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Forests
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Suitable Ecological Management of Forest Dynamics
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Suitable Ecological Management of Forest Dynamics

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 September 2025 | Viewed by 1255

Special Issue Editor

Dr. W. Keith Moser

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ 86001-6381, USA
Interests: silviculture; forest stand dynamics; restoration ecology; landscape-level forest health; ecophysiology; rural development; agroforestry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Silviculturists have long focused on managing in a way that combines taking what nature can give and the needs and desires of the forest landowner. This Special Issue aims to focus on the intersection between the stages of forest stand development and appropriate management decision-making at that point in time. Articles may focus on the particular model of stand dynamics they are using, outline the patterns of development in such stands, and match them up with appropriate management activities. For example, understory reinitiation under open or low-density overstories in arid land forests may create dangerous fuel conditions and necessitate pre-commercial thinning that reduces most but not all of the saplings and small trees. Recreating at least the macro-structure of a mature old-growth forest may require some aggressive thinning early on but then be limited to minimal or no further treatments. An at-risk predator that feeds on different guilds of prey, each dependent upon a specific age/size/composition class of forest, could require a coordinated harvest pattern that both provides habitats for these prey while ensuring a continuity of forest cover and composition into the future. Knowledge of the specific stages of stand development can aid managers in making the most appropriate decisions, particularly given the expected and hypothetical range of variation. We seek the submission of both original research and review papers to this Special Issue, focused on both single-species and mixed-species landscapes and welcome papers on uncommon management activities.

Dr. W. Keith Moser
Guest Editor

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

  • stages of stand development
  • “ecological” silviculture
  • complexity
  • mixed- and single-species
  • age classes

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2958 KiB  
Article
Distinguishing the Mechanisms Driving Community Structure Across Different Growth Stages in Quercus Forests
by Zhenghua Lian, Yingshan Jin, Xuefan Hu, Yanhong Liu, Fang Li, Fang Liang, Yuerong Wang, Zuzheng Li, Jiahui Wang and Hongfei Chen
Forests 2025, 16(8), 1332; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16081332 (registering DOI) - 16 Aug 2025
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms governing forest community assembly across different growth stages is essential for revealing succession dynamics and guiding forest restoration. While much attention has been given to overstory trees, the understory regeneration layer, critical for forest succession, remains less explored, particularly regarding [...] Read more.
Understanding the mechanisms governing forest community assembly across different growth stages is essential for revealing succession dynamics and guiding forest restoration. While much attention has been given to overstory trees, the understory regeneration layer, critical for forest succession, remains less explored, particularly regarding its stage-specific survival strategies and assembly processes. This study investigates the natural regeneration of Quercus variabilis forests in northern China, focusing on the transition from early to later growth stages. Our objectives were to (1) identify the phylogenetic and functional structures of regeneration communities at early and later stages, (2) explore their responses to environmental gradients, and (3) assess the roles of deterministic and stochastic processes in shaping community assembly. We integrated phylogenetic structure, functional traits, and environmental gradients to examine natural regeneration communities. The results revealed clear stage-dependent patterns: communities exhibited random phylogenetic and functional structures in the early growth stage, suggesting a dominant role of stochastic processes during early recruitment. In contrast, communities showed phylogenetic clustering and functional overdispersion in later growth stages, indicating the increasing influence of environmental filtering and interspecific competition as individuals developed. Generalized Dissimilarity Modeling (GDM) further revealed that dispersal limitation and pH were key predictors of phylogenetic β-diversity in the later growth stage, while total phosphorus drove functional β-diversity in the later growth stage. No significant predictors were found for β-diversity in the early stage. These findings highlight the shift from stochastic to deterministic processes during forest regeneration, emphasizing the stage-dependent nature of assembly mechanisms. Our study elucidates the stage-specific assembly rules of Q. variabilis forests and offers theoretical guidance for stage-targeted interventions in forest management to promote positive succession. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Suitable Ecological Management of Forest Dynamics)
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18 pages, 5106 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Spatial Structure and Homogeneity of Bamboo and Broad-Leaved Mixed Forest
by Yaqi Zhou, Shangsi Li, Shaohui Fan, Fengying Guan, Haifei Yao and Luhai Zhang
Forests 2025, 16(1), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16010100 - 9 Jan 2025
Viewed by 849
Abstract
Bamboo and broad-leaved mixed forest is a kind of forestry management that can effectively improve the ecology of bamboo forests. The aerial structure of the stand can reflect the growth status of the stand, as well as the spatial structure of the stand [...] Read more.
Bamboo and broad-leaved mixed forest is a kind of forestry management that can effectively improve the ecology of bamboo forests. The aerial structure of the stand can reflect the growth status of the stand, as well as the spatial structure of the stand with respect to maintaining and improving the basis of the stand structure. However, the lack of quantitative studies on how different mixing ratios affect the stand spatial structure of bamboo and broad hybrid forests has further disturbed the development of bamboo and broad-leaved mixed-forest management. In this study, we used 10 bamboo and broad mixed forests with different ratios as the research object, determined the stand spatial structure unit by using the weighted Delaunay triangular network, calculated the stand spatial-homogeneity index from the vertical spatial structure of the stand, horizontal spatial structure, and competition, and constructed the stand spatial-homogeneity evaluation system by combining it with the forest health grading system and the rank classification method of the near-natural forest management, dividing it into five evaluation classes. It was divided into five evaluation levels. Finally, a regression model was used to elucidate the effects of stand spatial homogeneity on moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) biomass. The results showed that the spatial homogeneity of No. 1 (5%–10% mixed) and No. 3 (15%–20%) samples was classified into five grades; No. 2 (10%–15%) samples were classified into four grades; No. 4 (20%–25%) and No. 6 (30%–35%) samples were classified into three grades; No. 5 (25%–30%) samples were classified into two grades; and Nos. 7–10 (more than 35%) samples were all classified into one grade. It was also found that both the degree of hybridization and the competition index in the bamboo and broad-leaved mixed forest showed highly significant negative correlation with the spatial homogeneity index of the stand and the moso bamboo biomass, while the spatial density index showed highly significant positive correlation with the spatial homogeneity index of the stand and the moso bamboo biomass. From the viewpoint of management purpose, for the management of bamboo and broad-leaved mixed forest with economic benefits, the mixing ratio should be 5%–10% and 25%–35%; for the management of bamboo and broad-leaved mixed forest with ecological benefits, the mixing ratio should be more than 35%; and for the management purpose of balancing ecological benefits and economic benefits, the mixing ratio should be 10%–25%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Suitable Ecological Management of Forest Dynamics)
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