Restoring Forest Resilience: Drivers and Processes of Tree Regeneration

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation, restoring forest resilience has emerged as a global priority and a central objective of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030). Tree regeneration underpins the recovery of forest structure, composition, and ecosystem functioning, ultimately determining the long-term success of forest restoration efforts. Regeneration processes are driven by complex interactions among climatic conditions, disturbance regimes, land use legacies, species traits, biotic interactions, and management practices.

This Special Issue aims to advance a global and integrative understanding of the ecological and socio-environmental drivers controlling tree regeneration across forest biomes, and seeks to link fundamental ecological research with applied restoration science, supporting nature-based solutions, adaptive forest management, and effective restoration strategies under rapidly changing environmental conditions.

Tree regeneration plays a key role in enhancing forest carbon sequestration and delivering multiple co-benefits, including biodiversity recovery, soil protection, and ecosystem services. Achieving these outcomes at scale requires appropriate governance frameworks, policy instruments, and incentive-based approaches, particularly in landscapes dominated by private forest ownership. Original research articles, reviews, and synthesis studies addressing tree regeneration processes in natural, managed, and restored forests are welcomed, as are contributions advancing ecosystem restoration science and practice from local to global scales.

Prof. Dr. Asunción Cámara-Obregón
Guest Editor

Dr. Ainhoa Calleja-Rodriguez
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

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