Forest Health Management: Interaction between Forest Trees, Pathogens and Environment

Dear Colleagues,

The plant disease process is a compound biological phenomenon determined by four broadly understood factors: the host plant, the pathogen, the host plant’s environment and time.The changing environment affects the epidemic occurrence of forest tree diseases in large areas, the appearance of new diseases or the changes of organisms’ behavior to became pathogens. The environmental factors impact upon the resistance and susceptibility of trees and the virulence of pathogens. A proper understanding of the disease process, its determinants and its mechanisms is crucial in designing strategies for control against disease in trees and stands. New knowledge is essential in order to better manage forest health, and to maintain forest stability and biodiversity.

This Special Issue focuses on the interactions between forest trees and a wide range of pathogens and the forest environment in the context of disease development, the appearance of new pathogens in forest areas and the management of forest diseases. Studies dealing with simple tree–pathogen interactions and more complicated plant–pathogen–environment interactions in time, disease and pathogen ecology are welcomed. I encourage the submission of studies regarding forest health management, the use of various control methods with particular emphasis on the biological control method, and above all, Integrated Pest Management. Papers explaining the influence and importance of environmental factors on the development of pathogens or diseases are also welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Tomasz Oszako
Prof. Dr. Jolanta Behnke-Borowczyk
Dr. Lassaâd Belbahri
Prof. Dr. Piotr Łakomy
Dr. Jacek Piętka
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.

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