New editorial team and changed publication process for Annals of Forest Science

Annals of Forest Science is a long-standing journal owned by the French public research institution INRAE (Institut National de Recherches pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement). It has been published from 1964 to 1999 as “Annales des Sciences Forestières”, and since 2000, as “Annals of Forest Science” (AFS). Our current publisher is Springer-Nature.

Over this long history, the journal has undergone many changes in response to the rapid evolution of the science editing world.

Among the most recent changes adopted during 2025 is a new manuscript handling process. Since February 2025, the Springer-Nature Article Processing Platform (SNAPP) has become the unique interface for submitting manuscripts, assigning handling editors, searching for reviewers and reaching editorial decisions. SNAPP standardised many editorial procedures, including the definition of editorial roles, the decision-making process and the interactions between authors, editors and reviewers. The new procedures are now effective and result in more transparency and efficiency in our editorial process. Over 160 manuscripts have already been handled using SNAPP. The platform is constantly evolving and new tools and features are being developed in interaction with the editorial teams. We have the feeling this new and easy to use platform is simplifying and accelerating the manuscript-handling processes for authors, reviewers and editors while still focusing on a high quality peer-review.

One of the most important changes brought up by SNAPP is the standardisation of article formats across journals; the most frequently used formats in AFS remain: research papers, review papers, database papers, opinion papers, short notes, and editorials. A description of these article types will soon be detailed on our blog pages (https://ist.blogs.inrae.fr/afs/).

Another very recent change is that we switched during early November 2025 to a new dissemination platform on Springer-Link (https://link-springer-com.inrae.idm.oclc.org/journal/13595). This platform is easier to use and more compact than the earlier one, and its standardised design is shared by all Springer journals. It provides access to the most important information about the journal, and to the tools available to guide authors during the submission and reviewing process. These changes are very visible whenever you access the journal’s website and resources.

More importantly, however, we are pleased to announce the appointment by INRAE of Jean-Christophe Domec as the new Editor‐in‐Chief of AFS, effective January 1, 2026. A smooth transition will be ensured with the former Editor-in-Chief, Erwin Dreyer, during 2026, ending on December 31, 2026.

Jean-Christophe Domec holds a PhD in Forest Ecology & Wood Science from Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR, USA) and is currently a distinguished professor of sustainable forestry at Bordeaux Sciences Agro (Bordeaux, France), and a Visiting Professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment of Duke University (Durham, NC, USA). His research focuses on plant water relations, ecosystem ecology and ecohydrology, with particular emphasis on long‐distance water transport in trees under climate change, drought tolerance and avoidance, and structural–functional trait coordination in forest systems. With a strong publication record (including contributions to Annals of Forest Science), and a wide international collaboration network, Jean-Christophe brings a very useful and novel expertise to the journal. We look forward to his stewardship in guiding the journal into its next phase, fostering rigorous, high-impact research in forest & wood science, and connecting authors, reviewers and readers across the global forest-science community.

Jean-Christophe will bring new momentum to the journal’s ongoing efforts towards all aspects of Open Science, and will develop new initiatives in this direction. His commitment will help AFS to grow despite the current context of severe competition among scientific journals, particularly in the Forestry section of the Web of Science. He will focus on maintaining high standards of publication and on the respect of scientific integrity in science editing.

The editorial team at INRAE includes currently Irène Gabriel as Editorial Coordinator, and Carla Allais as Assistant Editorial Coordinator. This team works closely with authors, handling editors and reviewers and prepares the manuscripts for production by Springer Nature’s the expert teams.

The new editorial team, in close cooperation and with the continuous support of Springer-Nature, will continue to promote all aspects of Open Science, such as Open access to published contents, Open access to the data associated with papers, and possibly Transparent Peer Review.

We look forward to a new year of intense and highly interesting editorial activity. AFS remains dedicated to providing the best possible service to the science scientific community devoted to forest & wood sciences; this goal that can only be achieved with the support of a vibrant community of authors, readers, associate editors, reviewers, and many other contributors.