Anatomical Diversity and Growth Patterns in Tropical Woods
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: wood anatomy; wood identification; wood anatomical traits; wood products; non-wood forest products; wood science and technology; tree growth and ecology; Mediterranean Quercus species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Tropical forests represent 45% of the planet’s forests according to FAO, holding an extraordinary diversity of tree species. However, the anatomical characteristics of wood and growth dynamics of several species remain unknown. The study of wood anatomical variability within and across tropical species is essential not only for taxonomy and wood identification proposes, but also for the development of strategies related to species’ ecological, conservation, functional traits, and natural resource allocation.
This Special Issue invites original research and review papers focusing on the anatomical wood structure and growth patterns of tropical species. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: vessel architecture, tissue distribution, growth ring formation and development. Contributions that explore intra- and interspecific variability, structure–function relationships, and links to phylogeny or adaptive strategies are particularly welcome.
Classical anatomical approaches with modern techniques such as image analysis, dendrochronology, quantitative wood anatomy, or molecular tools are welcome. Studies highlighting lesser-known tropical species or addressing applied aspects such as wood quality or sustainable use will also be considered.
The main aim of this Special Issue is bringing together different perspectives to deepen our understanding of tropical wood diversity and promote its scientific and practical valorization.
Dr. Vicelina B. Sousa
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
- wood anatomy
- tropical forest
- tropical wood species
- lesser-known tropical wood species
- tropical woody species
- sustainability
- conservation and ecology
- effects of environment change
- wood technology
- wood potential
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