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Forests
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Urban Trees Under Climate Change: Growth, Environmental Benefits and Potentials
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Urban Trees Under Climate Change: Growth, Environmental Benefits and Potentials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1678

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Astrid Reischl

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Strategic Landscape Planning and Management, School of Life Sciences, TU München Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
Interests: urban forestry; climate change; dendrochronology; allometric relationships
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urbanization poses major challenges for both city inhabitants and the urban flora and fauna. Climate change, heat, densification, low greenery, and high pollution are just some of the negative aspects associated with the urban environment. Urban green such as urban trees, façade greening, green roofs, shrubs, and lawns are an important part of the cityscape and can help to improve the quality of life in cities, preserve biodiversity, and mitigate the effects of climate change. Urban trees are of particular interest for improving the climate resilience of urban areas, as they can mitigate the urban microclimate mainly through their cooling function. Further positive aspects of urban trees include the regulation of rainwater runoff, the storage of carbon dioxide, and the improvement of air quality, among many more. On the other hand, the growth and vitality of trees, both of which have a strong impact on the provision of ecosystem services, are highly influenced by the urban environment and the numerous stress factors it presents.

The aim of this Special Issue is to promote new publications in the field of urban forestry, the inter-relationship between urban tree growth, and the provision of ecosystem services under the influence of growing conditions with respect to climate change.

Dr. Astrid Reischl
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

  • biomass
  • ecosystem services
  • size–growth–ecosystem service relationships
  • tree management
  • tree size
  • urban greening
  • urban heat island

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1477 KB  
Article
Development and Comparison of Allometric Equations for Estimating Carbon Storage of Two Hibiscus syriacus Cultivars with Different Growth Forms in Urban Areas of Republic of Korea
by Hak-Koo Kim, Hanna Shin, Jeong-Min Lee, Seo-Hyeon Joo, Go-Eun Bang, Hyun-A Kim, Jun-Seop Lee, Seonghun Lee, Yun-Kyung Lim, Hyun-Chul Kim, Yong-Jin Kwon and Chan-Beom Kim
Forests 2025, 16(12), 1845; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16121845 - 11 Dec 2025
Abstract
Urban vegetation plays a role as a sink, but accurately estimating carbon storage requires cultivar-specific allometric equations due to variations in growth patterns. This study develops and compares carbon storage models for cultivars of Hibiscus syriacus L.: ‘Wonhwa’ and ‘Chilbo’, ranked first and [...] Read more.
Urban vegetation plays a role as a sink, but accurately estimating carbon storage requires cultivar-specific allometric equations due to variations in growth patterns. This study develops and compares carbon storage models for cultivars of Hibiscus syriacus L.: ‘Wonhwa’ and ‘Chilbo’, ranked first and second in preference in South Korea and most widely planted in urban areas, to address the lack of specific data for these popular varieties. We destructively sampled 106 trees from experimental nurseries in Korea, measuring growth parameters, partitioned biomass, and component-specific carbon content. A non-linear regression equation modeled the relationship between root collar diameter (RCD) and total carbon storage. RCD proved the most effective predictor, resulting in high-performance power-function models (R2 = 0.99) for both cultivars: ‘Wonhwa’ (CS = 0.02RCD2.41) and ‘Chilbo’ (CS = 0.01RCD2.38). An extra sum-of-squares F-test confirmed a statistically significant difference between the models (p < 0.001). Notably, both cultivars exhibited a branch-dominant allocation pattern (accounting for approximately 50–51% of total biomass), which contrasts significantly with the stem-dominant pattern typically observed in forest-grown trees. The observed inter-cultivar differences indicate that using a single species-level equation can yield inaccurate carbon estimates. Consequently, we recommend that urban managers apply these cultivar-specific equations rather than generic species-level models to minimize estimation uncertainty and support precise carbon inventory management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Trees Under Climate Change: Growth, Environmental Benefits and Potentials)
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19 pages, 6314 KB  
Article
Using a Phenocamera to Monitor Urban Forest Phenology
by Kaidi Zhang, Jinmiao Bai and Jun Gao
Forests 2025, 16(2), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020239 - 26 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1159
Abstract
Under global climate change, fragmented urban vegetation is more susceptible to the external environment, and changes in vegetation phenology are one of the most apparent responses. In this study, phenological camera (phenocamera) photo data, Klosterman curve fitting, and a Gu model were employed [...] Read more.
Under global climate change, fragmented urban vegetation is more susceptible to the external environment, and changes in vegetation phenology are one of the most apparent responses. In this study, phenological camera (phenocamera) photo data, Klosterman curve fitting, and a Gu model were employed to explore the phenological characteristics of an urban forest at different levels within different species. Differences between species and groups regarding the upturn date (UD), the stabilization date (SD), the downturn date (DD), the recession date (RD), and the length of the growing season (LOS) are displayed in detail. We found that the UD of Cinnamomum camphora groups began in late April (day of year 108th), the SD appeared in early May (121st), and the DD started in early October (283rd) and ended in late October (293rd), with an average LOS of 185 days. The phenological characteristics of the Cinnamomum camphora and Bischofia polycarpa groups differed significantly. The average LOS of Bischofia polycarpa was 47 days longer than that of Cinnamomum camphora. Between Cinnamomum camphora individuals and group levels, differences in the UD and the SD were not obvious, while differences in the DD, the RD, and the LOS were large (LOS > RD > DD). The LOS of Cinnamomum camphora was longer on the individual scale (209 days), while the average LOS on the group scale was 185 days. In conclusion, our results reflect the more refined quantitative results of urban vegetation phenology and will help to elucidate urban vegetation phenological changes, which has important theoretical and practical significance for future urban forest management practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Trees Under Climate Change: Growth, Environmental Benefits and Potentials)
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