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Forests
Special Issues
Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Landscape Change
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Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Landscape Change

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (19 September 2021) | Viewed by 15024

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jerzy Szwagrzyk

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forest Biodiversity, Agricultural University Krakow, Krakow, Poland
Interests: forest ecology; plant ecology; biodiversity; vegetation; community ecology; species diversity; ecosystem ecology; ecology; natural resource management; environment
Dr. Anna Gazda

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forest Biodiversity, University of Agriculture in Krakow, aleja Adama Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
Interests: forest ecology; forest plant dynamics and ecology; plant architecture; clonal plant populations; forest biodiversity; invasion ecology; invasive species; Conservation Biology; dynamics of forest canopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to cover the following issues and topics of interest:

  • Fast versus slow; early stages of forest succession and long-term dynamics of late-successional forests: The early stages of forest succession are often much faster than expected. Late-successional forests undergo mostly slow changes, but they are not static; the term ‘climax’ is rather misleading;
  • Natural and anthropogenic change in the forested landscape: There are large differences between various countries and continents. In general, in the subtropics and tropics, deforestation still takes place, while in vast areas of the temperate zone, forests are expanding and taking over the areas formerly used by agriculture. The balance at the global scale is still negative, but the rate of net forest loss has slowed down;
  • Forest recovery following natural disturbances: Natural disturbances are important factors that shape the composition and structure of almost every kind of forest ecosystem. Recovery following natural disturbances is often fast, and the role of pioneer species varies greatly among forest types, the disturbance site, and the local species pool. The frequency and severity of disturbances increase with climate warming;
  • Forest recovery following man-made disturbances: Logging does not emulate a natural disturbance; removing large trees from a site has no equivalent in nature. In many cases, forest recovery following man-made disturbances is fast. In some cases, such as salvage logging after wildfires, the interaction between natural and man-made disturbances can profoundly alter the composition and structure of the next generation of forest trees.

Prof. Dr. Jerzy Szwagrzyk
Dr. Anna Gazda
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

  • deforestation
  • disturbances
  • forest recovery
  • fragmentation
  • gap dynamics
  • late-successional forests
  • natural regeneration
  • patch dynamics
  • reforestation
  • secondary succession
  • stand composition and structure

