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Forests
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Forest Pathogens: Detection, Diagnosis, and Control
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Forest Pathogens: Detection, Diagnosis, and Control

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 2267

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fengmao Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Forestry and Grassland, College of Soil and Water Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: forest pathology; forest microbiology; plant pathology
Prof. Dr. Yonglin Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: forest pathogenic fungi; functional genomics; pathogen-forest interactions; plant pathology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forest health is a critical component of sustainable forestry management, and the early detection, accurate diagnosis, and effective control of forest pathogens are essential for maintaining the vitality of forest ecosystems. Forest pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other microbial agents, pose significant threats to forest trees, leading to diseases that can cause widespread mortality, reduce timber quality, and disrupt ecological balance.

This Special Issue of Forests focuses on advances in the detection, diagnosis, and control of forest pathogens. We welcome research articles that explore innovative methods for identifying and monitoring pathogens at various scales, from molecular techniques to remote sensing technologies. Contributions that address the integration of diagnostic tools with forest management practices are particularly encouraged, as well as studies that investigate the efficacy of current and novel control strategies, including biological control, chemical treatments, and silvicultural practices.

The goal of this Special Issue is to bring together the latest scientific findings that can inform and enhance forest management practices aimed at mitigating the impact of forest pathogens. We invite submissions that cover a broad range of topics related to forest pathogen detection, diagnosis, and control, with the aim of fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration among researchers, forest managers, and policymakers.

Prof. Dr. Fengmao Chen
Prof. Dr. Yonglin Wang
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

  • forest pathogens
  • disease diagnosis
  • pathogen detection
  • forest health
  • disease control strategies
  • biological control
  • chemical treatments
  • silvicultural practices
  • forest management
  • sustainable forestry

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 10380 KiB  
Article
Using Environmental DNA as a Plant Health Surveillance Tool in Forests
by Kirsty Elizabeth McLaughlin, Hadj Ahmed Belaouni, Andrew McClure, Kelly McCullough, David Craig, Joanne McKeown, Michael Andrew Stevenson, Eugene Carmichael, Johnathan Dalzell, Richard O’Hanlon, Archie Kelso Murchie and Neil Warnock
Forests 2025, 16(4), 632; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16040632 - 4 Apr 2025
Viewed by 914
Abstract
Plant pests (including pathogens) threaten forests, reduce carbon sequestration, disrupt trade, and are costly to manage. Traditionally, forest surveys involve the visual inspection of trees for symptoms of disease; however, this process is time consuming and by the time symptoms are observed, the [...] Read more.
Plant pests (including pathogens) threaten forests, reduce carbon sequestration, disrupt trade, and are costly to manage. Traditionally, forest surveys involve the visual inspection of trees for symptoms of disease; however, this process is time consuming and by the time symptoms are observed, the disease may be widespread. New methods of surveillance are needed to help plant health authorities monitor and protect forests from disease. Previous research has shown that metabarcoding of environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used to identify plant pests. This study collected rainwater samples from five forest sites across Northern Ireland every month for a year to examine whether eDNA metabarcoding could help authorities detect plant diseases in forests. Metabarcoding of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was used to determine the fungal and oomycete profile of rainwater samples that passed through the canopy of spruce, pine, oak, and ash trees, along with a non-tree field trap. In total, 65 known plant fungal and oomycete pests were detected; seven were regulated pests, and two were pests that had not been previously identified in Northern Ireland. This work demonstrates that metabarcoding of eDNA from rainwater can detect plant pests and could be used in forest surveillance programmes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Pathogens: Detection, Diagnosis, and Control)
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16 pages, 5819 KiB  
Article
The Mycobiota Diversity Associated with Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) in Poland
by Tomasz Pawłowicz, Tomasz Oszako, Piotr Borowik, Tadeusz Malewski and Roberto Faedda
Forests 2024, 15(12), 2152; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15122152 - 6 Dec 2024
Viewed by 939
Abstract
The spread of mistletoe, which mainly affects Scots pine in Europe’s managed forests, has become a serious ecological and economic problem, exacerbated by climate change and drought stress. Research into mistletoe-associated mycobiota provides crucial insights into the biology, ecology and distribution of these [...] Read more.
The spread of mistletoe, which mainly affects Scots pine in Europe’s managed forests, has become a serious ecological and economic problem, exacerbated by climate change and drought stress. Research into mistletoe-associated mycobiota provides crucial insights into the biology, ecology and distribution of these fungi and forms the basis for sustainable plant protection and effective management strategies. The aim of this study was to identify the fungal species associated with mistletoe (Viscum album L.) at 75 sites across Poland, with a focus on the northeastern regions of the country. The field work included a systematic and targeted search using the transect method, followed by laboratory analysis, during which fungal samples were prepared and examined under both light and scanning electron microscopes. The genetic analysis was carried out using ITS sequencing to confirm the presence of pathogen-specific fungi in the majority of V. album samples examined. The results showed four fungal species associated with the mycobiota of mistletoe: Sphaeropsis visci, Plenodomus visci, Cylindrodendrum hubeiense and Septoria krystynae. It is noteworthy that two of these species (P. visci and C. hubeiense) have not yet been detected in Poland. Based on these findings, the distribution areas of the identified fungal species were mapped accordingly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Pathogens: Detection, Diagnosis, and Control)
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