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Forests
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Forests, Their Diversity, and Conservation
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Forests, Their Diversity, and Conservation

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2021) | Viewed by 16075

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Patrick O. Waeber

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Guest Editor
Forest Management and Development, Department of Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Interests: conservation; forests; biodiversity; governance; socioecological systems
Dr. Lucienne Wilmé

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
(1) World Resources Institute, Madagascar Program, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar.
(2) Missouri Botanical Garden, Madagascar Research & Conservation Program, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
Interests: biodiversity; biogeography; conservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forests are as diverse as they are widespread. They are mainly found in three biomes, from the boreal forests of the high latitudes, via temperate forests, to the tropical forests of low latitudes. Approximately 80% of all terrestrial animal and plant species can be found in forests. With an ever-growing human population, increase in international trade, expansion of anthropogenic land use, and the premise of infinite economic growth on political agendas, forest areas and forests are increasingly under pressure and continually receding. Acknowledging that the term “forest” is a political statement and fully dependent on the vantage point of the stakeholder, we ask the question: How are forests faring? A lot of hope arose for the environment in the 2010s. International efforts to curb global deforestation by 2020 were agreed upon to achieve a number of objectives on the global stage. The UN Decade on Biodiversity (2011–2020) aimed to mainstream biodiversity with a vision of harmonizing humans with nature, with a main objective to slow species extinction rates. We are looking for contributions that focus on forest conservation and biodiversity through a variety of angles and vantage points, regardless of the forest type. Papers published in this Special Issue will help to raise the bar of understanding and shape policies to maintain the essential role of the forests for people, biodiversity, and Earth.

Dr. Patrick O. Waeber
Dr. Lucienne Wilmé
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.

Keywords

  • Forests
  • Biodiversity
  • Biogeography
  • Conservation
  • IUCN
  • CITES
  • Bonn Challenge
  • Protected areas
  • Forest livelihoods

