serious threats to the health and well-being of residents. As a crucial component of urban ecosystems, urban forests play an irreplaceable role in addressing the myriad environmental problems caused by rapid urbanization. Urban forests have many ecological functions, such as air purification, absorbing pollutants, producing oxygen, and effectively regulating urban climates. Additionally, urban forests provide valuable habitats for various organisms, enhancing urban biodiversity and offering necessary recreational spaces for city dwellers. However, compared to natural forests, urban forests, as a complex of artificial and natural ecosystems, exhibit various unique characteristics such as high fragmentation and habitat separation. These features make the study and management of urban forests more challenging. Current research on the ecological functions of urban forests often relies on traditional methods such as point measurements or field surveys. While these methods provide valuable data, they are limited by data discontinuity and low spatial precision. With the advancement of remote sensing technology, using remote sensing data for studying the structure and functions of urban forests has become increasingly important. Remote sensing enables extensive, high-frequency observations, allowing for continuous monitoring of urban forests. This technology aids in accurately reflecting changes in the structure and ecological functions of urban forests. However, how to use remote sensing to obtain the urban forest structures and their ecological functions is still poorly understood.

We are pleased to propose publishing a Topic titled "Remote Sensing of Urban Forests and Their Ecological Functions". We welcome researchers to submit their work on remote sensing monitoring of urban forests, assessment of urban forest structure, and spatial pattern of ecological functions. Through this research, we aim to deepen the scientific understanding of the ecological functions of urban forests and explore the application of remote sensing technologies in urban forest management. This is an excellent opportunity for researchers engaged in urban forestry ecology to exchange ideas and expand their current knowledge of urban forests and their ecological functions. We sincerely invite submissions on any of the above topics. Please contact us if you are interested in this Topic or have any questions.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • The Relationship between Urban Forests and Human Well-being
  • Response of urban forests or trees to urban stressed environment
  • Remote sensing of urban forest structure
  • Remote sensing of urban forest diversity
  • Remote sensing of urban wetland
  • Spatiotemporal estimation of urban ecosystems functions by remote sensing
  • The Impact of Urbanization on the Structure and Ecological Functions of Urban Forests
  • The Multifunctionality of Urban Forest Landscapes and Its Associated driving Factors.

Dr. Zhibin Ren
Dr. Sheng Xu
Dr. Mingming Jia
Dr. Chunlin Li
Topic Editors

Keywords

  • urban ecology
  • remote sensing
  • landscape ecology
  • urban forests
  • ecosystem functions
  • urban biodiversity
  • carbon sequestration
  • ozone pollution
  • climate warming
  • plant functional traits

Participating Journals

Journal Name Impact Factor CiteScore Launched Year First Decision (median) APC
Forests
forests
2.4 4.4 2010 16.9 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Land
land
3.2 4.9 2012 17.8 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Remote Sensing
remotesensing
4.2 8.3 2009 24.7 Days CHF 2700 Submit
Urban Science
urbansci
2.1 4.3 2017 24.7 Days CHF 1600 Submit