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3381 KiB  
Article
Fuelwood Harvest and No Harvest Effects on Forest Composition, Structure, and Diversity of Arasbaran Forests—A Case Study
by Sajad Ghanbari and Christel C. Kern
Forests 2021, 12(12), 1631; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12121631 - 25 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2029
Abstract
The impact of fuelwood harvesting on forest structure and composition is not clear, especially on the understudied and scarce Arasbaran forests in Iran. This research compared woody species density, species diversity, forest composition, and regeneration status in areas of continuous and ceased fuelwood [...] Read more.
The impact of fuelwood harvesting on forest structure and composition is not clear, especially on the understudied and scarce Arasbaran forests in Iran. This research compared woody species density, species diversity, forest composition, and regeneration status in areas of continuous and ceased fuelwood harvesting in Arasbaran forests. We expected fuelwood harvesting to decrease stem density, species diversity, tree size (diameter at the breast height (DBH) and height), and shift composition away from preferred fuelwood species. We measured woody species size and frequency and identified species in three fuelwood harvest and three no harvest sites, with six sample plots (100 m × 50 m) per site. Results tended to show differences in composition, diversity, woody species height, and density. Carpinus orientalis, a preferred fuelwood species, tended to be more dominant in no harvest (importance values index (IVI) = 173.4) than harvest areas (IVI = 4.4). The diversity or richness of woody species tended to be higher in harvest (20 ± 1 species per ha) than in no harvest (14 ± 2 species per ha) areas, and other measures of diversity supported this trend as well. Harvest areas tended to also be characterized by shorter tree height and lower density of trees, a higher density of regeneration, and fewer small pole-sized trees than no harvest areas. Ongoing fuelwood harvests may further shift composition and structure away from no harvest area, compromising future fuelwood availability, but further detailed research is needed. Close to nature practices may be useful in sustaining fuelwood harvest areas and diversifying areas where fuelwood harvesting has ceased. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Landscape Change)
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13 pages, 3762 KiB  
Article
Shaping the Ecotone Zone in Forest Communities That Are Adjacent to Expressway Roads
by Justyna Czaja, Zbigniew Wilczek and Damian Chmura
Forests 2021, 12(11), 1490; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12111490 - 29 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2088
Abstract
As a result of forest fragmentation, ecotones have become an important contribution to the landscape. The areas that include ecotones are constantly growing, thus creating new habitats for plants and animals. The factor that has the greatest impact on the configuration and extent [...] Read more.
As a result of forest fragmentation, ecotones have become an important contribution to the landscape. The areas that include ecotones are constantly growing, thus creating new habitats for plants and animals. The factor that has the greatest impact on the configuration and extent of an ecotone is called the “edge effect”. The aim of this study was to determine the width of the ecotones in forests that are adjacent to an expressway and to characterize the edge effect they produced. The research was performed along ten transects situated at the edge of a forest and in the interior part of a forest (plots from 0 to 200 m). The structures of the forest stand, trees, shrubs, dwarf shrubs and herbs were determined and data on the species composition and species cover were also collected. Results of the statistical analyses (linear mixed models as well as detrended and canonical correspondence analyses) indicated significant changes in the structure, species composition, and species turnover that were dependent on the distance from the edge of the forest. It was shown that shrubs (cover, density, species richness) were the most affected while vascular plants were the least affected. However, the changes were ambiguous. There was either an increase or decrease in the individual parameters of the forest structure and the coverage of forest species. The extent of the forest edge began at a minimum distance of 0–20 m. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Landscape Change)
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19 pages, 41564 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Two Adjacent Mountainous Riparian Areas along Nestos River Tributaries of Greece
by George N. Zaimes, Valasia Iakovoglou, Dimitrios Syropoulos, Dimitrios Kaltsas and Dimitrios Avtzis
Forests 2021, 12(9), 1284; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12091284 - 18 Sep 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1566
Abstract
The riparian areas of the Mediterranean are unique but face many pressures from anthropogenic and climate change impacts. They have very rich and diverse plant communities as a result of the dynamic fluvio-geomorphologic conditions of the Mediterranean streams. In this study, the riparian [...] Read more.
The riparian areas of the Mediterranean are unique but face many pressures from anthropogenic and climate change impacts. They have very rich and diverse plant communities as a result of the dynamic fluvio-geomorphologic conditions of the Mediterranean streams. In this study, the riparian areas of two adjacent mountainous tributaries (Arkoudorema and Vathirema) of the Nestos River were studied. To assess the condition of riparian areas holistically, diverse measurements are required. This is why fluvio-geomorphologic (in the field and with GIS), vegetation (surveys and visual protocols) and ground-dwelling insect (pitfall traps and indices) measurements were taken along an elevational gradient. The results of all three methodologies draw to similar conclusions, with Vathirema sub-watershed riparian areas being in better condition than Arkoudoreama. This was expected, since Vathirema has less anthropogenic pressures. In addition, the riparian areas in higher elevations were in better condition for the same reason. To implement integrated water resources management plans, fluvio-geomorphologic and biological (e.g., vegetation and insects) datasets are required to provide a holistic view on the watershed and riparian area conditions. For the studied sub-watersheds, we recommend these measurements to continue, to record the current anthropogenic pressures and based on this information to suggest best management practices that will secure long-term sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Landscape Change)
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14 pages, 2033 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Land-Use/Land-Cover Change Increased the Landscape Heterogeneity of a Fragmented Temperate Forest in Mexico
by Claudia K. Legarreta-Miranda, Jesús A. Prieto-Amparán, Federico Villarreal-Guerrero, Carlos R. Morales-Nieto and Alfredo Pinedo-Alvarez
Forests 2021, 12(8), 1099; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12081099 - 17 Aug 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1579
Abstract
The temperate forests of northern Mexico possess a great diversity of unique and endemic species, with the greatest associations of pine-oak in the planet occurring within them. However, the ecosystems in this region had experienced an accelerated fragmentation process in the past decades. [...] Read more.
