Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.6
2.5
Journals
Forests
Special Issues
Ecological Responses of Forests to Climate Change
share announcement

Ecological Responses of Forests to Climate Change

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 March 2026 | Viewed by 2174

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Zhongmin Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Longdong, Guangzhou, China
Interests: abnormal litter; extreme weather events; evaluation indicator; soil’s physical and chemical properties; tropical and subtropical forests
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dastan Bamwesigye

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forest and Wood Products Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: urban sustainability and smart cities; forest ecosystems and biodiversity services and valuation; clean and renewable energy; macroeconomic policies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Guangcan Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
Interests: abnormal litter; soil carbon dynamics; free-living nitrogen fixation; phosphorus fraction; nitrogen deposition; acid rain; tropical forest

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are now facing the realities of global climate change, with the frequency and intensity of catastrophic extreme weather drastically increasing. This Special Issue focuses on quantifying the multidimensional responses of forest ecosystems to varying intensities of extreme weather events. Key areas of interest include abnormal litter production and decomposition, physiological responses of different forest types, changes in hydrological cycles, changes in fauna and microorganisms in forests, shifts in soil’s physical and chemical properties, etc. In addition, particular attention has been paid to the selection of evaluation indicators for the impact of extreme weather events on forest ecosystems. Understanding these processes is essential for predicting the impact of extreme weather on forest structure and function. This Special Issue emphasizes the importance of long-term, in situ studies to capture the temporal dynamics and contextual nuances of forest responses, aiming to enhance our ability to safeguard forest health and sustainability in the face of escalating extreme climate events, thereby informing more effective conservation strategies for future challenges.

Prof. Dr. Zhongmin Wu
Dr. Dastan Bamwesigye
Guest Editors

Dr. Guangcan Yu
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • extreme weather
  • abnormal litter
  • evaluation indicator
  • physiological responses of forests
  • hydrological cycles
  • fauna and microorganisms in forests
  • soil’s physical and chemical properties

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

20 pages, 6808 KB  
Article
High Ecosystem Stability Under Drought Events in National Nature Reserves in China’s Forest Ecosystem
by Yan Lv, Xiaoyong Li and Chaobin Yang
Forests 2025, 16(11), 1716; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16111716 - 12 Nov 2025
Viewed by 387
Abstract
Forest-type national nature reserves and their surrounding areas have experienced a series of drought events, which have influenced forest ecosystem stability. Assuming that drought events do not cause a shift in the ecosystem’s stable state, we quantified the stability of forest ecosystems in [...] Read more.
Forest-type national nature reserves and their surrounding areas have experienced a series of drought events, which have influenced forest ecosystem stability. Assuming that drought events do not cause a shift in the ecosystem’s stable state, we quantified the stability of forest ecosystems in China’s national nature reserves and their surrounding areas in response to drought events from 2000 to 2018, using satellite-observed Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) data. We further examined differences in ecosystem stability across regions and forest types, and identified the impacts of environmental factors using correlation analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and random forest models. The results show that both national nature reserves and their surrounding areas primarily experienced single, moderate-intensity drought events, most of which occurred in spring and summer. Compared with surrounding areas, national nature reserves exhibited higher ecosystem stability, with a mean drought resistance index of 31.45 ± 21.09. The difference in ecosystem stability between reserves and their surrounding areas was most pronounced in deciduous forests, which was attributed to their high hydraulic conductivity and distinctive leaf phenological traits. Additionally, climatic factors were the dominant drivers of both resistance and recovery rate, each contributing more than 30% to the overall explained variance. Our results provide valuable guidance for enhancing drought resilience and promoting the sustainable management of China’s national forest reserves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Responses of Forests to Climate Change)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 3314 KB  
Article
A Statistical Methodology for Evaluating the Potential for Poleward Expansion of Warm Temperate and Subtropical Plants Under Climate Change: A Case Study of South Korean Islands
by Woosung Kim and Su Young Jung
Forests 2025, 16(9), 1500; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16091500 - 22 Sep 2025
Viewed by 432
Abstract
Many studies have examined how species are shifting their ranges poleward in response to climate change, using statistical approaches such as graphical analyses, t-tests, correlation analyses, and circular data methods. However, these methods are often constrained by assumptions of linearity or reliance [...] Read more.
Many studies have examined how species are shifting their ranges poleward in response to climate change, using statistical approaches such as graphical analyses, t-tests, correlation analyses, and circular data methods. However, these methods are often constrained by assumptions of linearity or reliance on a single explanatory variable, which limits their ecological applicability. This study introduces a new statistical methodology to evaluate the significance of poleward range expansion, aiming to overcome these limitations and improve the robustness of ecological inference. We developed four parameterized nonlinear models—simple, multivariable, fixed, and transformed—to characterize the relationship between latitude and species richness across 1253 islands. Model parameters were estimated using the Gauss–Newton algorithm, and residuals were calculated as the difference between observed and predicted values. To test for distributional shifts, likelihood ratio tests were applied to the residuals, with statistical significance assessed using chi-square statistics and p-values derived from the −2 log-likelihood ratio. Finally, an intuitive indicator based on the fitted models was introduced to evaluate the direction of range shifts, thereby providing a direct means of identifying northward expansion trends under climate change. Applying this framework revealed significant poleward shifts of warm temperate and subtropical species (χ2 = 52.4–61.3; p < 0.001). Among the four models, the multivariable model incorporating island area provided the best fit (AIC, BIC), reflecting its ability to account for collinearity. Taken together, these results underscore the robustness and ecological relevance of the methodology, demonstrating its utility for detecting species-specific range shifts and comparing alternative models under climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Responses of Forests to Climate Change)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 3207 KB  
Article
Drivers of Forest Dieback and Growth Decline in Mountain Abies fabri Forests (Gongga Mountain, SW China)
by Obey Kudakwashe Zveushe, Elena Granda, Jesús Julio Camarero, Faqin Dong, Ying Han and Víctor Resco de Dios
Forests 2025, 16(8), 1222; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16081222 - 24 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1010
Abstract
Mountains are global biodiversity hotspots but face the danger of habitat loss, especially at lower elevations due to climate-warming-induced forest dieback. In the Gongga Mountains (SW China), Abies fabri trees at 2800 m show increased mortality, yet the causes remain unclear. We assessed [...] Read more.
Mountains are global biodiversity hotspots but face the danger of habitat loss, especially at lower elevations due to climate-warming-induced forest dieback. In the Gongga Mountains (SW China), Abies fabri trees at 2800 m show increased mortality, yet the causes remain unclear. We assessed climatic influences and bark beetle infestations on tree vigor and radial growth, comparing healthy and declining trees at 2800, 3000, and 3600 m elevations. Leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were measured to evaluate nutrient status. From 1950 to 2019, mean annual temperatures rose at all elevations, while precipitation decreased at low elevations, negatively correlating with temperature. Such warmer, drier conditions impaired low-elevation trees. The decline in A. fabri growth began in the late 1990s to early 2000s, with an earlier and more pronounced onset at lower elevations. A clear lag is evident, as trees at 3000 m and 3600 m showed either delayed or minimal decline during the same period. High-elevation trees experienced more stable climate and better nutrient availability, supporting greater growth and leaf nitrogen in healthy trees. Bark beetle infestations were worst in declining trees at the highest elevation. Our results reveal that A. fabri vigor shifts along elevation gradients reflect interactions between abiotic and biotic stressors, especially aridification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Responses of Forests to Climate Change)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop