Interplay of Human and Natural Disturbances on Pattern and Process in Forest Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Forests are a dominant global biome, providing vital ecosystem services, habitat, and economic value to people. However, they face threats from many agents of global change, like agricultural expansion, harvest and climate shifts. To manage forests effectively, it is imperative to understand the dynamics of their response to human and natural disturbances, over space and time. Features such as size and spatial distribution of living plants, dead woody biomass, and species composition and diversity, are among the key characteristics that define forest type. However, there remains many unsolved questions regarding species interactions, land clearance, competition, fire, climate and other processes that are known to influence the spatio-temporal patterning in forest systems worldwide. In this Special Issue, we seek to highlight and synthesize innovative new research on the interplay between pattern, process and disturbance on forest structure, stability and regeneration. Such advances will lay the foundation for improved forecasts and management of the effects of landscape disturbance and other drivers of global change on forest ecosystems. This knowledge is also crucial for informing debates on human use of global forests and its long-term ecological and social repercussions.

Prof. Dr. Barry W. Brook
Dr. Jessie Buettel
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.