The temperate forests of northern Mexico possess a great diversity of unique and endemic species, with the greatest associations of pine-oak in the planet occurring within them. However, the ecosystems in this region had experienced an accelerated fragmentation process in the past decades. This study described and quantified the landscape fragmentation level of a degraded watershed located in this region. For that, data from the Landsat series from 1990, 2005 and 2017, classified with the Support Vector Machine method, were used. The landscape structure was analyzed based on six metrics applied at both, the landscape and class levels. Results show considerable gains in surface area for the land use land cover change (LULC) of secondary forest while the Primary Forest (PF) lost 18.1% of its area during 1990–2017. The PF increased its number of patches from 7075 to 12,318, increased its patch density (PD) from 53.51 to 58.46 # of patches/100 ha, and reduced its average patch size from 39.21 to 15.05 ha. This made the PF the most fragmented LULC from the 5 LULCs evaluated. In this study, strong fluctuations in edge density and PD were registered, which indicates the forests of northern Mexico have experienced a reduction in their productivity and have been subjected to a continuous degradation process due to disturbances such as fires, clandestine and non-properly controlled logging, among others. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Landscape Change)
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19 pages, 9393 KiB  
Article
Forest Dynamics after Five Decades of Management in the Romanian Carpathians
by Gheorghe-Marian Tudoran, Avram Cicșa, Maria Boroeanu, Alexandru-Claudiu Dobre and Ionuț-Silviu Pascu
Forests 2021, 12(6), 783; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12060783 - 14 Jun 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2068
Abstract
Research Highlights: Management of the risks forests are exposed to is based on the dynamics of the composition and structure of the stands and the forest. Background and Objectives: This study aimed to document the dynamics of the composition and structure of stands [...] Read more.
Research Highlights: Management of the risks forests are exposed to is based on the dynamics of the composition and structure of the stands and the forest. Background and Objectives: This study aimed to document the dynamics of the composition and structure of stands and forest in the Romanian Carpathians over the last five decades, as well as estimate the forecast composition of the forest in the near future (i.e., 2070). Materials and Methods: The obtained results were based on long-term monitoring and analysis of the species and structures in the stands in long-term research areas (over five decades). We performed an inventory of all the trees (on 7.5 ha) in order to characterize the stand structure in sampling plots of 0.25–1.0 ha, located in representative stands of five forest formations. Bitterlich sampling was performed in order to determine the composition of each stand (on 2930.4 ha). The future composition was established in accordance with the characteristics of the natural forest types and was based on seedling dynamics and forest management plans. Results: In mixed beech–coniferous stands, over the last five decades, the area of beech has increased by 38%, while conifers have decreased proportionally—fir by 31% and spruce by 5%. The seedling area increased from 23% to 65%, with fir contributing 22% to the composition and beech 42%. Stand density decreased by an average of 14%, with the current increment decreasing by 3.8%. The slenderness index for fir decreased from 73 to 61. In the near future, there will be an increase in the proportion of fir, from 15 to 33%, and a reduction in beech, from 49 to 45%. The proportion of spruce will be reduced from 17 to 12%. Conclusions: Based on the forest dynamics, management adaptation strategies need to be developed to improve the stability of the forest ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Landscape Change)
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13 pages, 2065 KiB  
Article
30-Year Changes in Oak-Hornbeam Forest after Windthrow
by Karolina Anna Gabrysiak, Rafał Paluch and Radosław Gawryś
Forests 2021, 12(5), 600; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12050600 - 11 May 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2066
Abstract
Hurricane winds are one of the most important abiotic factors in shaping the structure of the forest and the processes that occur in it. The aim of research was to determine regeneration processes and changes in the structure of forest stands caused by [...] Read more.
Hurricane winds are one of the most important abiotic factors in shaping the structure of the forest and the processes that occur in it. The aim of research was to determine regeneration processes and changes in the structure of forest stands caused by the windstorm in 1983. The research, based on stand tables from the years 1982, 1984, 1989 and 2014, was carried out on nine permanent research plots in the Białowieża Forest. The mean number of trees (MNT) taller than 1.30 m decreased by 13.7% after the windstorm. In 2014, MNT increased compared to 1984 (142%) and 1989 (53%). A significant decrease in the share of Picea abies (L.) H. Karst., thicker than 7 cm DBH and a significant increase in the share of Carpinus betulus L. was observed. Species richness for trees thicker than 7 cm DBH indicated a significantly lower species richness in 1982 and 1984 (12 species) compared to 1989 (14) and 2014 (16). The windstorm did not have a direct effect on the species richness, species composition of stands or the distinguished tree layers, except for trees thicker than 55 cm DBH. The observed changes in tree density in the lower layers of the stand prove that the regeneration process does not start immediately and continues even 30 years after the windstorm. Intermediate-severity windthrow accelerated natural changes in the stand structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Landscape Change)
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16 pages, 1379 KiB  
Article
Rapid Changes in Ground Vegetation of Mature Boreal Forests—An Analysis of Swedish National Forest Inventory Data
by Bengt Gunnar Jonsson, Jonas Dahlgren, Magnus Ekström, Per-Anders Esseen, Anton Grafström, Göran Ståhl and Bertil Westerlund
Forests 2021, 12(4), 475; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12040475 - 13 Apr 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2442
Abstract
The boreal forest floor vegetation is critical for ecosystem functioning and an important part of forest biodiversity. Given the ongoing global change, knowledge on broad-scale changes in the composition and abundance of different plant species and species groups is hence important for both [...] Read more.
The boreal forest floor vegetation is critical for ecosystem functioning and an important part of forest biodiversity. Given the ongoing global change, knowledge on broad-scale changes in the composition and abundance of different plant species and species groups is hence important for both forest conservation and management. Here, we analyse permanent plot data from the National Forest Inventory (NFI) on changes in the vegetation over a 10-year period in four regions of Sweden. To limit the direct and relatively well-known effects of forest management and associated succession, we only included mature forest stands not influenced by forestry during the 10 years between inventories, and focused on vegetation change mainly related to other factors. Results show strong decrease among many species and species groups. This includes dominant species such as Vaccinimum myrtillus and Deschampsia flexuosa as well as several forest herbs. The only species increasing are some mosses in the southern regions. Our data do not allow for a causal interpretation of the observed patterns. However, the changes probably result from latent succession in combination with climate change and nitrogen deposition, and with time lags complicating the interpretation of their relative importance. Regardless of the cause, the observed changes are on a magnitude that suggest impacts on ecosystem functioning and hence highlight the need for more experimental work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Landscape Change)
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