This collection features five peer-reviewed reviews on ecosystem services delivered by forests.
The first chapter summarises the current state of knowledge on the interactions between forest ecosystems and the climate system and the way in which forests influence the water cycle.
The second chapter reviews the wealth of research on the range of species, functional groups and ecological processes which can develop as a result of the biodiversity in tropical forests. The chapter also considers the main threats to tropical forest biodiversity.
The third chapter examines the importance of forest carbon content and the methods currently used to monitor it. The chapter also explores the mechanisms driving forest carbon storage and offers a considered discussion on whether forests should be considered sources or sinks of carbon.
The fourth chapter highlights how sustainable forest management (SFM) can be used to maintain or enhance biodiversity in temperate and boreal forests. The chapter utilises two case studies to demonstrate successful implementation of SFM in Ireland and Canada.
The final chapter considers the benefits of introducing agroforestry into agroecosystems, focussing on its influence on soil health. The chapter discusses the benefits of agroforestry systems on key soil physical, chemical and biological properties.
This collection provides a considered overview of the range of ecosystem services delivered by tropical, temperate and boreal forests. Chapters explore the role of forests in storing carbon, improving hydrological cycles and optimising soil health.
Chapter 1 - Ecosystem services delivered by tropical forests: regulating
services of tropical forests for climate and hydrological cycles: Oliver
Gardi, Bern University of Applied Sciences and School of Agricultural, Forest
and Food Sciences HAFL, Switzerland; 1 Introduction 2 Forest-climate
interactions 3 Forests in the carbon cycle 4 Climate change mitigation in the
forestry and timber sector 5 Forests in the water cycle (regional scale) 6
Summary and future trends 7 Where to look for further information 8
References
Chapter 2 - Biodiversity and ecosystem services in tropical forests: recent
findings and implications for sustainable forest management (SFM): Beth A.
Kaplin, University of Rwanda, Rwanda and University of Massachusetts-Boston,
USA; 1 Introduction 2 The importance of tropical forests as repositories of
biodiversity 3 Recent research on biodiversity and ecosystem services from
tropical forests 4 The main threats to tropical forest biodiversity 5
Synthesis and conclusion 6 Where to look for further information 7 References
Chapter 3 - Advances in understanding the role of forests in the carbon
cycle: Matthew J. McGrath and Anne Sofie Lansø, Laboratoire des sciences du
climat et de lenvironnement, France; Guillaume Marie, Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Yi-Ying Chen, Academia Sinica, Taiwan; Tuomo
Kalliokoski, University of Helsinki, Finland; Sebastiaan Luyssaert and Kim
Naudts, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Philippe Peylin,
Laboratoire des sciences du climat et de lenvironnement, France; and Aude
Valade, Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre, Spain; 1
Introduction 2 The importance of forest carbon content 3 Monitoring forest
carbon 4 Mechanisms driving forest carbon storage 5 Are forests sources or
sinks of carbon? 6 Carbon management as distinct from climate management 7
Future trends and conclusion 8 Acknowledgements 9 Where to look for further
information 10 References
Chapter 4 - Advances in understanding forest ecosystem services: conserving
biodiversity: Anne Oxbrough, Edge Hill University, UK; and Jaime Pinzón,
Natural Resources Canada, Canada; 1 Introduction 2 The impact of forest loss
and fragmentation on biodiversity 3 Tree species diversity, tree species
composition and conservation 4 The impact of clearcutting on biodiversity 5
The importance of deadwood to forest biodiversity 6 Case study: managing for
plantation forest biodiversity in landscapes of low forest cover 7 Case
study: managing for biodiversity in boreal mixedwood forests emulating
natural forest dynamics 8 Summary 9 Future trends 10 Where to look for
further information 11 References
Chapter 5 - Agroforestry: a system for improving soil health: S. H. Anderson
and R. P. Udawatta, University of Missouri, USA; 1 Introduction 2 Biological
properties critical for soil health 3 Physical properties critical for soil
health 4 Chemical properties critical for soil health 5 Conclusion 6 Future
trends 7 Where to look for further information 8 References
Beth A. Kaplin is a Professor of Conservation Science in the College of Science & Technology at University of Rwanda (UR) and a Research Professor in the School for the Environment at University of Massachusetts-Boston (UMB). She is also a Senior Fellow at the Center of Global Governance and Sustainability at UMB. In June 2016 she was appointed Director of the Center of Excellence in Biodiversity & Natural Resource Management at UR. She also created the Regional Network for Conservation Educators in the Albertine Rift to support and empower conservation scientists in Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Tanzania, and Uganda. She is a member of the Society for Conservation Biology and the Association for Tropical Biology & Conservation, and formerly Associate Editor for the journal Biotropica.
Stephen H. Anderson is the William A. Albrecht Distinguished Professor of Soil and Environmental Sciences in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri, USA. His current areas of research include evaluating soil management effects on soil hydraulic properties, developing X-ray computed tomography and microtomography techniques to assess pore-scale soil properties and processes, and utilizing hydrologic models to evaluate effectiveness of conservation practices at the watershed scale.
