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Land
Special Issues
Urban Forestry Dynamics: Management and Mechanization
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Urban Forestry Dynamics: Management and Mechanization

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Landscape Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 3199

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Leonardo Bianchini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, Tuscia University (DAFNE), Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: mechanization in forestry and urban forestry; agricultural forestry and agro-industrial biomass; energy crops in phytoremediation
Dr. Marcello Biocca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria—CREA, Centro di Ricerca In-Gegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, Via della Pascolare 16, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
Interests: agricultural engineering; safety, health and safety in agro-food systems; crop protection technology; mechanization in urban forestry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Valerio Di Stefano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Rome, Italy
Interests: biosystems and environment; work safety; agricultural and forestry policies and law; urban forestry management; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban forestry management refers to the study of the planning, management, mechanization, practices, benefits, and impact of forests in urban areas. With ongoing rapid global urbanization, this research area has gained increasing importance, and urban forests have come to play a key role in mitigating climate change, enhancing biodiversity, improving the urban environment, and promoting human well-being. The management of urban forests is becoming a crucial point of confluence between humans and plants, but is also critical in terms of the more efficient use of the ecosystem services that urban forests can provide, as well as becoming one the main European policy areas regarding environmental protection and urban forestry. Alas, the management of urban green spaces and woodland still often relies on methods and tools rooted in the past and operating without scientific foundation that have, over time, caused multiple negative impacts to the structure and health of green spaces and trees in urban environments. Implementing a modern and innovative management approach to improving the characteristics, health, and functions of urban forests, as well as their impacts and associated management costs, has become essential. The use of tools for accurate evaluation (both visual and instrumental), the use of precision technologies for planning and management, and the use of innovative equipment, have come to represent focal points that enable more rational, efficient, and sustainable management. These goals can be achieved if modern technologies and devices are used, but also, and above all, if they are used appropriately in terms of the contexts in which they are deployed.

The goal of this Special Issue is to gather together papers (original research articles and review papers) that provide key insights into the intricate relationships between urban forests, planning, mechanization, operations, benefits, and impacts (i.e., impacts on soils or environmental impact), in the context of continual urbanization. The objective is to improve knowledge of urban forestry management, forestry planning in urban environments, the sustainability of urban forestry management, mechanization, and maintenance operations, and the effects they have on the environment, productivity, and safety of practitioners and ordinary citizens.

This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • Urban forest management;
  • Mechanization and operations;
  • Impact of mechanization and operations;
  • Planning of urban forests;
  • Visual and instrumental assessment technologies;
  • Management techniques and their benefits and impacts on the environment;
  • New technologies in precision urban forestry.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Leonardo Bianchini
Dr. Marcello Biocca
Dr. Valerio Di Stefano
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. Land 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

  • urban forest
  • mechanization
  • urban forest operations
  • soil impact
  • environmental effects
  • technical and economic performance
  • new technologies

