Functions of Biochar in Carbon Emission and Carbon Sequestration in Forest Ecosystems, 2nd Edition
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 597
Special Issue Editor
Interests: carbon cycle; soil microbiology; succession; biochar; forest ecosystem ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Biochar application to soil may be one of the cheapest and most promising options for mitigating climate change through stable, long-term carbon sequestration. Biochar is widely applied in agroforestry, and many studies have shown the effects of biochar input on soil and plant growth. However, the potential for carbon sequestration using biochar in forest ecosystems (which can fix vast amounts of organic carbon in both plant biomass and soil) has not been fully tested.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to collect and organize information on the effects of biochar application on various components of forest ecosystems and to provide an outlook on the potential for carbon sequestration with biochar in forest ecosystems. In recent years, large-scale field biochar application experiments have been conducted in forest ecosystems, and the results of these studies will provide useful information on more realistic ecosystem responses that cannot be revealed only through laboratory experiments. This Special Issue invites you to submit papers on biochar application in forest ecosystems. In particular, we welcome submissions that demonstrate the effects of field biochar application experiments on ecosystem components or ecosystem functions. Papers on laboratory experiments conducted on forest soils or tree species are also welcome.
Key Themes
- The impact of biochar application on the key components of forest ecosystems
- Plants (tree and understory species);
- Soil organisms (microbes and animals);
- Soils (physicochemical properties, nutrient status, etc.).
- The impact of biochar applications on carbon and nutrient cycles
- Carbon fixation through plant photosynthesis;
- Carbon emissions through organic matter decomposition;
- Nitrogen cycling in soil (mineralization, nitrification, immobilization, denitrification, etc.);
- Nutrient uptake by plant roots and mycorrhiza;
- Carbon sequestration
- Long-term stability of biochar in forest soil;
- Potential change in net ecosystem production (NEP);
- Potential for the formation or stabilization of soil organic matter (SOM).
- Biochar production and characterization
- Production techniques and properties of produced biochar;
- The relationship of biochar properties with soil improvement and carbon sequestration functions.
- Policy and practice
- Policy landscape governing biochar use in forest ecosystems (international agreements, national regulations, standards, etc.);
- Economic viability (costs, benefits, market, etc.);
- Strategies for engaging stakeholders (landowners, policymakers, the public, etc.) in biochar initiatives to enhance carbon sequestration.
Dr. Shinpei Yoshitake
Guest Editor
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
- biochar
- carbon cycle
- carbon sequestration
- plant growth
- soil microbes
- soil nutrients
- forest primary production
- soil organic matter
- litter decomposition
- forest management
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