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Forests
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Economic Assessment Research in Agroforestry Products, Environmental, and Renewable Resources...
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Economic Assessment Research in Agroforestry Products, Environmental, and Renewable Resources Issues

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Economics, Policy, and Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2026 | Viewed by 4524

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hongge Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics and Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150006, China
Interests: forestry economy; forestry policy; forest ecological products; integrated forest management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Shaopeng Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics and Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150006, China
Interests: innovative economics; environmental economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Noriko Sato

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agro-environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan
Interests: forest policy; rural development; disaster mitigation; small-scale forestry; societal resilience
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Amidst the pressing need for sustainable development, agroforestry systems have emerged as promising strategies to address food security, poverty alleviation, and environmental degradation. Combining trees with crops or livestock, these integrated farming practices offer a unique opportunity to enhance land productivity, biodiversity, and resource efficiency. However, agroforestry products' full economic potential and environmental impacts remain understudied, limiting their widespread adoption and optimization. This Special Issue aims to bridge this gap by examining the economic assessment research in agroforestry products, focusing on environmental considerations and renewable resource issues. By analyzing the costs, benefits, and risks associated with various agroforestry systems, we seek to inform decision-making processes and contribute to developing more resilient and sustainable agricultural landscapes.

To fully represent the economic assessment research in agroforestry products, environmental, and renewable resources issues, we invite studies that address one or more of the following topics, but not limited to:

  • Economic benefit assessment of agroforestry systems;
  • Market potential analysis of environmentally friendly agroforestry products;
  • Effect of agroforestry systems on renewable resource utilization;
  • Assessment of agroforestry system adaptation in the context of climate change;
  • Comprehensive evaluation of the ecological benefits of agroforestry systems;
  • The relationship between policy incentives and agroforestry system development;
  • Value chain analysis of agroforestry products;
  • Assessment of the carbon sink function and economic value of agroforestry systems;
  • Comparison of economic assessments of agroforestry systems from an international perspective;
  • Analysis of the benefits coordination mechanism of agroforestry systems in integrated forest management.

Prof. Dr. Hongge Zhu
Dr. Shaopeng Zhang
Prof. Dr. Noriko Sato
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 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

  • agroforestry systems
  • environmentally friendly agroforestry products
  • renewable resource utilization
  • forest carbon sink
  • integrated forest management
  • economic outcome assessment

