Simulation Modeling of Forest Ecosystems

Dear Colleague,

This issue of Forests will treat the development, applications and testing of a set of forest models called “Individual-Based Models” (IBMs). IBMs simulate the birth, growth and death of the individual trees that in summation comprise a forested region. IBMs are in use from local-scale to continental-scale and even global-scale applications to assess the potential consequences of climate and environmental change on forests. This Special Issue of Forests focuses on studies involving the development, testing and application of IBMs projecting change in forest ecosystems. Research articles may focus on any of these areas. Comparisons between models are encouraged, as are papers that focus on new representations of environmental change, incorporation of disturbance effects on forests, and the treatment of spatial effects among trees.