In forestlands on steep slopes, where the shallow soil can be considered a non-renewable resource, erosion is of special concern. The vegetation covers, at both soil and canopy level, provides essential protection to the soil against the rainfall erosivity and reduces considerably the water erosion rate. Consequently vegetation management may affect soil erosion. We focused our attention on old coppice beech forest growing on a steep slope (28-32°) and subjected to conversion to high stand. With the aim of obtaining information on surface water flow and the mineral soil loss, three runoff-erosion plots (10 m long ´ 3 m wide) were installed in catchments in Lombardy Alps (Intelvi Valley, Como) at three stands: a coppice 40 years old (CpS 1968) and two conversions from coppice to high forest respectively cut in 1994 (CvS 1994) and 2004 (CvS 2004). Water run-off and sediment losses were collected from June to October 2008 and from May to October 2009 together with stand characteristics, LAI, soil surface cover, canopy cover and fine-root traits. Our results showed that the conversion practices significantly affect the water runoff and soil erosion with the younger conversion CvS 2004 showing the highest erosivity. This was due to the lower values of tree density, canopy cover, soil surface cover and fine-root biomass and length. The old coppice stand (CpS 1968) together with the older conversion stand (CvS 1994) showed comparable values of soil erosion. Therefore, the major role in protecting soil from erosion played by old coppice stand is recovered by the conversion stand after a number of years since harvesting. Our study highlights that abandoned old coppice stand plays an important role in protecting soil from erosion and claims consideration in forest management of steep forestland stands.

In the keynote, major reforestation challenges in Scandinavia will be highlighted. The following countries make up Scandinavia: Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. For Iceland, with only a forest cover of 2%, a major reforestation challenge is the deforestation and overgrazing in combination with land degradation and extensive soil erosion. The challenges include the conflicts with livestock farmers. For centuries the commons were used for sheep and horse grazing. However, more and more of farmer grazing land have been fenced up, allowing the regeneration of birch and plantations of other species to increase. With a forest cover of 37% and 69% respectively, for decades a major reforestation challenge in Norway and Sweden has been the risk of seedling damages from the pine weevil. Unprotected seedlings can have a survival rate of less than 25% after being planted. Pine weevils feed on the bark of planted young seedlings at regeneration sites. If the seedling is girdled, it will not survive. In Sweden, and soon in Norway, pesticides have been forbidden. In the keynote, new methods and technology will be presented based on non-chemical protection. In Finland, with a forest cover of 75%, a major reforestation challenge is linked to the forest structure. The structure of Finnish forestry includes many private forests in combination with small regeneration sites. This implies a situation where logistics and methods for lifting and field storage provide a major challenge in order to preserve seedling quality until the planting date. Due to this situation, new logistic systems and technologies are being developed in Finland, including new seedling cultivation programs (including cultivation under Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)) to match the access of fresh planting stock to different planting dates. In Denmark, with a forest cover of 13%, a major reforestation challenge is the possibility of future plantations based on a wide range of relevant species. For this to become a realistic option, new methods and technology have to be developed in reforestation activities that support this possibility. These methods and technology should make it possible to not be limited to certain species due to problems and restrictions during field establishment. This due to the prospect of establishing stable, healthy, and productive stands of various forest species that can be adapted to future climate change.

This article focuses on the creation of seed sources for forest planting or seeding with a special focus on clonal seed orchards supporting planting Norway spruce and Scots pine in Sweden. Supporting long-term breeding and low input breeding is discussed. The focus is not on clonal forestry, although this is discussed. Natural regeneration is not dealt with and provenance choice only briefly. It is not a manual or literature review and focus on my own evaluations, but more detailed reviews can be found in the literature cited. It is intended to contribute some familiarity with many of the relevant genetic aspects on forest plantations.

The afforestation of bare lands, sandstone, and skeletal terrains are one of the biggest challenges forestry scientists face. These terrains are characterized by specific ecological conditions that are generally unfavorable for the growth of woody species. These are usually shallow soils, unstable, and poor in nutrients and moisture. The characteristics of these habitats make said terrains unfavorable for the regeneration of forest vegetation. It is therefore crucial for the success of afforestation to gain detailed knowledge and understanding of environmental conditions. Only after the detailed research and study of field conditions can the selection of species for afforestation, including selection of species characteristics and technology of planting, begin. Mistakes made during previous establishments of green areas are one of the main reasons some species of vascular flora have disappeared. This alone expresses the undeniable importance of knowledge on habitat specifics, work schedule, and selection of species for afforestation. With the aim to implement the future afforestation within the planned scope, it is necessary to organize an effective nursery production of seedlings with characteristics that will suit the environmental conditions of bare lands, sandstones, and skeletal terrains whose afforestation is planned.