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

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  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2435 KiB  
Article
Does Foreign Direct Investment Enhance Exports of China’s Wood Products? The Role of Wood Resource Efficiency
by Chenlu Tao, Fawei Chen, Baodong Cheng and Siyi Wang
Forests 2025, 16(5), 731; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16050731 - 24 Apr 2025
Viewed by 373
Abstract
China is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of wood-based panels and plays a crucial role in ensuring a stable global supply of wood products. But China’s wood product exports have recently diminished, potentially due to the retraction of foreign investment. [...] Read more.
China is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of wood-based panels and plays a crucial role in ensuring a stable global supply of wood products. But China’s wood product exports have recently diminished, potentially due to the retraction of foreign investment. This behavior remains unexamined mechanistically in the current literature. This study investigates the impact of FDI on the export performance of China’s wood processing industry and explores the potential for leveraging foreign investment to reverse the downward trend in export growth. Our findings indicate that FDI alleviates export constraints by enhancing wood resource efficiency, which suggests a substantive response to industry challenges rather than a mere strategic adjustment. However, FDI inflows have decreased in recent years, negatively affecting export performance and highlighting the need for policy improvements. We further examine the differential effects of FDI on exports across port and non-port regions, given that the urgency of attracting FDI varies spatially. Our analysis reveals that the export spillover effect of FDI in port areas is approximately 165% higher than in non-port areas, largely due to China’s high dependence on wood product imports. In regions with extensive artificial forests, the impact is lower, possibly due to a stronger focus on domestic markets. In particular, Eastern China, benefiting from early market liberalization and a history of successful foreign collaborations, demonstrates significant improvements in export performance. To mitigate the export pressures on China’s wood processing industry, we recommend targeted industrial policies, particularly for port areas, to attract high-quality FDI that supports global supply chain stability and sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Assessment Research in Agroforestry Products, Environmental, and Renewable Resources Issues)
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31 pages, 9583 KiB  
Article
The Digital Economy Promotes the Coordinated Development of the Non-Timber Forest-Based Economy and the Ecological Environment: Empirical Evidence from China
by Li Mo, Song Chen, Lei Zhou, Shenwei Wan, Yanbang Zhou and Yixiao Liang
Forests 2025, 16(1), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16010150 - 15 Jan 2025
Viewed by 845
Abstract
The digital economy offers new solutions for reconciling the growth of the non-timber forest-based economy (NTFBE) with ecological and environmental protection. Utilizing panel data from China’s provinces between 2011 and 2020, this study constructed a comprehensive indicator system for the purpose of examining [...] Read more.
The digital economy offers new solutions for reconciling the growth of the non-timber forest-based economy (NTFBE) with ecological and environmental protection. Utilizing panel data from China’s provinces between 2011 and 2020, this study constructed a comprehensive indicator system for the purpose of examining the coordinated development of the NTFBE and the ecological environment. The employment of a panel of econometric methods, including Tobit models, mediated effects models, spatial Durbin models and threshold regression models, has enabled us to ascertain that the digital economy can effectively drive this coordinated development. The digital economy has a positive spillover effect in neighboring regions, although there is no discernible impact in central and northeastern China. Improvements in human capital and digital infrastructure reinforce this effect. Furthermore, the empowerment of green technology and industrial transformation, as well as the adoption of differentiated development strategies across distinct forest economic models, would be of paramount importance. These findings indicate a necessity for the standardization of the NTFBE. In conclusion, these implications offer novel solutions from China’s forested regions that reconcile socioeconomic growth and environmental protection, thereby fostering the sustainable development of forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Assessment Research in Agroforestry Products, Environmental, and Renewable Resources Issues)
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18 pages, 939 KiB  
Article
Can the Forestry Sector in Jiangsu Province Gain Competitiveness Under Impoverished Forest Resources?
by Jiejie Zeng, Weiting Lin and Fanbin Kong
Forests 2025, 16(1), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16010146 - 14 Jan 2025
Viewed by 676
Abstract
Jiangsu province’s forestry industry offers valuable insights for resource-poor regions in China. This study aims to determine the competitiveness of different forestry sectors in Jiangsu province and identify the industrial structural changes in this context. The shift-share method is employed to analyze the [...] Read more.
Jiangsu province’s forestry industry offers valuable insights for resource-poor regions in China. This study aims to determine the competitiveness of different forestry sectors in Jiangsu province and identify the industrial structural changes in this context. The shift-share method is employed to analyze the primary, secondary, and tertiary forestry industries, encompassing 17 sub-sectors, and investigate the industrial regional types. By combining location quotient values and inter-sector characteristics, the leading sectors are identified. The findings reveal that the Kuznets facts and the Engel effect in the industry structure have facilitated the process of increasing the value of ecological products; this is particularly evident between 2002 and 2018, as well as in 2021. Within the primary forestry industry, the Flower cultivation sector and the Economic forest product sector emerge as the leading sectors, outperforming the national growth effect by 7.18 and 1.02 times, respectively. In the secondary forestry industry, the Wood processing sector, the Furniture manufacturing sector, the Wood paper-making sector, and the Non-timber forest product sector mostly show the Progressive types as the leading sectors from 2006 to 2020. The tertiary industry’s regional types fluctuate from the Progressive type to the Medium type, with the Forestry tourism sector, the Ecological service sector, and the Non-forestry service sector displaying leading industry characteristics. Recommendations for enhancing inter-sector integration include fostering collaborative agglomeration, unlocking the potential value of wetland resources, and strengthening cross-industry integration through e-commerce clusters to improve the forester’s e-commerce operational capabilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Assessment Research in Agroforestry Products, Environmental, and Renewable Resources Issues)
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13 pages, 690 KiB  
Article
Modeling Cork Yield, Thickness, Price, and Gross Income in the Portuguese Cork Oak Montado
by Fernando Mata and Maria Dos-Santos
Forests 2024, 15(12), 2163; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15122163 - 8 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1211
Abstract
The cork oak (Quercus suber L.) woodlands, known as montados in Portugal, hold significant economic, cultural, social, and environmental value. They are found in the Mediterranean Sea basin, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula, and sustain various activities like silvopastoralism, with cork being [...] Read more.
The cork oak (Quercus suber L.) woodlands, known as montados in Portugal, hold significant economic, cultural, social, and environmental value. They are found in the Mediterranean Sea basin, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula, and sustain various activities like silvopastoralism, with cork being a primary product. Despite its economic significance, challenges such as climate change threaten its sustainability. This study aimed to analyze the edaphoclimatic variables affecting cork yield, thickness, price, and gross income in the Alentejo region of Portugal. A total of 35 farmers were selected for the data collection included in this study. Multivariable linear regressions were performed to establish relationships between cork yield, thickness, price, and gross income as dependent variables, various edaphoclimatic factors, and tree densities. A higher tree density correlates with an increased cork yield but a decreased cork thickness. Soil pH affects cork yield and thickness, with a lower pH favoring higher cork yields but thinner cork. A higher clay and silt content in horizon soil C enhances cork thickness and raises the price but reduces the cork yield. Higher accumulated precipitation and temperatures contribute to higher yields and thicknesses of cork. It is concluded that the relationships between the dependent and the independent variables are complex but partially explainable. Understanding these relationships is paramount to ensure sustainable management practices are adopted that are capable of addressing issues raised in the current context of climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Assessment Research in Agroforestry Products, Environmental, and Renewable Resources Issues)
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