Sustainable Forest Fertilization Strategies: Impact on Soil Quality, Ecosystem Health and Productivity

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on the use of fertilizers for forestry soil explores the crucial role of fertilizers in sustainable forest management. Forests are essential for carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and timber production, but they require careful nutrient management for health and productivity reasons. Fertilizers are also vital in plant nurseries, supporting root and shoot growth, preventing nutrient deficiencies, and enhancing disease resistance. This Special Issue delves into various aspects of fertilizer use in forestry, addressing specific nutrient needs for different tree species and the challenges presented by nutrient deficiencies. It also emphasizes the importance of balanced fertilization for overall forest health, strategies to reduce nutrient runoff, and exploring sustainable practices, like controlled-release fertilizers.

Furthermore, it examines the economics of forest fertilization, assessing its cost-effectiveness and long-term benefits for timber production. Organic and biofertilizers are considered for their potential to promote sustainability and reduce reliance on synthetic chemicals. Therefore, this Special Issue is aimed at offering valuable insights into the complexities of nutrient management in forest ecosystems, emphasizing the need for science-based approaches that align with ecological, economic, and sustainability goals in forestry.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Nutrient management for specific tree species;
• Nutrient deficiency remediation;
• Sustainable fertilization practices;
• Fertilizer application techniques;
• Forest health and resilience.

Dr. Saif Ullah
Dr. Izhar Ali
Dr. Nabil Ibrahim Elsheery
Dr. Haijun Sun
Guest Editors

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.