Forest Ecosystems and Climate Adaptation: The Impact of Uneven-Aged Management

Forest management through an uneven-aged approach is pivotal across diverse biomes, centered on forest health preservation, habitat continuity, and biodiversity enhancement. This technique involves selective logging of individual or small groups of trees, aimed at keeping a variety of trees differing in size, age, and species, thereby mimicking natural growth patterns to bolster ecosystem resilience. The composition of uneven-aged forests includes a mix of small to large trees, as well as shade-tolerant and shade-intolerant species, resulting in complex vertical structures and diverse crowns. These forests provide ideal habitats for various wildlife, supporting rich faunal and floral biodiversity.

This Research Topic aims to examine the robustness of uneven-aged forest management in bolstering adaptability to climate change. It seeks to explore how different biome-specific adaptations of this management approach address environmental challenges such as disease resistance, soil erosion control, and carbon sequestration. Moreover, the study will assess the role of such forest structures in sustaining ecological balance, enhancing canopy layers in tropical forests, and contributing to continuous growth and regeneration across vegetation types.

To gather further insights within the boundaries of uneven-aged forest management and its efficacy against climate change effects, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Forest structural diversity
- Forest growth and productivity
- Species diversity
- Soil quality assessment
- Harvesting of large-size timber
- Climate change impact modeling
- Comparative analysis of growth patterns in uneven and even-aged forests
- Forest soil composition studies
- Understory vegetation dynamics

Keywords: Uneven Aged Forests, Forest Management, Forest Growth, Climate Change, Soil Quality

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.