Review paper Archive

30 Jan 2026

Influence of forest thinning on the soil fauna: a systematic review of current knowledge and research gaps

Review paper Key message This systematic review shows that thinning effects on soil fauna abundance and species richness vary with thinning strategy and methodological approach. Positive responses are due to improved resources and favorable microclimate conditions, whereas
5 Dec 2025

How to define and quantify substitution effects in the bioeconomy: a scoping review

Key message Research on substitution effects in the bioeconomy remains conceptually fragmented and methodologically narrow—focused predominantly on fossil-to-biomass material and energetic substitution, forest-derived biomass, carbon-related metrics, and single-method assessments. This limits its policy relevance. Comprehensive monitoring frameworks
4 Dec 2025

The use and integration of airborne laser scanning and satellite time series data in precision forest management for plantations of fast-growing tree species

Key message  Integrating airborne laser scanning and satellite time series data across the forest rotation enhances decision-making in precision forestry. This review supports forest managers by illustrating practical applications of these remote sensing technologies at different stages
17 Nov 2025

No increased drought-related mortality after thinning: a meta-analysis

Key message Our meta-analysis showed that thinning of forest stands did not increase mortality following extreme drought events. There was also no higher mortality among dominant trees that are typically more exposed to irradiance after thinning. We
30 Jan 2025

Take five: about the beat and the bar of annual and 5-year periodic national forest inventories

Key message International forest reporting processes and increasing forest disturbances delineate new requirements regarding the information delivered by national forest inventories (NFI), with implications on their sampling strategies. An original comparative review of the sampling designs of
22 Oct 2024

A review of the growth behaviour of stands and trees in even-aged, monospecific forest

Key message Metabolic, physiological and inter-tree competitive processes interact to determine long-term growth behaviour of stands and individual trees of even-aged, monospecific forests. Keywords Growth phases; Growth decline; Mortality; Self-thinning; Competition; Partitioning Publication West, P.W. A review
23 May 2024

The role of validation in optimization models for forest management

Key message A validation convention can be established for forest management optimization models. It consists of (1) the delivery of face validation, (2) performing at least one other validation technique, and (3) an explicit discussion of how
6 Dec 2023

Post-fire forest recovery at high latitudes: tree regeneration dominated by fire-adapted, early-seral species increases with latitude

Key message Above 40° N/S, increasing latitude is linked to greater post-fire tree regeneration. However, species dominance shifts from conifers to short-lived deciduous trees, which may negatively impact flora, fauna, and ecosystem services dependent on coniferous forests.
26 Oct 2023

Potential alternatives for Norway spruce wood: a selection based on defect-free wood properties

Key message The application of material selection principles uncovered eight possible alternative tree species (two deciduous and six coniferous species) to substitute Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) and potentially prevent economic loss in European forest.
17 May 2022

Closing the gap between phenotyping and genotyping: review of advanced, image-based phenotyping technologies in forestry

Key message The lack of efficient phenotyping capacities has been recognized as a bottleneck in forestry phenotyping and breeding. Modern phenotyping technologies use systems equipped with various imaging sensors to automatically collect high volume phenotypic data that