Toward the Future of Forestry: Education, Technology, and Governance
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 May 2026 | Viewed by 39
Special Issue Editors
Interests: forest environmental education; sustainable forest management; forest certification
Interests: cultural landscape; agroforestry; sustainable forest management; agricultural heritage; agrobiodiversity
Interests: UAV; environmental influence; forest resource estimation; forest engineering
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Forestry is entering a new era, shaped by rapid technological innovation, increasing societal expectations, and urgent global environmental challenges. To effectively navigate this transformation, this Special Issue, ‘Toward the Future of Forestry: Education, Technology, and Governance in Forests’, will focus on three interconnected pillars—education, technology, and governance—that together determine how forestry adapts to a changing world.
- Education plays a vital role in cultivating forest literacy and responsibility among people of all ages—from children and students to professionals and local communities. It equips current and future generations with the knowledge, values, and skills needed to understand, manage, and conserve forests within complex ecological and social contexts.
- Technology offers powerful tools for monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing forest management processes.
- Governance provides the institutional and policy frameworks that ensure forest resources are managed sustainably and equitably.
This Special Issue seeks original research articles, reviews, and case studies that examine how these three elements interact to shape the future of forestry in an interdisciplinary context.
We welcome contributions including, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Innovative educational approaches for forestry professionals, students, and communities, including forest education and outreach for children and the public, curriculum reform, experiential learning, and lifelong training initiatives.
- Integration of digital technologies (e.g., AI, big data, remote sensing, Forest 4.0) into forest management, monitoring, planning, and decision-making processes.
- Governance models and policy frameworks that support adaptive and sustainable forest management across local, national, and global levels.
- Cross-cultural and regional comparisons in forestry education, governance, and management practices.
- Case studies demonstrating effective collaboration among science, policy, and local stakeholders for resilient forest systems.
By bringing together diverse perspectives, this Special Issue aims to provide deeper insights into how education, technology, and governance can jointly foster resilient, inclusive, and sustainable forestry systems capable of meeting future environmental and societal challenges. We invite scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to submit their work and contribute to advancing knowledge for the future of forestry.
Dr. Katsuaki Sugiura
Dr. Antonio Santoro
Guest Editors
Dr. Shohei Kameyama
Dr. Kazuhiko W. Nakamura
Guest Editor Assistants
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 education
- forest governance
- sustainable management
- digital technology
- forest 4.0
- policy innovation
- community engagement
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