Demand for timber and fibre continues to grow and is being met by increased reliance on plantation forestry. Many of the plantations that are being grown around the globe are non-native species that have characteristics of rapid growth and good commercial qualities. In some cases, the high rates of production are a result of the absence of native herbivore and diseases. This limited pest status is threatened as pest species move around the globe. At the same time there is concern about threats of these non-native plantation species on native communities and the impact of changing climates on forest productivity. This volume explores many of these issues for the first time.

This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book, written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. The Forest Service has identified invasive species as one of four significant threats to our Nation¿s forest and rangeland ecosystems. Forest Service R&D has a crucial role in providing insight and options to protect trees, forests, and ecosystems from the threat of invasive insects. Currently, Forest Service R&D provides info. crucial to the development of tools for studying, controlling, and mitigating several invasive insects in the U.S., such as the Asian longhorned beetle, emerald ash borer, banded elm bark beetle, Mediterranean pine engraver, Sirex woodwasp, and hemlock woolly adelgid. Clients and scientists have worked together to identify short- and long-term needs to enhance existing research. Examples of this vision are provided here.

As the worldwide human population explodes and trade becomes increasingly globalized, the transboundary movement of plant species from their place of origin to foreign regions is escalating and expected to experience continued growth in the coming decades. Invasive non-native species pose one of the greatest challenges for natural resource managers who are charged with the maintenance of biological diversity and the sustainable production of forest resources. With international contributors presenting an informed and integrated approach to the control of havoc-wrecking species, Invasive Plants and Forest Ecosystems provides the most updated information on invading plants, their impacts on forest ecosystems, and control strategies. This text addresses such important issues as the socioeconomic and policy aspects of plant invasion and offers complete coverage of their ecological impacts and the varied levels of threats in diverse situations.

The Routledge Handbook of Forest Ecology is an essential resource covering all aspects of forest ecology from a global perspective. This new edition has been fully revised and updated throughout to reflect the profound and unprecedented changes in both forests and climates since the publication of the first edition in 2015. The handbook reflects key developments in the field of forest dynamics and large-scale processes, as well as the changes that are now manifesting in different types of forests across the globe as a result of climate change. It covers both natural and managed forests, from boreal, temperate, sub-tropical and tropical regions of the world. In this second edition, the breadth of the handbook has been expanded with new chapters on mountain forests, monodominance, pathogens and invertebrate pests and amphibians and reptiles in forest ecosystems. Original author teams are complemented by the addition of new authors to offer fresh perspectives, and the second edition places greater emphasis on the applicability of each topic at a global level. The handbook is divided into seven parts: • Part I: The forest • Part II: Forest dynamics • Part III: Forest flora and fauna • Part IV: Energy and nutrients • Part V: Forest conservation and management • Part VI: Forest and climate change • Part VII: Human ecology The Routledge Handbook of Forest Ecology is an essential reference text for a wide range of students and scholars of ecology, environmental science, forestry, geography and natural resource management.

Insect and disease issues are often specific to the Mediterranean forest systems rather than shared with the temperate forests. In addition to the specific native insects and diseases, the forests are subject to the invasion of exotic species. The forests are also at risk from high degrees of human activity, including changing patterns of forest fires, land management activities, intensive plantation forestry using introduced timber species from other Mediterranean climate zones, and atmospheric deposition. Combined with elements of global climate change that may disproportionately affect Mediterranean climate systems, this creates a number of significant management issues that are unique to the Mediterranean forests. It is our goal that the information contained in this volume will contribute to understanding the unique aspects of Mediterranean forest systems and to protecting these critical resources.