Implications of Climate Change on the Sustainable Management of the Water–Forest Nexus

Dear Colleagues,

Forests and trees (i.e., trees outside forests, including trees on farms and in urban environments) are important modulators of global, regional, landscape and local hydrological cycles and patterns. Climate change impacts the forest–water nexus in that, e.g., rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations may enhance or supress forest growth and evapotranspiration, or extreme weather events such as floods and droughts resulting from changing rainfall and temperature patterns may alter forest structure and ecophysiology, which in turn will affect water yields. However, the role of forests and trees in alleviating or exacerbating the impacts of climate change on water resources and the implications for forest and water management have not been well elucidated. The complex dynamics of the climate–forest–water nexus calls for the refinement of both research approaches and forest management options to improve their understanding of the drivers of climate change and adapt to the impacts on forest and water resources at various scales. In this Special Issue, we welcome submissions that report on: (i) the effects of climate change and variability on the hydrological cycle in forests and tree-based land use systems (e.g., agroforestry), assessed through field measurements and/or modeling; and (2) options for the sustainable management of the forest–water nexus under changing climatic conditions. We also invite contributions that describe novel metrics, data analysis methods and advanced modeling techniques to better understand the connections between climate change, forest and water resources.

Prof. Dr. Asia Khamzina
Dr. Florent Noulèkoun
Guest Editors

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