The Anthropogenic Forest: Multidisciplinary Perspectives On Forest Ecological Status

Global land use has accelerated dramatically in recent decades, driven by intensifying anthropogenic pressures. This poses an existential threat to forest ecosystems worldwide, as forests increasingly decline under the pressure of agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, and rising population density, as well as climate-amplified disturbance regimes such as wildfires, drought, and extreme rainfall. Anthropogenic land cover change in these regions is not merely a surface-level clearing; it represents a fundamental disruption of the biosphere. These changes are characterized by a significant loss of biodiversity, increased landscape fragmentation, and the progressive diminishing of critical ecosystem services. As human-induced environmental shifts intensify, forests are being pushed toward ecological tipping points. Understanding the scale of this transformation is essential, as the degradation of forest landscapes disrupts the balance of global biogeochemical cycles. While the broad patterns of forest loss are well-documented, a significant knowledge gap remains in our understanding of how forest ecosystems adjust, or ultimately fail to adapt, to rapid, human-induced environmental shifts. Current research often struggles to bridge the divide between localized, ground level data and high-level global modeling. This collection aims to fill this gap by synthesizing field-based inventories with remote sensing, sophisticated modeling and social science to uncover the specific mechanisms required to halt forest degradation. The primary goal of this Research Topic is to create a robust evidence base for environmental protection and sustainable governance. By examining the multifaceted relationship between human activity and forest health, we aim to identify the triggers of ecological instability and evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. Ultimately, this collection seeks to provide actionable insights into the biophysical and socio-economic pathways necessary to promote long-term ecological stability in an era of unprecedented land use pressure, with particular attention to reducing wildfire risk, limiting soil erosion, and enhancing forest resilience under global change. This Research Topic invites original research, reviews, and case studies that provide insights into the mechanisms of forest change and strategies for mitigation. The scope encompasses the integration of technological innovation, biophysical analysis, and policy evaluation to address forest health, with explicit emphasis on land-cover change, wildfire disturbance, soil erosion, and post-disturbance recovery. We encourage submissions that explore the following subthemes: Biophysical Consequences: Assessing disruptions causes of forest ecological processes, including nutrient cycling, hydrology, and vertical structural complexity, as well as soil organic matter, aggregate stability, infiltration, and runoff generationClimate Interaction: Investigating how climate stressors, such as fire and drought, heatwaves, windstorms, and intense rainfall act as force multipliers for forest anthropogenic degradation. Anthropic impact of land use: Evaluating how deforestation, forest fragmentation, road construction, logging, grazing, causes landslide susceptibility, and the loss of ecosystem services. Socio-Economic and Policy Drivers: Evaluating economic instruments, sustainable management efficiency, and the role of reforestation in carbon sequestration budgets. Adaptation Mechanisms: Analyzing the resilience of forest ecosystems in the face of rapid land alteration, including restoration, assisted natural regeneration, fuel-load management, erosion barriers, riparian buffers, nature-based solutions, and community-based monitoring. Topic editors: Milica Kašanin-Grubin, Diana Vieira, Adolfo Quesada-Román, Fran Domazetović Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82317/the-anthropogenic-forest-multidisciplinary-perspectives-on-forest-ecological-status