Ecosystem Services of Urban Forests and Landscape Ecology

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 March 2027

Editors

Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
Interests: urban forestry; urban landscape ecology; interactions between urban forests and the environment; plant functional traits; urban residents’ well-being and urban trees

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Guest Editor
Department of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: urban forestry; urban forest ecology; plant reproductive traits; silviculture
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Guest Editor
The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Center for Urban Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: urban forest establishment and management; urban forest ecology; assessment of urban forest ecosystem services; non-commercial forest management; tree ecophysiology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban forests are integral components of urban ecological systems, providing essential ecosystem services such as climate regulation, biodiversity conservation, air purification, stormwater management, and recreational and cultural benefits. However, rapid urbanization has intensified the fragmentation of green spaces, the effects of urban heat islands, habitat degradation, and ecological instability, thereby compromising the functioning and resilience of urban forest landscapes.

This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, and case studies that advance understanding of the relationships among landscape patterns, ecological processes, and ecosystem service provision in urban environments. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, urban forest spatial configuration and optimization; landscape dynamics, connectivity, and fragmentation; ecosystem service assessment and valuation; biodiversity and habitat conservation; climate regulation and heat mitigation; ecological restoration; and sustainable urban landscape planning and management.

By elucidating the coupling mechanisms between landscape structure and ecological function, this Special Issue aims to support evidence-based strategies for resilient green infrastructure, high-quality urban green-space development, and ecologically sustainable cities.

Dr. Jiyou Zhu
Dr. Xinna Zhang
Dr. Chengyang Xu
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

  • urban forests
  • cultural ecosystem services
  • disservices
  • landscape ecology
  • green infrastructure
  • biodiversity conservation
  • climate regulation
  • sustainable urban planning

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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