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 6547 KiB  
Article
Predicting Suitable Spatial Distribution Areas for Urban Trees Under Climate Change Scenarios Using Species Distribution Models: A Case Study of Michelia chapensis
by Chenbin Shen, Xi Chen, Chao Zhou, Lingzi Xu, Mingyi Qian, Hongbo Zhao and Kun Li
Land 2025, 14(3), 638; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030638 - 18 Mar 2025
Viewed by 585
Abstract
Climate change has presented considerable challenges in the management of urban forests and trees. Varieties of studies have predicted the potential changes in species distribution by employing single-algorithm species distribution models (SDMs) to investigate the impacts of climate change on plant species. However, [...] Read more.
Climate change has presented considerable challenges in the management of urban forests and trees. Varieties of studies have predicted the potential changes in species distribution by employing single-algorithm species distribution models (SDMs) to investigate the impacts of climate change on plant species. However, there is still limited quantitative research on the impacts of climate change on the suitable distribution ranges of commonly used urban tree species. Therefore, our study aims to optimize traditional SDMs by integrating multiple machine learning algorithms and to propose a framework for identifying suitable distribution ranges of urban trees under climate change. We took Michelia chapensis, a tree species of particular significance in southern China, as a pilot tree species to investigate the evolution of its suitable distribution range in the context of two future climate scenarios (SSP126 and SSP585) across four periods (2030s, 2050s, 2070s, and 2090s). The findings indicated that the ensemble SDM showed strong predictive capacity, with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.95. The suitable area for Michelia chapensis is estimated at 15.9 × 105 km2 currently and it will expand in most areas under future climate scenarios according to the projection. However, it will contract in southeastern Yunnan, central Guangdong, the Sichuan Basin, northern Hubei, and Jiangxi, etc. The central location of the current suitable distribution area is located in Hengyang, Hunan (27.36° N, 112.34° E), and is projected to shift westward with climate change in the future. The migration magnitude is positively correlated with the intensity of climate change. These findings provide a scientific basis for the future landscape planning and management of Michelia chapensis. Furthermore, the proposed framework can be seen as a valuable tool for predicting the suitable distribution ranges of urban trees in response to climate change, providing insights for proactive adaptation to climate change in urban planning and landscape management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forestry Dynamics: Management and Mechanization)
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22 pages, 11956 KiB  
Article
Retrofit-Oriented Large Parks’ Walking-Shed Evaluation—A Case Study of Rizhao, China
by Zhen Yin, Lifei Wang and Zhen Xu
Land 2025, 14(3), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030498 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 469
Abstract
Large parks play a key role in the identity of urban public spaces and as destinations for residents’ urban walks, with the social benefits they provide being irreplaceable by other types of green spaces. This study examines the accessibility of large urban parks [...] Read more.
Large parks play a key role in the identity of urban public spaces and as destinations for residents’ urban walks, with the social benefits they provide being irreplaceable by other types of green spaces. This study examines the accessibility of large urban parks in Rizhao, China, focusing on spatial distribution, service equity, and optimization strategies. Using GIS-based walking route proximity analysis, the study identifies significant accessibility gaps in high-density urban areas. Rizhao is a typical coastal tourist city, selected as the study area due to its low level of urbanization and the underutilization of its natural resources. This study uses online map data to evaluate the service efficiency and supply–demand heterogeneity of large parks from multiple perspectives, proposing targeted, practical, and micro-intervention-based spatial measures based on typical case analysis. The results show that 70.52% of the population in the study area is served by park entrances within a 1500 m walking distance, indicating that a considerable portion of residents remain beyond a reasonable walking distance. In the context of urban renewal and sustainable development, this study proposes practical improvements to park accessibility, including suggestions for determining suitable locations for new large parks as a long-term goal, alongside low-cost interventions such as increasing park entrances to maximize the use of existing resources and optimizing pedestrian routes (including opening gated communities and adding crossing facilities) to improve park walking service catchment in smaller environments. This study provides insights for urban park renewal, retrofitting, and expansion, supporting accessibility measures in planning practices, and is expected to provide valuable references for urban managers and policymakers. Furthermore, the study suggests that policy adjustments are necessary to integrate green spaces into urban development more effectively, particularly in rapidly urbanizing areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forestry Dynamics: Management and Mechanization)
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Review

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25 pages, 4633 KiB  
Review
The Concept of Informal Green Space in Academic Research: A Comprehensive Literature Review on the Terminology Used
by Duy Thong Ta, Huixin Wang and Katsunori Furuya
Land 2025, 14(1), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14010043 - 28 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1048
Abstract
Informal green spaces (IGSs) are vital yet under-researched urban areas that enhance biodiversity, provide ecosystem services, and improve the well-being of urban residents. However, the lack of a consistent definition and comprehensive understanding of their multifunctional roles has hindered their effective integration into [...] Read more.
Informal green spaces (IGSs) are vital yet under-researched urban areas that enhance biodiversity, provide ecosystem services, and improve the well-being of urban residents. However, the lack of a consistent definition and comprehensive understanding of their multifunctional roles has hindered their effective integration into urban planning. The current literature review aimed to clarify the concept of IGSs, analyze research trends, and identify further research areas. Using a combined bibliometric and systematic analysis approach, 150 articles from the Web of Science database, published from 1996 to 2024, were analyzed. The systematic analysis identified 54 relevant documents on the effects of green areas, revealing a diverse and growing body of research on IGSs, including their types, distribution, and socioeconomic contexts. The findings indicated an increasing trend in collaborative studies, using “informal green space” as the official term. This review proposed a clear and comprehensive definition of IGS, emphasizing its visibility, lack of formal recognition, minimal management, spontaneous vegetation, and temporary nature and underscoring its substantial environmental and social benefits. Furthermore, this review highlighted the need for standardized definitions and interdisciplinary studies to fully harness the potential of IGSs, thereby emphasizing their essential contribution to urban biodiversity and the regulation of urban microclimates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forestry Dynamics: Management and Mechanization)
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