Ecological Forestry and Restoration

Dear Colleagues,

Ecological forestry is increasingly in demand worldwide due to the growing need for the conservation of biodiversity, adaptability of forests to environmental changes, and compatibility with social values. It can both significantly improve the maintenance of natural forest structures and functions and help improve conditions of degraded forests and monoculture plantations through restoration. However, practical approaches differ due to differences in tradition, land use history, and variability in social and cultural environments. Sharing knowledge about these different conditions, countries, and societies is necessary to advance ecological forestry worldwide. The development of ecological forestry must therefore be based on a scientific foundation (examples in this journal Special Issue) including both economic and ecological outcomes, so that ecological forestry can be put into practice. At the global level, ecological forestry is not yet widespread, but there are many examples of long-term best practices, supported by research, which are important to share and further develop.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a scientific basis and practical approaches for ecological forestry. We invite original papers and reviews from all forest biomes covering a range of topics related to the scientific study of ecological forestry. These topics may include the application of research findings on old-growth forests, nature conservation, silviculture, restoration, forest health, stability and resilience, forest management, growth and yield, forest operations, ecological functioning, economics, and social and esthetic aspects.

Dr. Jurij Diaci
Dr. Christel Kern
Dr. Hiromi Mizunaga
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 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.