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Forests
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Hydrology and Ecosystem Services in Forests
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Hydrology and Ecosystem Services in Forests

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 June 2024 | Viewed by 5924

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Liangxin Fan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Surveying and Land Information Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000, China
Interests: water resource management; ecosystem services; grain-for-green
Prof. Dr. Xiaohu Dang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Geology and Environment, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, China
Interests: ecological restoration; ecosystem services; soil and water conservation; ecological modelling; carrying capacity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lie Xiao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China
Interests: vegetation restoration; water resource management; soil quality; ecological modelling; ecological stoichiometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A healthy ecosystem provides us with all the processes and output services we require, including food, water, shelter and recreation. A forest is the most efficient natural ecosystem, with a high rate of photosynthesis and complex ecological elements and hydrologic processes. Currently, the total area of global forests is 4.06 billion hectares (ha), accounting for 31% of Earth’s land surface and providing multiple ecosystem services to humans directly or indirectly. However, the world has lost 178 million hectares of forest since the 1990s due to the effects of climate change or irrational human behaviour.

With the intensification of global climate change, drought, deforestation and wild fire are having a negative impact on hydrological processes and ecosystem services of forests. Many restoration initiatives, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, Chinese Grain-for-Green projects, the EU Biodiversity Strategy (2011–2020) and others, have been launched in recent decades to improving forest ecosystem services, hydrological processes and sustainable livelihoods in forest ecosystem. By summarizing the feedback among hydrology process, ecosystem services and forest, we hope to discover interactions among water cycles, climate change and forest ecosystems, and provide a basis for understanding and responding to global environmental threats such as climate change and human activities impact on forests ecosystem.

We invite contributions of analysis and empirical work on hydrology and ecosystem services of forest system carried out globally or in specific regions. We also encourage empirical research on climate change, ecological restoration and human activities that could affect hydrology processes and ecosystem services of forests. Other original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: forest restoration, ecosystem services, hydrologic processes, climate change and ecological restoration.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Liangxin Fan
Prof. Dr. Xiaohu Dang
Dr. Lie Xiao
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.

Keywords

  • hydrology
  • forest
  • ecosystem services
  • climate change
  • ecological restoration

