Impacts of Forest Fire on Ecosystem and Climate-Related Drivers
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Hazards and Risk Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2026) | Viewed by 1483
Editors
Interests: forest fire ecology; forest disturbance; global climate change; remote sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: land use change; climate change; forest fire ecology; forest disturbance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Forests, as one of the most vital ecosystems on Earth, are increasingly being impacted by extreme forest fires due to climate change and other anthropogenic factors. These fires not only cause immediate destruction, but also have long-term effects on biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and climate feedback loops. In recent years, we have witnessed several catastrophic forest fires, such as the 2025 Los Angeles Fires, the extensive fires in Canada in 2023, and the 2019–2020 Australian bushfires, which have highlighted the urgent need to understand and mitigate the impacts of such events.
The Australian bushfires of 2019–2020, for instance, burned over 17 million hectares, including the largest documented area burnt at high severity. These fires generated a record number of pyro-convective storms and disrupted the planet’s stratosphere, causing significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem health. Similarly, the fires in Canada in 2023 affected over 18 million hectares, emphasizing the growing threat of extreme forest fires at a global scale.
Given the increasing frequency and intensity of these fires, it is crucial to investigate the complex interactions between forest fires and the broader ecosystem and climate system. We invite researchers from various disciplines, including ecology, climatology, forestry, and environmental science, to contribute to this Special Issue. We welcome experimental studies, monitoring approaches, and modeling efforts that can help us better understand the impacts of extreme forest fires on ecosystems and the climate-related drivers that influence these events.
By bringing together a diverse range of research, we aim to promote knowledge and develop adaptation strategies for the preservation, management, and future development of forest ecosystems in the face of increasing fire threats. We look forward to receiving your contributions to this important Special Issue.
Dr. Jie Zhao
Dr. Chao Yue
Dr. Yuyun Fu
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-anonymized 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
- extreme forest fire
- ecosystem impact
- climate change
- biodiversity loss
- ecosystem services
- adaptation strategies
- successional trajectories
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