Forest Soil Stability in Response to Global Change Scenarios

Dear Colleagues,

Forest soil plays an important role in providing ecosystem functions through numerous services. Thus, the aim of forest soil management is to restore soil organic carbon in order to enhance soil structure and fertility and to help counter the atmospheric greenhouse effect. There have been reports, views, concepts, and hypotheses that natural regeneration, reforestation, and soil remediation techniques are effective approaches to restore degraded forest soils using natural and anthropogenic actions. However, there is still a knowledge gap as regards the mechanism of the stabilization processes as the soil has been tagged a ‘black box’. Therefore, it becomes important to explore the magnitude and direction of how forest soils stabilize and maintain the functions under global change drivers of increased temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide, nutrient pollution, as well as changing precipitation regimes.

This research topic aims to provide an overview of the current concepts and knowledge of the effects of various global change scenarios on the stabilization of forest soils under managed or rehabilitation programs and to specifically elucidate the magnitude of crucial processes and the underlying mechanisms (physical, chemical, and/or biotic) that drive forest soil stabilization.

We welcome novel contributions on forest soil stabilization under major trajectories of global change, including climate warming, drought, forest conversion, and soil remediation. We encourage studies from a wide range of approaches including field and laboratory experiments, modeling, and synthesis in the form of reviews, mini reviews, meta-analyses, perspectives, and original research.

Prof. Dr. Gabriel Oladele Awe
Dr. Miriam Fernanda Rodrigues
Guest Editors

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