Construction and Maintenance of Desert Forest Plantation

Dear Colleagues,

In arid regions, desert forest plantations refer to vegetation that is employed to control land desertification. Worldwide, there are many excellent projects across arid land that have been established. For example, since 2021, a billion trees have been planted in Mongolia; the Great Green Wall was initiated in 2008 in Sahel, Africa; and the Three-North Shelterbelt Project was initiated in 1978 in Northwest, North and Northeast China. These desert forest plantation projects have amended sand dunes and significantly reduced the influence of sand storms. However, vegetation degradation has occurred due to drought, soil salinization and unsustainable management in many areas.

In this Special Issue, we will discuss the structure, ecological process and function of desert forest plantations. The submission of research papers, reviews, and opinions to this Special Issue is welcome. We hope that this Special Issue will provide some insights into how desert forest plantations adapt to harsh environments and give reference to their sustainable management. The potential topics of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following: afforestation in arid zones, vegetation monitoring, plant biodiversity, microclimate improvement, carbon−water balance of vegetation, oasis ecology, and plantation sustainability, etc.

Dr. Yajuan Zhu
Prof. Dr. Yulin Li
Dr. Xuehua Ye
Prof. Dr. Lin Zhu
Prof. Dr. Haiyang Xi
Dr. Hai Zhou
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. 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.

• desert plantation
• ecohydrology
• oasis security
• sand dune fixation
• vegetation restoration

Title: Dynamic changes of vegetation ecological quality in Tarim Basin and its response to extreme climate during 2000-2022
Authors: Yuanmei Zhang; Yan Lu; Guili Sun; Li Li; Zhihao Zhang; Xiaoguo Zhou
Affiliation: College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Xinjiang Agricultural University
Abstract: Tarim Basin is located in an arid inland area; the ecological environment is fragile, and it is extremely sensitive to climate change. For the purpose of studying the response of vegetation in the Tarim Basin to extreme climate, this study utilizes Vegetation Coverage (FVC) and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) to develop the Vegetation Ecological Quality Index (EQI), both as a measure of vegetation indicators and to analyze the spatiotemporal variation in the EQI. Simultaneously, we chose 12 extreme climate indices to break down the relationship between inter- and intra-annual extreme climate indices and the EQI. Additionally, we explored extreme climate affected EQI of different vegetation types. It is shown that: (1) From 2000 to 2022, the average annual EQI increase rate was 1.52/10a (P<0.001), with 49% of the entire area showing an EQI trend toward increase. The annual average value of EQI in each vegetation type area increased significantly. (2) Since 2000, the extreme warm temperature indices have risen, whereas the extreme cold temperature indices have declined. The warming rate of nighttime temperatures exceeds that of daytime, and the extreme precipitation rises intensively. Simultaneously, continuous dry days have also increased. (3) On an inter-annual scale, the EQI is primarily negatively correlated with the most extreme warm temperature indices, while it is positively correlated with extreme cold temperatures and extreme precipitation indices. On an intra-annual scale, there is an obvious regional concentration in the correlation between the EQI and extreme climate indices. The diurnal temperature range (DTR) and cold daytimes (TX10P) have inhibitory and promoting effects on areas with high and low EQI, respectively. The Extremum indices, temperature warm indices, and precipitation intensity indices have a promoting effect on areas with a high EQI and an inhibiting effect on areas with a low EQI. (4) The contribution rate of two extreme climate indices to EQI is greater than that of a single extreme climate index, especially for forest and shrubs This research lays the foundation for examining the influences of vegetation in the Tarim Basin on extreme climate.