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 31056 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Variation in Extreme Climate in the Yellow River Basin and its Impacts on Vegetation Coverage
by Zichuang Li, Huazhu Xue, Guotao Dong, Xiaomin Liu and Yaokang Lian
Forests 2024, 15(2), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15020307 - 06 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 811
Abstract
Global warming and extreme climate events (ECEs) have grown more frequent, and it is essential to investigate the influences of ECEs on vegetation in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and other environmentally fragile areas. This study was based on data from 86 meteorological [...] Read more.
Global warming and extreme climate events (ECEs) have grown more frequent, and it is essential to investigate the influences of ECEs on vegetation in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and other environmentally fragile areas. This study was based on data from 86 meteorological stations in the YRB for the period 2000–2020. Twenty-five extreme climate indices (ECIs) were chosen, encompassing four dimensions: extreme value, intensity, duration, and frequency. The trend analysis approach was used to examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of extreme climate conditions. Additionally, geographical detectors and Pearson correlation analysis methods were employed to quantitatively assess the influence of ECEs on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) method was adopted to analyze the regression of twenty-five ECIs. The findings revealed the following: (1) Over the last 21 years, there has been a distinct rise in both the extreme precipitation indices (EPIs) and the extreme temperature indices (ETIs). (2) The spatial distribution of the NDVI throughout the year displayed the characteristic of being high in the south and low in the north. The annual NDVI demonstrated a noteworthy increase at a rate of 0.055/decade, with the enhancement encompassing an extensive area of 87.33%. (3) The investigation revealed that EPIs, including PRCPTOT, R10mm, CWD, R95p, and CDD, had explanatory values surpassing 0.4. This implied that the intensity, frequency, and duration of extreme precipitation played pivotal roles in steering vegetation alterations in the YRB. (4) The correlation between the EPIs and vegetation was greater than the ETIs. Grassland meadows exhibited greater sensitivity to precipitation than woody plants. The EPIs (excluding CDD and SDII) and the ETIs (TXn) displayed a substantial positive correlation with the NDVI in regions hosting grasslands, broadleaf forests, and shrubs. Desert vegetation and cultivated plants were less affected by ECEs. This study underscores the importance of the interplay between extreme climate and vegetation in the YRB. Additionally, it provides a scientific basis for formulating environmental safeguarding strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrology and Ecosystem Services in Forests)
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16 pages, 3931 KiB  
Article
Responses of Stream Water Temperature to Water Levels in Forested Catchments of South Korea
by Sooyoun Nam, Honggeun Lim, Byoungki Choi, Qiwen Li, Haewon Moon and Hyung Tae Choi
Forests 2023, 14(10), 2085; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14102085 - 18 Oct 2023
Viewed by 913
Abstract
Event flow characteristics were evaluated based on temperature and level of stream water in 22 forested catchments (area: 13.2–281.4 ha) to investigate sustainable flood management measures. Temperature and stream water levels were during 346 rainfall events in the summer season (July–September) from 2020 [...] Read more.
Event flow characteristics were evaluated based on temperature and level of stream water in 22 forested catchments (area: 13.2–281.4 ha) to investigate sustainable flood management measures. Temperature and stream water levels were during 346 rainfall events in the summer season (July–September) from 2020 to 2022. Rising stream water levels responded to falling stream water temperature between ≤100 and >100 ha forested catchments in two types of time of concentration. Stream water temperature decreased by 3.0 °C when the stream water level increased by up to 0.9 m during rainfall events. Falling stream water temperature at two types of time of concentration was negatively correlated with total precipitation and rising stream water level. Based on the relatively high value of regression and cumulative frequency distribution, the estimated rising stream water level was appropriate in small catchments (≤100 ha) when the stream water temperature decreased, and the stream water level increased during rainfall events. Rising stream water levels and falling stream water temperatures are responses to catchment-scale effects, which are influenced by the nature and rapidity of the hydrological responses. Therefore, the results of the present study indicate that spatial and temporal differences in thermal responses of stream water temperature to water levels were controlled by catchment-scale effects under rapidly changing rainfall. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrology and Ecosystem Services in Forests)
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14 pages, 3758 KiB  
Article
Post-Fire Changes in Canopy Solute Leaching in Pinus densiflora Forests
by Taehyun Kim, Yugyeong Kim, Jeman Lee, Choongshik Woo and Sangjun Im
Forests 2023, 14(10), 1996; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14101996 - 04 Oct 2023
Viewed by 753
Abstract
Fires can burn canopy fuel and replace leafy crowns with charred branches and trunks, thereby affecting hydrological flow and water chemistry. However, little is known about the effects of fire on throughfall volumes and chemical fluxes in temperate forests. Therefore, we aimed to [...] Read more.
Fires can burn canopy fuel and replace leafy crowns with charred branches and trunks, thereby affecting hydrological flow and water chemistry. However, little is known about the effects of fire on throughfall volumes and chemical fluxes in temperate forests. Therefore, we aimed to monitor the volume and chemistry of throughfall in pine trees (Pinus densiflora) damaged by the 2022 Gangneung-Donghae Forest fire in the Republic of Korea. Immediately after the forest fire, funnel-type measurements were performed to collect the throughfall beneath five trees at foliage necrosis and crown consumption sites. The amount of water that penetrated in a specified period was continually measured and analyzed in terms of the water quality components. Crown consumption resulted in the passage of more water due to the removal of the tree canopy; however, the ratio of throughfall to total rainfall remained constant as the rainfall amount increased. The throughfall volume was not significantly different owing to the fire damage. The solute concentrations of Ca and TOC at the crown consumption site were higher than those at the foliage necrosis site after the fire; however, no significant difference was observed three months after the fire. In this study, the changes in the amount and water quality of throughfall due to fire were examined over a relatively short period, providing fundamental data for nutrient cycling management of wildfire-damaged soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrology and Ecosystem Services in Forests)
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15 pages, 25948 KiB  
Article
Vegetation Dynamics and Their Response Patterns to Drought in Shaanxi Province, China
by Jingxuan Su, Liangxin Fan, Zhanliang Yuan, Zhen Wang and Zhijun Wang
Forests 2023, 14(8), 1528; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14081528 - 26 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 902
Abstract
