Ecohydrology and Ecosystem Services of Forests

Dear Colleagues,

Forests are vital socio-ecological systems where the intrinsic coupling of hydrological and ecological processes governs the provision of essential ecosystem services. Forests play a disproportionately critical role in regulating water cycles, stabilizing soils, conserving biodiversity, and sustaining human livelihoods. However, accelerating climate change (e.g., intensified droughts, precipitation shifts), land degradation, and anthropogenic pressures are disrupting ecohydrological feedback, thereby compromising the resilience and service delivery of these ecosystems globally.

This Special Issue advances the emerging science of forest ecohydrology—the study of interactions between vegetation, water cycles, and environmental drivers—to quantify and model how hydrological processes underpin critical ecosystem services, particularly where water is a key limiting factor. We seek contributions that deepen our understanding and provide actionable knowledge for sustainable management. We welcome studies across diverse forest types (e.g., drylands, Mediterranean, seasonally dry tropical, montane) facing water constraints:

Decipher bidirectional ecohydrological linkages (e.g., vegetation effects on rainfall partitioning, soil moisture, and groundwater recharge; water availability constraints on forest function).

Develop frameworks for mapping, valuing, and sustaining ecosystem services (e.g., water security, erosion control, carbon sequestration, biodiversity habitat) in water-limited forests.

Translate mechanistic understanding into scalable management strategies that enhance socio-ecological resilience amid global change.

We prioritize studies employing innovative methodologies (e.g., trait-based ecohydrological modeling, remote sensing of vegetation–water relations, isotope tracers, AI-driven sensor networks) to predict forest responses to stressors and inform evidence-based stewardship.

Contributions should be addressed, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Ecohydrological Processes in Forests:

Quantification of rainfall partitioning (interception, throughfall, stemflow), evapotranspiration dynamics, deep percolation, and root-zone water uptake.

Roles of forest structure, species traits (e.g., rooting depth, drought tolerance), and climate in modulating water fluxes.

2. Soil–Vegetation–Water Interdependencies:

Novel monitoring/modeling of soil moisture dynamics, groundwater interactions, and vegetation water stress using sensor networks, remote sensing, or tracer techniques.

3. Ecosystem Service Valuation and Resilience:

Metrics linking ecohydrological processes to services (water yield regulation, sediment retention, microclimate buffering, carbon storage).

Impacts of climate extremes (droughts, heatwaves) and disturbances (fires, pests) on service resilience.

4. Ecohydrologically Informed Management:

Strategies for optimizing water-related services (e.g., thinning for groundwater recharge, species selection for erosion control, restoration of degraded forests).

Policy-relevant frameworks for balancing water allocation, biodiversity, and human needs.

5. Hydro-geochemical Cycles in Forests:

The major elements (C, N, P, etc.) and trace metal elements (Pb, Cd, etc.) undergo biogeochemical cycles and migration processes in the vegetation–water–soil system, which is highly relevant to the ecosystem services provided by forest sites.

Dr. Xiaodong Gao
Dr. Mingyi Wen
Dr. Yuanwei Qin
Dr. Tianjie Zhao
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 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.

• climate change
• extreme climatic events
• disturbances
• ecohydrology
• ecosystem services
• forest management