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Forests
Special Issues
Afforestation of Degraded Lands
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Afforestation of Degraded Lands

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 8 May 2026 | Viewed by 2956

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cristian Mihai Enescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil Sciences, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: forest management; afforestation; agroforestry; non-wood forest products
Dr. Adrian Ioan Timofte

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forestry and Forest Engineering, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
Interests: timber harvesting and processing; protected areas; afforestation; degraded lands
Prof. Dr. Lucian Dinca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Dracea”, Eroilor 128, 077190 Voluntari, Romania
Interests: forest ecology; forest soils; forest ecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Degraded lands are a significant global issue, affecting vast areas of the Earth's surface. It is estimated that one quarter of the world's land is considered degraded to some extent due to factors like soil erosion, overgrazing, agricultural practices, mining, deforestation, and urbanization. These lands have lost their natural fertility, biodiversity, or ability to support ecosystems and human activities. One of the best way to valoririze these lands is to afforestate them.

This Special Issue reviews recent studies and progress in the restoration of degraded lands through afforestation, highlighting their potential to address urgent global challenges like climate change, desertification, land degradation and urbanization.

Adopting an interdisciplinary and global approach, the articles in this issue will cover a variety of topics, including but not limited to case studies on innovative afforestation practices, tree and shrub species used in afforestation projects, the benefits of afforesting degraded lands, carbon sequestration in afforested areas, innovative technologies for producing seedlings with potted roots, and critical reviews of afforestation efforts on degraded lands. What kind of papers we are soliciting: research papers and reviews

Dr. Cristian Mihai Enescu
Dr. Adrian Ioan Timofte
Dr. Lucian Dinca
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.

Keywords

  • afforestation
  • degraded lands
  • innovative afforestation techniques
  • land reclamation
  • seedlings with potted roots
  • forest tree species
  • reforestation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3679 KB  
Article
Effects of Afforestation on Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks in the Long Term in Semi-Arid Regions of Türkiye
by Murat Sarginci and Adem Seçilmiş
Forests 2025, 16(10), 1524; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16101524 - 28 Sep 2025
Viewed by 713
Abstract
The black pine (Pinus nigra Arn.) is among the most preferred tree species for afforestation in Türkiye. This study aims to examine the effects of afforestation carried out in 1968, 1973, 1985, 1996, and 2002 on soil properties, especially soil organic carbon [...] Read more.
The black pine (Pinus nigra Arn.) is among the most preferred tree species for afforestation in Türkiye. This study aims to examine the effects of afforestation carried out in 1968, 1973, 1985, 1996, and 2002 on soil properties, especially soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (N) in a semi-arid region of Türkiye. Soil texture, electrical conductivity (EC), reaction (pH), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), lime (CaCO3) concentration, N, and inorganic-organic C contents were determined for each afforestation site. Although afforestation significantly increases SOC and TN stocks, the stand’s age did not affect the dynamics of the SOC stocks. But early stages of afforestation increased N stocks by more than 500%–600% compared to older ones. Our results show that afforestation combined with soil preparation increases the SOC and N contents, and soil tilling without plantation accelerates this process in the initial stages of afforestation. Rather than planting only one tree species, a plantation that mixes broadleaves and conifers with other annual and perennial plants may be more suitable for long-term C sequestration and the use of assisted natural succession in the revegetation of degraded arid and semi-arid regions as an alternative to large-scale afforestation should be paid more attention in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Afforestation of Degraded Lands)
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14 pages, 5346 KB  
Article
Effects of Afforestation on Soil Aggregate Stability, Carbon, and Nitrogen in Alpine Sandy Lands
by Wangyi He, Hongyu Qian, Haodong Jiang, Xuan Gao and Yufu Hu
Forests 2025, 16(5), 782; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16050782 - 6 May 2025
Viewed by 948
Abstract
Soil aggregate stability and carbon–nitrogen content are critical indicators for assessing the vegetation restoration effects. Salix cupularis plays a vital role in rehabilitating desertified alpine meadows on the eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. However, research remains limited about how afforestation influences the soil aggregate stability [...] Read more.
Soil aggregate stability and carbon–nitrogen content are critical indicators for assessing the vegetation restoration effects. Salix cupularis plays a vital role in rehabilitating desertified alpine meadows on the eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. However, research remains limited about how afforestation influences the soil aggregate stability and associated carbon and nitrogen dynamics. In this study, sandy land (0 years) served as the control, and the spatial time replacement method was used to examine changes in the soil water-stable aggregate composition, stability, organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents, and density at a 0–60 cm depth after 5 and 10 years of afforestation restoration (Salix cupularis). Ecological restoration significantly enhanced the proportion of macroaggregates (>0.25 mm) in the topsoil (0–20 cm), and improved aggregate stability. After 10 years of restoration, macroaggregates increased by 45.04% and 51.32%, respectively. The average weight diameter and geometric mean diameter of the aggregates increased by 51.32% and 59.53%, respectively. Following restoration, there was a gradual increase in the OC and TN contents in the soil, with the highest increase observed in the 0–10 cm layer (266.67% and 391.67%). The OC and TN of the aggregates also displayed a similar trend. Correlation analysis results indicated a significant positive relationship between the soil OC and TN contents and density, OC content in aggregates of various diameters, and the stability of these aggregates. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient for OC in aggregates > 1 mm was the highest. Compared with 5 years, 10 years of recovery were more conducive to the formation of macroaggregates, enhancement in aggregate stability, and the accumulation of OC and TN. Therefore, vegetation restoration on the Zoige Plateau can significantly enhance the soil water-stable aggregate composition and stability and can also increase the soil and OC and TN contents and density, thereby enhancing the soil ecological quality. This study provides fundamental data and theoretical support for rehabilitating desertified grasslands on the eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Afforestation of Degraded Lands)
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Review

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32 pages, 2964 KB  
Review
Afforestation of Degraded Lands: A Global Review of Practices, Species, and Ecological Outcomes
by Cristian Mihai Enescu, Mircea Mihalache, Leonard Ilie, Lucian Dincă, Adrian Ioan Timofte and Gabriel Murariu
Forests 2025, 16(11), 1743; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16111743 - 19 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 729
Abstract
Land degradation is a critical global issue threatening environmental health, food security, and sustainable development. Afforestation has emerged as a vital nature-based solution to combat land degradation by restoring soil structure, enhancing water regulation, sequestering carbon, and supporting biodiversity. Despite extensive research on [...] Read more.
Land degradation is a critical global issue threatening environmental health, food security, and sustainable development. Afforestation has emerged as a vital nature-based solution to combat land degradation by restoring soil structure, enhancing water regulation, sequestering carbon, and supporting biodiversity. Despite extensive research on degraded lands and forestry, there remains a notable gap specifically addressing afforestation of degraded lands, which this study aims to fill through a comprehensive bibliometric and qualitative review of global trends, species use, ecological impacts, and restoration techniques. This study was conducted in two main phases: a bibliometric analysis followed by a traditional literature review. A total of 631 publications published between 1993 and 2024 on the afforestation of degraded lands were analyzed, with the majority consisting of research articles (87%), followed by review papers (5%), book chapters (4%), and conference proceedings (4%). In conclusion, afforestation of degraded lands is a well-established and actively studied field, supported by a substantial body of empirical research and expanding interdisciplinary engagement. The literature encompasses a wide variety of publication types, enabling both the production and dissemination of knowledge across ecological, technical, and socio-economic areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Afforestation of Degraded Lands)
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