Dear Colleagues,

The complete destruction of the tree layer radically changes the ecosystem as a whole, affecting soil conditions and ground cover. Plant communities on clear-cuttings at the initial stages (i.e., before the formation of a closed tree canopy) can serve as good model objects for biodiversity and ecology studies, at least, due to the dynamic patterns of their formation. However, the natural restoration of forest communities can take hundreds of years. To restore the forest stand as soon as possible, it is necessary to plant high-quality seedlings of a certain type and provide sufficient care to them in order to limit the negative impact of undesirable herbaceous and woody vegetation. All of these operations are quite labor-intensive and expensive. The issues of artificial reforestation remain relevant worldwide, and as result, the experience exchange in this framework seems to be quite useful for many stakeholders. Although the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of undergrowth adaptation to changing local environmental conditions as well as to modern cutting approaches remain poorly studied, this field has a high innovative potential.

Thus, this Special Issue is aimed at synthesizing research materials in the plant communities after continuous deforestation, including their formation patterns, a comparative analysis of the biodiversity of deforestation plots and forest stands at different stages of restoration, as well as the methods of artificial reforestation and promotion of natural forest regeneration. The aspects of changes in the structure and properties of soils and the adaptation mechanisms of young woody plants in the main forest-forming species in clear-cutting are of special importance.

Dr. Alexander Kryshen
Dr. Juri Kurhinen
Guest Editors

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• clear-cutting
• forest soils
• biodiversity
• plant communities of clear-cutting areas
• plant and animal species associated with logging
• young trees’ adaptation for logging
• reforestation methods, natural reforestation