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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 June 2026 | Viewed by 3282

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jinlong Liu

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Guest Editor

School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
Interests: forest policy; local governance; natural resource management; poverty alleviation and community building
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At the global scale, forests have assumed various roles. Traditional functions include timber production, non-timber production, and agriculture, while more recent roles involve serving as biodiversity protection, ecosystem services, and carbon sinks. Conflicting interests have permeated the history of forest utilization and conservation. Numerous human-based factors influence forest management and environmental practices related to forests. Policies and economics are developed to address conflicts, considering their impacts on broader societal, political, developmental, and anthropological factors. Consequently, a rapidly growing and diversifying research program has emerged, addressing questions about the relationship between society and forests within various social science disciplines.

This Special Issue will highlight innovative research in the broad field of forest governance, policies, and economics across disciplines such as political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, human geography, development studies, environmental history, legal studies, and livelihood analyses. It will include a special focus on the importance of forests for meeting the global environmental crisis, the Sustainable Development Goals, and international environmental agreements. The topics covered in this Special Issue include (but are not limited to) the following:

Forest governance through policy (international, national, and local scales).
Urban forests and garden megacities.
Nature conservation policy.
AI and digital technology, information, and communication.
Forest sector innovation.
Forest-related indigenous knowledge and local knowledge.
Forestry economics and management.
Environmental policy and economics related to forests.
Integrated forest management.
Forest law and legislation.
Green jobs and forest-based community livelihoods.

Prof. Dr. Jinlong Liu
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 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-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 economics
forest governance
forest policy
AI
forest management
community-based forest management
biodiversity conservation
bioeconomy
urban forests

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2388 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Green Official Development Assistance in the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 15 Using Explainable AI

by Jeongyeon Chae and Eunho Choi

Forests 2026, 17(4), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17040412 - 26 Mar 2026

Viewed by 27

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are global objectives adopted by countries worldwide to achieve sustainable development by 2030 and consist of 17 goals and 169 specific targets. Among them, SDG 15 (Life on Land) aims to conserve terrestrial ecosystems and promote their sustainable use. Successful implementation of SDG 15 requires continuous management of terrestrial ecosystems and positive forest transitions. However, systematic analyses examining the role of green official development assistance (ODA), which supports environmental improvement in developing countries, remain limited. Accordingly, this study investigates the role that green ODA can play in forest transitions. Focusing on green ODA provided to developing countries between 2010 and 2023, this study employed shapley additive explanations (SHAP), an explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) technique, to predict its influence on SDG 15 implementation scores and to analyze the contributions of economic, environmental, and social indicators. In addition, a SHAP value-based decomposition and a gap index were calculated to examine the contribution of green ODA relative to its input. The results indicate that the overall contribution of green ODA to SDG 15 implementation in developing countries is relatively limited. However, statistically significant effects were observed in country groups with higher levels of SDG 15 implementation performance. In contrast, the effects were weakened or constrained in some country groups with lower levels of SDG 15 implementation. These findings suggest that green ODA may function as a transition accelerator that facilitates positive forest transitions in countries with stronger capacities for implementing SDG 15. Strengthening and improving the existing limitations of green ODA could enhance its role and enable it to contribute more effectively to sustainable development and the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems in developing countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Economics and Policy Analysis)

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23 pages, 2003 KB

Open AccessArticle

Gaps and Challenges in Forest and Landscape Restoration: An Examination of Three Mid-Atlantic Appalachian States in the United States

by Estelle Manuela Nganlo Keguep, Oluwaseun Adebayo Bamodu and Denis Jean Sonwa

Forests 2026, 17(3), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17030334 - 7 Mar 2026

Viewed by 310

Abstract

Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) represents a critical nexus of climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development. Despite substantial federal investments and commitments, empirical subnational research quantifying the relationships between governance structures, funding mechanisms, and restoration outcomes remains scarce, and integrated implementation frameworks bridging institutional, technical, and socio-economic dimensions are largely absent from the literature. This study presents a mixed-methods analysis of FLR implementation gaps across Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Three Mid-Atlantic Appalachian states selected for their contrasting ecological conditions, governance structures, and restoration trajectories that collectively represent the heterogeneity of subnational restoration challenges. We examined 147 restoration projects (2019–2024), conducted 25 stakeholder interviews, and analyzed federal funding allocations ($428 million) through spatial and temporal frameworks. Our findings reveal five critical implementation barriers: (1) policy incoherence across federal–state–local jurisdictions creating 34% project delays; (2) chronic underfunding with 63% of projects receiving less than 60% of planned budgets; (3) technical capacity deficits affecting 71% of rural communities; (4) inadequate stakeholder engagement mechanisms reducing project sustainability by 45%; and (5) insufficient monitoring frameworks limiting adaptive management. We introduce an Integrated Restoration Implementation Framework (IRIF) that uniquely integrates policy coordination, sustainable financing, technical capacity building, and community engagement within a unified adaptive management cycle, operationalized through empirically derived thresholds, to guide evidence-based interventions. Quantitative analyses demonstrate that multi-stakeholder governance models increase restoration success rates by 2.3-fold (p < 0.001), while integrated funding mechanisms improve long-term sustainability by 67%. Theoretically, this study advances socio-ecological systems scholarship by providing empirical evidence that multi-scalar governance configurations and integrated stakeholder engagement mechanisms are principal determinants of restoration success, advancing the evidence base for adaptive governance approaches in complex federal systems. Our findings provide actionable intelligence for policymakers and practitioners, while underscoring that sustainable FLR in complex federal systems depends on coherent multi-level governance architectures coordinating institutional mandates, financial resources, technical capacity, and community agency across jurisdictional scales. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Economics and Policy Analysis)