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1767 KiB  
Article
Potential Link between Ectomycorrhizal Community Composition and Host Tree Phenology
by Tina Unuk Nahberger, Rok Damjanič, Hojka Kraigher and Tine Grebenc
Forests 2021, 12(12), 1719; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12121719 - 7 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2924
Abstract
The timing of leaf phenology tends to be crucial in controlling ecosystem processes such as the acquisition of carbon and water loss as well as in controlling tree nutrient cycling. To date, tree phenology has mostly been associated with environmental control (e.g., temperature [...] Read more.
The timing of leaf phenology tends to be crucial in controlling ecosystem processes such as the acquisition of carbon and water loss as well as in controlling tree nutrient cycling. To date, tree phenology has mostly been associated with environmental control (e.g., temperature and photoperiod) in a relationship with inheritance, while it has rarely been linked with ectomycorrhizal community compositional changes through the host tree’s phenological stages. Seasonal variations of fungal communities have been widely studied, but little is known about mycorrhiza community composition changes along phenological stages. Therefore, we analyzed ectomycorrhizal communities associated with silver fir and their compositional changes during the transition between phenological stages. The phenological stages of each individual tree and time of bud break were monitored weekly for two years and, at the same time, ectomycorrhiza was harvested from selected silver fir trees. In total, 60 soil cores were analyzed for differences in the ectomycorrhizal community between phenological stages using Sanger sequencing of individual ectomycorrhizal morphotypes. A significant difference in beta diversity for an overall ectomycorrhizal community was confirmed between analyzed time periods for both sampled years. Species-specific reactions to transitions between phenological stages were confirmed for 18 different ectomycorrhizal taxa, where a positive correlation of Russula ochroleuca, Russula illota, Tomentella sublilacina, and Tylospora fibrillosa was observed with the phenological stage of bud burst. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests, Their Diversity, and Conservation)
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13 pages, 6057 KiB  
Article
Exemplifying Stratified Deforestation in Four Protected Areas in Madagascar
by Serge C. Rafanoharana, Fatany Ollier D. Andrianambinina, Henintsoa Andry Rasamuel, Mamy A. Rakotoarijaona, Jörg U. Ganzhorn, Patrick O. Waeber and Lucienne Wilmé
Forests 2021, 12(9), 1143; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12091143 - 24 Aug 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5862
Abstract
Protected areas (PAs) are a cornerstone for conservation biodiversity. Madagascar, as a hotspot for biodiversity, has a network of 114 terrestrial protected areas covering the main forest types occurring on the island. Deforestation continues unabated despite the network covering 11% of the island. [...] Read more.
Protected areas (PAs) are a cornerstone for conservation biodiversity. Madagascar, as a hotspot for biodiversity, has a network of 114 terrestrial protected areas covering the main forest types occurring on the island. Deforestation continues unabated despite the network covering 11% of the island. Here we present a case study approach reporting on four PAs from the humid forests, dry western forests, and southwestern dry and spiny forests and thickets. To describe deforestation in and around the case sites, we have considered a time window of 30 years for analysis, focusing on six years with reliable data: 1990, 2000, 2010, 2015 (the year of latest PA network update), and 2017. We have considered forest versus other land covers within the PAs in “buffers” at a distance of 500 m, 2.5 km, 5 km, and 10 km from the border of the PA. These buffers were set from the border towards the center of the PA (inside the PAs) and from the border outside the PAs. The smallest PAs, Kasijy (IUCN IV), and Behara Tranomaro (no IUCN category), showed the least forest loss. Tsaratanana (IUCN I) had the highest deforestation rates within the last two years of analysis, with deforestation concentrated in the core area. Ranobe PK-32 (no IUCN category), originally with the largest forest extent, has lost most of its forest cover and showed the highest annual deforestation rate (3.5%) between 2015 and 2017. All four cases prove to be very challenging to manage. Future conservation activities require tailored interventions to account for site-specific current and potential future threats, as detailed in this contribution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests, Their Diversity, and Conservation)
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20 pages, 6570 KiB  
Article
Palaeoecology as a Tool for the Future Management of Forest Ecosystems in Hesse (Central Germany): Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) versus Lime (Tilia cordata Mill.)
by Astrid Stobbe and Maren Gumnior
Forests 2021, 12(7), 924; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12070924 - 15 Jul 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2799
Abstract
In the Central German Uplands, Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies have been particularly affected by climate change. With the establishment of beech forests about 3000 years ago and pure spruce stands 500 years ago, they might be regarded as ‘neophytes’ in the Hessian [...] Read more.
In the Central German Uplands, Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies have been particularly affected by climate change. With the establishment of beech forests about 3000 years ago and pure spruce stands 500 years ago, they might be regarded as ‘neophytes’ in the Hessian forests. Palaeoecological investigations at wetland sites in the low mountain ranges and intramontane basins point to an asynchronous vegetation evolution in a comparatively small but heterogenous region. On the other hand, palynological data prove that sustainably managed woodlands with high proportions of Tilia have been persisting for several millennia, before the spread of beech took place as a result of a cooler and wetter climate and changes in land management. In view of increasingly warmer and drier conditions, Tilia cordata appears especially qualified to be an important silvicultural constituent of the future, not only due to its tolerance towards drought, but also its resistance to browsing, and the ability to reproduce vegetatively. Forest managers should be encouraged to actively promote the return to more stress-tolerant lime-dominated woodlands, similar to those that existed in the Subboreal chronozone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests, Their Diversity, and Conservation)
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Review

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26 pages, 3498 KiB  
Review
The Known, the Unknown, and the Expected: 130 Years of Research on Non-Lichenized Fungi and Fungus-Like Organisms in the Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland
by Małgorzata Ruszkiewicz-Michalska, Monika Kozłowska, Mateusz Wilk, Katarzyna Janik-Superson and Wiesław Mułenko
Forests 2021, 12(5), 518; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12050518 - 22 Apr 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3615
Abstract
The history of mycological research and current activities in the Polish part of the Białowieża Primeval Forest are presented. The review of literature-derived and unpublished data on species of non-lichenized fungi and protozoan and chromistan fungal analogues indicates a minimum of 3504 species [...] Read more.
The history of mycological research and current activities in the Polish part of the Białowieża Primeval Forest are presented. The review of literature-derived and unpublished data on species of non-lichenized fungi and protozoan and chromistan fungal analogues indicates a minimum of 3504 species observed in this area. The gaps in the exploration of fungi: unstudied taxa, plant communities, habitats, hosts, and substrates, as well as the limitations of former studies, are discussed. Our estimates show that a total of 8000 fungal species possibly occur in the Białowieża National Park alone, and more than 10,000 are expected to be found in the Polish part of the Białowieża Primeval Forest. Despite more than a centennial history of mycological research, the majority of data come from only a few older scientific projects and several more recent citizen-science-related activities, emphasizing the need for a modern, interdisciplinary study on the diversity and ecology of fungi in this area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forests, Their Diversity, and Conservation)
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