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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22 pages, 9118 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Changes of Air Particle Pollutants and Scale Regulation of Forest Landscape in a Typical High-Latitude City
by Chang Zhai, Ning Fang, Xuan Xu, Bingyan Liu, Guangdao Bao, Zhibin Ren and Ruoxuan Geng
Land 2024, 13(11), 1947; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111947 - 18 Nov 2024
Viewed by 312
Abstract
Particulate pollutants, particularly PM2.5 and PM10, pose serious threats to human health and environmental quality. Therefore, effectively mitigating and reducing the concentrations of these pollutants is crucial for human survival and development. In this study, we analyzed the distribution characteristics [...] Read more.
Particulate pollutants, particularly PM2.5 and PM10, pose serious threats to human health and environmental quality. Therefore, effectively mitigating and reducing the concentrations of these pollutants is crucial for human survival and development. In this study, we analyzed the distribution characteristics of air particulate pollutants in a typical high-latitude city, extracted urban forest areas from high-resolution remote sensing images, and examined the changing characteristics of PM concentration and the relationship between landscape pattern indexes and PM at different scales. The results showed that the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were highest in winter and lowest in summer. At the small scales of 0.5 km × 0.5 km to 1.5 km × 1.5 km, PM concentration decreased with the decrease in PARA (Perimeter–Area Ratio). At the mesoscales of 2 km × 2 km to 2.5 km × 2.5 km, both PARA and CIRCLE (Related Circumscribing Circle) were highly significant (p < 0.001) correlated with PM concentration. At the large scales of 3 km × 3 km to 4 km × 4 km, PARA and PAFRAC (Perimeter–Area Fractal Dimension) were positively correlated with PM concentration. Our study indicates that reducing the complexity of forest patches in small-scale planning can help mitigate particulate air pollution. In the medium scale of urban forest planning, the more regular the forest patch shape and the more similar the patch shape to the strip, the better PM can be alleviated, while in large-scale planning, increasing the forest area and making the patches more normalized and simplified can reduce PM concentration. Moreover, reducing the complexity of forest patches can significantly mitigate PM pollution at all scales. The results of this research provide theoretical support and guidance for improving air quality in urban forest planning at different scales. Full article
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24 pages, 4797 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Urban Forest Multifunctionality through Strategic Community Configurations: Insights from Changchun, China
by Jinsheng Yan, Juan Zhang, Qi Wang and Xingyuan He
Forests 2024, 15(10), 1704; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15101704 - 26 Sep 2024
Viewed by 551
Abstract
The role of forest community configurations in multiple ecosystem functions remains poorly understood due to the absence of quantifiable metrics for evaluating these configurations. This limitation hinders our ability to use forests to enhance urban well-being effectively. This study integrates both observation and [...] Read more.
The role of forest community configurations in multiple ecosystem functions remains poorly understood due to the absence of quantifiable metrics for evaluating these configurations. This limitation hinders our ability to use forests to enhance urban well-being effectively. This study integrates both observation and experimentation to elucidate the effects of community configurations on the multifunctionality of forests. We examine seven ecosystem functions in Changchun’s urban forests: carbon sequestration, rainwater interception, temperature reduction, humidity increase, particulate matter reduction, noise reduction, and water conservation. Assortment indices, derived from traditional diversity metrics and relative importance values, reveal a negative correlation with multifunctionality. This suggests that improving forest multifunctionality requires a strategically planned species composition rather than simply increasing diversity. Furthermore, the creation of comprehensive configuration indices for evaluating intraspecific configurations has confirmed their beneficial impact on multifunctionality. Our results highlight the significance of intraspecific structural configurations and advocate for using mixed-species plantings in urban forestry practices. We propose practical management strategies to enhance urban forest multifunctionality, including selecting tree species for their functional benefits, implementing uneven-aged plantings, and integrating both shade-tolerant and sun-loving species. Together, our findings underscore the essential role of community configuration in sustaining multifunctionality and strongly support the management of urban forests. Full article
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28 pages, 13305 KiB  
Article
Changes in Spatiotemporal Pattern and Its Driving Factors of Suburban Forest Defoliating Pest Disasters
by Xuefei Jiang, Ting Liu, Mingming Ding, Wei Zhang, Chang Zhai, Junyan Lu, Huaijiang He, Ye Luo, Guangdao Bao and Zhibin Ren
Forests 2024, 15(9), 1650; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15091650 - 19 Sep 2024
Viewed by 853
Abstract
Forest defoliating pests are significant global forest disturbance agents, posing substantial threats to forest ecosystems. However, previous studies have lacked systematic analyses of the continuous spatiotemporal distribution characteristics over a complete 3–5 year disaster cycle based on remote sensing data. This study focuses [...] Read more.
Forest defoliating pests are significant global forest disturbance agents, posing substantial threats to forest ecosystems. However, previous studies have lacked systematic analyses of the continuous spatiotemporal distribution characteristics over a complete 3–5 year disaster cycle based on remote sensing data. This study focuses on the Dendrolimus superans outbreak in the Changbai Mountain region of northeastern China. Utilizing leaf area index (LAI) data derived from Sentinel-2A satellite images, we analyze the extent and dynamic changes of forest defoliation. We comprehensively examine the spatiotemporal patterns of forest defoliating pest disasters and their development trends across different forest types. Using the geographical detector method, we quantify the main influencing factors and their interactions, revealing the differential impacts of various factors during different growth stages of the pests. The results show that in the early stage of the Dendrolimus superans outbreak, the affected area is extensive but with mild severity, with newly affected areas being 23 times larger than during non-outbreak periods. In the pre-hibernation stage, the affected areas are smaller but more severe, with a cumulative area reaching up to 8213 hectares. The spatial diffusion characteristics of the outbreak follow a sequential pattern across forest types: Larix olgensis, Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, Picea koraiensis, and Pinus koraiensis. The most significant influencing factor during the pest development phase was the relative humidity of the year preceding the outbreak, with a q-value of 0.27. During the mitigation phase, summer precipitation was the most influential factor, with a q-value of 0.12. The combined effect of humidity and the low temperatures of 2020 had the most significant impact on both the development and mitigation stages of the outbreak. This study’s methodology achieves a high-precision quantitative inversion of long-term disaster spatial characteristics, providing new perspectives and tools for real-time monitoring and differentiated control of forest pest infestations. Full article
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21 pages, 7348 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Urban Green Space Coverage and Its Exposed Population under Rapid Urbanization in China
by Chang Zhai, Ruoxuan Geng, Zhibin Ren, Chengcong Wang, Peng Zhang, Yujie Guo, Shengyang Hong, Wenhai Hong, Fanyue Meng and Ning Fang
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(15), 2836; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16152836 - 2 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1373
Abstract
Urban green spaces (UGSs) provide important support for the health of urban residents and the realization of sustainable urban development. However, the spatiotemporal pattern of urban resident exposure to UGSs in cities is unclear, especially at the national scale in China. Based on [...] Read more.
Urban green spaces (UGSs) provide important support for the health of urban residents and the realization of sustainable urban development. However, the spatiotemporal pattern of urban resident exposure to UGSs in cities is unclear, especially at the national scale in China. Based on the annual 30 m resolution Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data of the Landsat satellite, we quantitatively analyzed the change in UGS coverage from 2000 to 2020 for 320 cities in China and combined it with population data to understand the changing patterns of urban population exposure to different UGS coverage. The results indicated that the average UGS coverage decreased from 63% to 44% from 2000 to 2020 in China, which could be divided into two stages: a rapid decline phase (2000–2014) and a progressive decline phase (2015–2020). Geographically, UGS coverage declined faster in southwestern and eastern cities than in other regions, particularly in medium-sized cities. We also found that urban pixel-based areas in cities with the highest UGS coverage (80–100%) decreased rapidly, and the proportion of the urban population exposed to the highest UGS coverage also declined significantly from 2000 to 2020. Urban pixel-based areas with low UGS coverage (20–40%) continued to expand, and there was a rapid increase in the proportion of the urban population exposed to low UGS coverage, with an increase of 146 million people from 2000 to 2020. The expansion of impervious surfaces had the most significant effect on the change in UGS coverage during different periods (2000–2020, 2000–2014, and 2015–2020). Natural factors such as precipitation, surface maximum temperature, and soil moisture also affected UGS coverage change. These findings provide insights into the impact of urbanization on the natural environment of cities, availability of UGS for residents, and sustainable urban development under rapid urbanization. Full article
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