The broad scope of Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research is well reflected in the contents of the last issue of the 30th volume. In this issue, the readers will find new research information from the entire field of forest research, covering both basic and applied research questions.
Silviculture is in the focus of the paper of Mateusz Liziniewicz and his colleagues, whose study on the effects of spacing on growth and quality parameters of sessile oak indicate that it is possible to decrease the initial spacing in oak plantations and simultaneously support good growing conditions. Jerzy Skrzyszewski and Maciej Pach analyzed what causes stem curvature in oaks under a canopy of Scots pine. They recommend that when converting Scots pine forests into oak forests or mixed forests through natural oak regeneration, straight oak stems are best achieved if full overhead light is provided as early as possible, and not later than 20 years after regeneration. The paper of Inger Fløistad and her colleagues contributes to our knowledge about forest genetics by summarizing the results from field trials, where the goal was to find suitable Abies species and provenances for Christmas tree production in Norway. Zhong Zhao and colleagues explore the key parameter of many ecological models, leaf area index (LAI). They investigate how compartment models, often used to describe the transportation of material in biological systems and modeling fine root growth, can be used in describing the dynamics of effective LAI (LAIe) and for providing continuous data of LAIe change of a broad-leaved forest. With her colleagues, Karen Baleshta explored the optimal density of birch where growth gains of understory Douglas-fir are balanced against losses to Armillaria and understory plant species diversity. The long-term study of Sigmund Hågvar provides us with an exceptional view over the decomposition processes in forest soil. The study of Katarzyna Kubiak and co-workers addresses one of the big problems in current-day forestry, namely the nursery diseases, and discusses sand filtration as a potential method for elimination of phytopathogens in water used in forest nurseries. With his colleagues, Werner Rammer coupled a hybrid forest patch model and a 3D rockfall model to assess the effects of four management scenarios on rockfall protection and timber production on a 38 ha slope over 100 years. They found that rockfall protection management can outperform BAU (business as usual age class shelterwood approach) with regard to both timber production and rockfall protection. Ylva Lundell and co-workers address the topic of forests and human health by asking if visits to boreal forests can be utilized for rehabilitation from exhaustion disorder. Erland Mårald and colleagues explored the use of a dialogue process to approach a complex forest management issue: introduction of tree species in Southern Sweden for the purposes of climate change adaptation. The findings of their study are of high current interest, considering the great challenges that our society is facing, and the demand of scientific knowledge that is based on cross-disciplinary collaboration and stakeholder engagement.. Wood science and technology are represented by the review by Glen Murphy and Dave Cown, who conclude that the benefits of segregating stands, stems and logs based on wood properties are not always clear due to high variability of wood properties, poor market signals for wood with superior properties, poor understanding of the costs involved across the value chain and also because of factors related to individual companies willingness to invest in research on the potential benefits of adopting segregation technologies for their particular circumstances.
As illustrated by the spectrum of topics covered by the papers above, there is a need for broad-scope forestry journals as a publishing forum for the concurrent forest research. Delighting is also that the findings published in Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research seem to be increasingly well received by the research community, as indicated by the recently released 2014 JCR Impact Factors. In 2014, the 2-year Impact Factor of Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research received a score of 1.537, which is an improvement of 0.422 over the 2013 rating. Although the long-term impact and importance of the scientific findings cannot be captured by a short-term indicator, such as a 2-year journal Impact Factor, these numbers indicate positive development of Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research as a reliable publishing forum for contemporary research on boreal and temperate forests.
A large part of the recent positive development of the journal is due to the devoted work of the former Scientific Editor, Dr Mats Hannerz. I sincerely thank him for his generous help and support during the first months of my time as the new Scientific Editor. It is a great pleasure that he will continue to edit the News and Views section also in the future. In addition, the members of the Editorial Board, and the hundreds of researchers throughout the world have done a remarkable work as peer-reviewers, and significantly contributed to the quality of the journal.
At the moment of writing this editorial, in July 2015, I am looking forward to a continued flow of incoming manuscripts during the second half of the year. In September, information about Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research and the papers published in it will hopefully reach an even broader international audience, as a selection of papers from recent issues will be presented in a flyer to the participants of the World Forestry Conference, organized in Durban, South Africa. Another possibility to disseminate information about the journal will be the International Workshop on Forest Science Publishing (IUFRO Working Party 9.01.06) in Helsinki, Finland, on 14–16 October, which gathers forest journal editors.
In the near future, all readers will meet a visually refreshed Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, as the article PDFs receive a new, modern and more functional design. The new design with an improved text and data layout has been developed by the publisher in order to meet the needs of today's researchers. The new features of the design also include researcher and contributor ORCiDs, impact and public interest statements, and author Twitter and LinkedIn handles. With a cleaner and more contemporary font, the journal will have better on-screen readability. The color palette of the new design will of course be green – the color of forests.