Call for Papers on Special Issue: Ecology and Management of Castanea
Chestnut is a widely distributed genus within the Fagaceae family with thirteen species naturally occurring
in Europe, Asia, and North America, with naturalized and cultivated populations occurring in South America. In Europe, the chestnut-growing area devoted to wood production corresponds to 2 million hectares, and in North America the former range of chestnut
species was 81 million hectares. The original ranges of Asian chestnut species have not been determined, but species have been cultivated for nut production for millennia.
The cultivation of European chestnut (Castanea
sativa) is an important cultural, multi-functional resource for local economies and provides ecological benefits to increase biodiversity and
protect against erosion and wildfire. Management systems and intensities highly vary among European countries although most of the area (79%) is managed as coppice stands. In North America, the American chestnut (Castanea
dentata) was one of the most widespread and culturally important species prior to its demise related to the blight disease caused by a fungus
from Asia (Cryphonectria parasitica). Asian
chestnuts species are critical in solving the disease problem for other chestnut species in Europe and North America, and local values are primarily related to nut production.
Knowledge gaps exist in understanding sustainable methods to manage, restore or regenerate chestnut stands
naturally or artificially, particularly given challenges from climate change, changes in disturbance regimes, and threats from non-native pests and pathogens. Providing this special issue platform to synthesize and share research information on forest ecology
and silviculture of the Castanea genus will contribute towards a better understanding of strategies needed to improve performance and success of restoring or sustaining chestnut forests in pure stands, as a component to enrich mixed stands, or as agroforestry
ecosystems.
This idea of a special issue was borne out of a newly formed Working Party (1.01.13) within the Silviculture
Division of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). This proposal represents the first major activity of this new working party. This special issue will have a global perspective, and the papers need to encompass research related
to ecology, silviculture, or management of a chestnut species.
Potential topics and related themes
are described below:
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Applied forest management research related to timber production, non-timber forest products, growth and yield, and wood properties.
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Ecological research on stand dynamics, management effects on ecological function and processes, or ecological relationships or impacts of associated species
on chestnut management.
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Chestnut as a component in agroforestry, mixed species plantation, or coppice forest systems.
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Pests or pathogens in chestnut systems or pest resistance in managed forests, reintroduction plantings, or mixed species plantings.
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Restoration of extirpated chestnut species or performance of chestnut in reintroduction test plantings.
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Effects of genetic selections or breeding on performance of chestnut in forest plantings.
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Social science research related to chestnut restoration, management, or reintroduction.
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Climate change mitigation to maintain or restore chestnut.
Topics that focus solely on nut production as part of seed orchard management and topics focused solely on
genetics or breeding without an ecological or silvicultural component are not pertinent to this special issue. We hope that the special issue will include all four major chestnut species (C.
crenata, C. dentata, C. mollissima, and C. sativa), but papers on minor species (e.g., C.
henryi, C. pumila, and C. seguinii)
are also encouraged. The papers can include original research, but synthesis papers that summarize state of the knowledge and propose key insights are also encouraged.
Submission of manuscripts
Authors can submit manuscripts for the Special Issue using Editorial Manager. Please select "Management of
Castanea" as the article type. Submitted manuscripts will be peer-reviewed according to the guidelines, available on the website, of the journal. Please note that articles will be published separately, in different volumes, after they are accepted, and will
be grouped together online as a Special Issue. Submit your manuscript tohttps://www.editorialmanager.com/foreco/default.aspx by
June 30, 2022.
We look forward to your contributions. Please do not hesitate to contact the Guest Editors in case of questions.
Guest editors:
Stacy L. Clark, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA,stacy.l.clark@usda.gov
Verónica Loewe, Instituto Forestal – INFOR, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile, vloewe@infor.cl
Enrico Marcolin, University of Padova, Padova, Italy, enrico.marcolin@unipd.it
Maria Patrício, Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal, sampat@ipb.pt
Submission deadline:
30 June, 2022
Planned publication date:
Articles will be published separately, in different volumes, after they are accepted, and will be grouped together online as a Special Issue in Summer 2022
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