Impact of Climate Warming and Disturbances on Forest Ecosystems

The Special Issue (SI) titled “Impact of climate warming and disturbances on forest ecosystems” underscores the critical importance of understanding how forests respond to environmental challenges and past management. The rapid pace of climate change is altering disturbance patterns and the adaptability of forests. Some key outputs of this SI include evidence on how climate change is already impacting forest ecosystems. The climatic envelope of many forest species has shifted due to global warming, making species more vulnerable, especially those in lower elevations and those at the edges of their distribution. Urgent adaptive measures in forest management are necessary to address this challenge. Climate change also affects vegetation phenology, tree growth, stand productivity, reproduction rates, and stand regeneration.