Effective water and vegetation management requires a better understanding of vegetation dynamics, and their response patterns to drought. Here, based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), we investigate the vegetation response patterns to drought in [...] Read more.
Effective water and vegetation management requires a better understanding of vegetation dynamics, and their response patterns to drought. Here, based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), we investigate the vegetation response patterns to drought in Shaanxi Province (SAX), using Spearman’s correlation analysis. The results show that the NDVI increased significantly (p < 0.01) from 2000 to 2019, with a trend of 0.054/10 yr. The maximum correlation coefficient between the NDVI and the SPEI (Rmax) showed a significantly positive correlation (p < 0.05) in most areas (84.5%) of SAX. The Rmax of Northern Shaanxi (NS, median = 0.55) was higher than that of Central Shaanxi (CS, median = 0.53) and Southern Shaanxi (SS, median = 0.52). The corresponding timescale of Rmax was longer in CS (median = 7 months) than NS (median = 4 months) and SS (median = 3 months). The occurrence date of Rmax in NS (median = July) lagged that in CS and SS (median = May). The vegetation response patterns to drought varied with elevation; the Rmax decreased significantly (p < 0.01) with increasing elevation, while the corresponding timescale exhibited fluctuations. Additionally, Hurst exponent analysis indicated that 78.6% of the areas in SAX will exhibit a humidification trend in the future, and that vegetation growth in 74.7% of the areas in the region will be promoted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrology and Ecosystem Services in Forests)
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17 pages, 3681 KiB  
Article
Effects of Vegetation Restoration on the Hydrological Regimes of the Chinese Loess Plateau: A Comparative Analysis of Forested and Less-Forested Catchments
by Haijie Yi, Yao Wang, Yongcai Lou and Xiaojia Han
Forests 2023, 14(6), 1199; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14061199 - 09 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 788
Abstract
Large-scale vegetation restoration can significantly affect catchment hydrology. Assessing the impact of vegetation restoration on hydrological regimes is important for water resource management. We chose three less-forested catchments (LFCs, forested area <30%) undergoing major vegetation restoration, i.e., Wuqi, Zhidan, and Liujiahe, and two [...] Read more.
Large-scale vegetation restoration can significantly affect catchment hydrology. Assessing the impact of vegetation restoration on hydrological regimes is important for water resource management. We chose three less-forested catchments (LFCs, forested area <30%) undergoing major vegetation restoration, i.e., Wuqi, Zhidan, and Liujiahe, and two forested reference catchments (FCs, forested area >77%) that have had secondary forests for more than 150 years, i.e., Zhangcunyi and Huangling, of the Beiluo River basin located in the Loess Plateau (LP) to compare and analyze the stationary and variation characteristics of streamflow and its components from 1958 to 2019. Results show that the mean annual streamflows were 25.07~34.21 and 21.62~48.02 mm in the LFCs and FCs, respectively. The mean streamflow in the LFCs decreased by 50% on average from before the year 2000 to after. The decreasing trend of high flows and increasing trend of low flows is represented in the daily flow duration curves of the LFCs. The result of baseflow separation shows that the average percentages of baseflow in the streamflow were 31.89~43.36% in the LFCs and 58.23~60.14% in the FCs. The Mann–Kendall tests showed significant decreasing trends in annual streamflow (−0.27~−0.70 mm/a) and stormflow (−0.29~−0.64 mm/a) in the LFCs from 1958 to 2019, while the baseflow exhibited increasing trends except for in the Zhidan catchment. The seasonal streamflow and stormflow showed significant decreasing trends in the summer and non-flood season, while the winter and non-flood season’s baseflow increased in LFCs. In FCs, however, the streamflow and its components showed only slight fluctuations over the study period in annual trends, decadal variability, and seasonal trends over the study period, suggesting that FCs have stable hydrological regimes. These results indicate that 20 years of large-scale vegetation restoration greatly influenced hydrological regimes by reducing stormflow and increasing baseflow, and played an important role in streamflow regulation. Conversely, areas with well-preserved vegetation can effectively mitigate the effects of weather and other factors on runoff with stable hydrological regimes. This study can help vegetation restoration and water resource management on the LP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrology and Ecosystem Services in Forests)
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17 pages, 9261 KiB  
Article
Drivers of Net Primary Productivity Spatio-Temporal Variation in Ningxia, China
by Binhua Zhao, Zeyu Ma, Peng Li, Yaotao Xu, Guojun Zhang, Wentao Ma and Zhengyan Ren
Forests 2023, 14(6), 1170; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14061170 - 06 Jun 2023
Viewed by 975
Abstract
The drivers and spatial distribution trends for net primary productivity (NPP) in Ningxia were studied to determine the priority vegetation restoration areas. NPP data from MOD17 A3 were used to determine the future NPP trends through slope trend analysis and the Hurst index. [...] Read more.
The drivers and spatial distribution trends for net primary productivity (NPP) in Ningxia were studied to determine the priority vegetation restoration areas. NPP data from MOD17 A3 were used to determine the future NPP trends through slope trend analysis and the Hurst index. Spatial drivers were defined by a geographic detector and correlation analysis. Results indicate that NPP positively fluctuated from 2000 to 2020 with an average range between 119.98 and 249.66 gC/m2a, and a multi-year average of 190.15 gC/m2a. The spatial distribution has more obvious divergent characteristics, showing distribution characteristics of low in the central and northern sides and high in the southern and northern middle. Superimposed on the analysis of slope and Hurst indices, the future vegetation NPP in Ningxia will show four scenarios of continuous increase, continuous decrease, change from increase to decrease and change from decrease to increase, accounting for 22.35%, 1.36%, 71.42% and 2.86% of the area of the region, respectively. Driving factor influence can be divided into dominant factors and important factors. The interaction between the two factors is positive, and the maximum q value under the interaction of precipitation and temperature is 0.687. NPP is mainly driven by climatic factors in 50.92% of the area and is mainly distributed in the central, western and southern parts of Ningxia. The non-climatic-factor-driven areas can be used as priority vegetation restoration areas, which accounting for 47.08%, are mainly concentrated in the northern Yellow River irrigation area, the desert steppe in the central and eastern parts, and a small part in the southern Liupan Mountains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrology and Ecosystem Services in Forests)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Emergy-based ecological-economic measuring for main crops cultivation and livestock breeding in terms of soil erosion intensity on the Leoss Platau
Authors: Xiaohu Dang
Affiliation: Xi'an University of Science and Technology, China

Title: Kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of C-, N-, and P- cycle enzymes in three forest type soils
Authors: Lie Xiao
Affiliation: Xi'an University of Technology, China

Title: Soil organic carbon mineralization among contrasting forest types on the Loess Plateau of China
Authors: Lie Xiao
Affiliation: Xi'an University of Technology, China

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