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22 pages, 684 KB

Open AccessArticle

EUTR and Timber Legality Governance in the Forestry Sector in Slovakia: From Overlooking to Overregulating

by Miloš Murina, Lenka Halušková and Jaroslav Šálka

Forests 2026, 17(3), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17030311 - 28 Feb 2026

Viewed by 202

Abstract

This study examines how legal and institutional reforms associated with the European Union Timber Regulation reshaped timber legality governance in Slovakia, with particular attention to changes in actor constellations, competencies, and coordination mechanisms within the domestic forestry sector. The analysis draws on Actor-Centred Institutionalism and is based on document analysis and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. The results show that, although Slovakia achieved formal legal alignment and established the required institutional structures, implementation was characterised by fragmented competencies, overlapping responsibilities, and deficiencies in coordination and information exchange. While material and organisational resources were generally perceived as sufficient, these governance challenges limited the effectiveness and predictability of enforcement. These findings demonstrate that regulatory reforms may, in certain contexts, reinforce pre-existing institutional fragmentation rather than resolve it. The study provides policy-relevant insights for the ongoing transition to the European Union Deforestation Regulation, highlighting the importance of addressing coordination and institutional design at an early stage of implementation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Economics and Policy Analysis)

21 pages, 1290 KB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Forest Laws According to Sustainable Forest Management Criteria: The Example of Türkiye, Lithuania, Poland, Kazakhstan, Iran

by Osman Devrim Elvan, Çağdan Uyar, Dalia Perkumienė, Zhuldyz Baimuratkyzy Umbetbayeva, Hamid Reza Afrand Sorkhani, Marta Czakowska, Nimet Velioğlu, Mindaugas Škėma, Marius Aleinikovas and Olegas Beriozovas

Forests 2026, 17(1), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17010082 - 8 Jan 2026

Viewed by 496

Abstract

Sustainability constitutes a strategic priority not only at the level of practical implementation but also within the framework of legal regulations and policy-making processes. Within the scope of this study, the forest-related legal frameworks of selected countries from Asia and Europe have been examined. To ensure consistency and objectivity in the analysis, a set of evaluation criteria was established, with particular attention paid to their international recognition and legitimacy. In this context, the criteria developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization and Forest Europe were adopted. Based on these internationally accepted standards, the forest legislation of the selected countries was assessed and analyzed using the EFLD (Environmental and Forest Law Department) scoring methodology to determine the extent to which sustainability is integrated into their legal systems. Six criteria were defined and evaluated separately for each country based on the overall average. It was concluded that Türkiye and Kazakhstan’s forest legislation aligns with sustainability criteria compared to other countries’ legislation, Lithuania and Iran’s forest legislation is close to the overall average, and Poland’s forest legislation requires more explicit and progressive provisions in terms of sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Economics and Policy Analysis)

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17 pages, 3636 KB

Open AccessArticle

Analyzing Forest Leisure and Recreation Consumption Patterns Using Deep and Machine Learning

by Jeongjae Kim, Jinhae Chae and Seonghak Kim

Forests 2025, 16(7), 1180; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16071180 - 17 Jul 2025

Viewed by 1157

Abstract

Globally, forest leisure and recreation (FLR) activities are widely recognized not only for their environmental and social benefits but also for their economic contributions. To better understand these economic contributions, it is vital to examine how the regional economic levels of customers vary when consuming FLR. This study aimed to empirically examine whether the regional economic level of residents (i.e., gross regional domestic product; GRDP) is classifiable using FLR expenditure data, and to interpret which variables contribute to its classification. We acquired anonymized credit card transaction data on residents of two regions with different GRDP levels. The data were preprocessed by identifying FLR-related industries and extracting key spending features for classification analysis. Five classification models (e.g., deep neural network (DNN), random forest, extreme gradient boosting, support vector machine, and logistic regression) were applied. Among the models, the DNN model presented the best performance (overall accuracy = 0.73; area under the curve (AUC) = 0.82). SHAP analysis showed that the “FLR industry” variable was most influential in differentiating GRDP levels across all the models. These findings demonstrate that FLR consumption patterns may vary and are interpretable by economic levels, providing an empirical framework for designing regional economic policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Economics and Policy Analysis)

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