Soil and Water Conservation in Forestry

Dear Colleagues,

Forests play a critical role in maintaining soil and water resources by influencing hydrological and erosion processes. These natural ecosystems contribute significantly to soil stability, water infiltration, and the regulation of runoff and sediment transport. Understanding the interactions between forests, soil, and water is essential for sustainable resource management across various spatial and temporal scales. 

Forests of different types and scales exhibit varying impacts on soil and water conservation. Human activities and natural disturbances, such as land-use changes, deforestation, storms, and wildfires, can significantly affect soil and water conservation, ultimately influencing the ecosystem services upon which human populations depend. Exploring these relationships provides valuable insights into preserving these vital resources. This Special Issue focuses on advancing knowledge about the feedback mechanisms between forests, soil, and water, with attention to practical conservation outcomes.

Key topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Soil moisture, infiltration, preferential flow, and runoff paths under different forest vegetation conditions.
• Soil erosion under different forest operations under natural disasters.
• Benefit of soil and water conservation associated with diverse forest management practices.
• Effect of forest vegetation changes on streamflow and sediment load.
• Soil and water conservation functions of reforested or abandoned farmland.
• Conservation strategies addressing both human-induced and natural disturbances affecting soil and water resources.
• Impacts of forest operation such as harvesting, road construction, and reforestation on soil and water conservation.

Dr. Jiangkun Zheng
Dr. Filippo Giadrossich
Dr. Miriam Fernanda Rodrigues
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.