Journal of Forest Science, 2026 (vol. 72), issue 2
Coppice forests: Between management, conversion and restorationReview
Valeriu-Norocel Nicolescu, Gavriil Spyroglou, Sanja Periæ, Martina Ðodan, Cornelia Buzatu-Goanțã, Milun Krstic, Joao Carvalho, Iryna Matsiakh, Halil Bariº Özel, Pande Trajkov, Miriam Piqué, Æemal Vi¹njiæ, Debbie Bartlett
J. For. Sci., 2026, 72(2):57-72 | DOI: 10.17221/5/2026-JFS 
Coppice is the oldest form of systematic and sustainable use of forests, and is currently applied on about 29 million ha (about 14% of total forest land area) in Europe. It had its maximum spread in the 16th century, when an estimated 36% of all forested land in Europe was managed for coppice. Coppice forests were the most important source of fuelwood until the mid-19th century, when firewood and charcoal were substituted by alternative fuels, and the demand for construction wood increased. Consequently, coppices (both low and coppice-with-standards) started to be converted to high forests, and the process was driven by national...
Altitudinal patterns of woody vegetation diversity in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, a Mediterranean mountainOriginal Paper
Moussa Masoud, Hazandy Abdul-Hamid, Johar Mohamed, Attia Alsanousi
J. For. Sci., 2026, 72(2):73-81 | DOI: 10.17221/92/2025-JFS
This study examines the floristic composition, structural attributes, diversity patterns, and distribution of endemic woody species along an altitudinal gradient in the Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar mountain of northeastern Libya. Stratified sampling was conducted across four elevation zones on the northern and southern slopes. Phytosociological parameters – including density, basal area, importance value index, and diversity indices – were assessed, and Pearson correlations were used to evaluate relationships with altitude and aspect. A total of 61 woody species from 43 genera and 26 families were recorded, highlighting the region's biodiversity....
Boulders as functional microrefugia: Quantifying a continental-like microclimate supporting Pinus cembra at its oceanic range marginOriginal Paper
Yann Fragnière, Stéphanie Morelon, Alain Müller, Gregor Kozlowski
J. For. Sci., 2026, 72(2):82-92 | DOI: 10.17221/8/2026-JFS
Climatic microrefugia allow some forest tree species to persist outside their main distribution range by locally decoupling site conditions from the regional climate. At its western, oceanic range margin in the Swiss Prealps, the Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra L.) occurs on large boulders embedded within subalpine forests dominated by Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.]. We hypothesised that these landforms generate a continental-like microclimate enabling P. cembra persistence under otherwise sub-oceanic conditions, and we aimed to quantify this phenomenon. Using high-resolution data loggers, we measured air and soil...
Height growth of Quercus petraea coppices: Effects of tree type, stand management, and site conditions – A case study from the Czech lowlandsOriginal Paper
Jan Kadavý, Michal Kneifl, Barbora Uherková
J. For. Sci., 2026, 72(2):93-105 | DOI: 10.17221/7/2026-JFS
This study examines height growth and its driving factors in stools and standard trees, the two key structural components of coppice-with-standards stands. We focused on sessile oak [Quercus petraea agg. (Matt.) Liebl.] stands over 90 years old at two contrasting sites near Brno (South Moravian Region, Czech Republic): one actively managed and one left unmanaged for more than 40 years as a strict nature reserve. Tree heights were analysed using two-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc tests and multinomial logistic regression. A total of 1 239 trees were measured (584 stools and 655 standards). Standard trees were the tallest...
Corrigendum: Changes in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) content in resistant and non-resistant forest trees in response to bark beetle attackCorrigendum
Petr Soudek, Jan Rezek, Kateøina Mo»ková, ©árka Petrová, Pavlína Máchová, Adam Véle, Martin Fulín, Petr Ho¹ek
J. For. Sci., 2026, 72(2):106 | DOI: 10.17221/16/2026-JFS