"The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now." Chinese proverb There are five million hectares of new forests planted each year, according to Global Forest Resources Assessment (FAO 2015). How successful are we in planting these new forests? What are challenges that practitioners meet today in planting forests? What are challenges that forests established today will face in decades to come? There is a myriad of research results and a body of knowledge large enough to understand principles behind the field performance of planted forests. The environment is dynamic and inputs and outputs continually change, so there is a constant need for new research ranging from the global to microsite scale, and from the ecosystem and species to the population and genotype scale. The journal Reforesta offers a new site for publishing research results, presenting experiences, and bringing forward novel ideas and discussions on reforestation issues. Reforesta editors will strive to combine academic excellence with professional relevance and wish to appeal to both the professional and academic communities. There are a large number of scientific journals, many of which deal with forest ecosystems. So a reasonable question could be: Do we need yet another professional journal? We say yes, because of the following reasons. Reforesta will be a "niche" journal, focusing on research stemming from sourcing seed, to nursery cultural operations, to field planting (e.g., afforestation, reforestation and forest restoration). In addition, Reforesta will cover topics of forest genetics, tree breeding, and stand silviculture. We will encourage the submission of papers that provide interest and value to the international readership dealing with planted forests, such as: 1) novel ideas or approaches to reforestation challenges; 2) connections between plant ecophysiology and seedling field performance; 3) testing of new techniques and products in production of forest reproductive material, and at the planting site; and 4) reviews and discussions on timely and important topics. Establishment of the new journal can be compared to establishing a new forest. Initiation of the Reforesta journal will be supported by the editorial team (i.e. planning and site-species or site-provenance matching). The team will then select appropriate papers from the contributions of willing authors (i.e. selection of planting material, nursery operations, and culling). Then the stage is set: the web-site is operational; the journal is registered and applied for indexing (i.e. site preparation, monitoring and feedback). The inaugural issue is published (i.e. seedlings are planted) and the research community is notified (i.e. post-planting silviculture operations). The parallel between Reforesta and establishing a new forest will continue. The future success of Reforesta will be dependent on the interaction with its contributors and readership. The future size of the Reforesta audience will be dependent on its ability to secure its niche, and to provide services to the professional forestry community, while developing a symbiotic relationship with other forestry journals (i.e. competition and/or facilitation). Performance of Reforesta will be measured by monitoring readership and response levels (i.e. reforestation success) and its lifespan will be defined by its resilience and adaptation potential. Reforesta will follow the open access policy of non-profit journals, with no processing charges applied to any accepted articles and no fees for accessing articles published by Reforesta. This principle ensures that forest research is free and available to forestry professionals in support of a greater global exchange of knowledge. Like planted forests, Reforesta hopes to grow in an open environment with appropriate tending from the editorial team, thereby growing with needs of the professional forestry community. The Reforesta journal has one additional advantage. It is established solely on the enthusiasm of the editorial team. As long as there are enthusiasts recognizing the need for Reforesta, the journal will continue to flourish. The editorial team is here to set the scientific standards and ethical rules for the journal. However, the ultimate direction of Reforesta depends on authors and readership. We are delighted to launch this new journal, a product of a joint venture between enthusiasts ranging from undergraduate students to senior researchers and scientists. Reforesta has one underwriting sponsor - The Scientific and Professional Society Reforesta. We thank them for their support. Under the leadership of Vladan Ivetić, Editor-In-Chief, who initiated the idea for Reforesta, and Steven Grossnickle, Consultant-Editor who plays a supporting role; we have a worthy team. The inaugural issue of the Reforesta journal is in form of Thematic Proceedings resulting from the International Conference on Reforestation Challenges, which took place on 3-6 June 2015 in Belgrade, Serbia. We wish to thank participants who attended the Conference and especially thank the invited authors who contributed to this inaugural issue. We are also grateful to the technical team, made up of excellent young students and researchers. We will continue to develop and fine-tune content to enhance the quality, scope and diversity of Reforesta as the journal grows into an established member of the professional forestry community. 

Successful reforestation depends on the quality and health of seedlings. Targeted production in forest nurseries should produce plants that will be able to survive unfavorable environmental and weather conditions in Serbia. Pathogens can reduce the vitality of seedlings and decrease survival after outplanting. The most common pathogens identified on seeds of both conifer and broadleaved seedlings are presented. The most frequently used fungicides for the control of pathogens in Serbian forest nurseries, as well as the best time of their application, are reviewed.

Projections of the regional climate model for Southeast Europe generally predict an increasing of temperature and a decrease in precipitation, with some local variations. Higher frequency of extreme weather events and increased flooding can also be expected. This climate change will, among other things, result in changes in habitats and species distribution, and a decrease in biodiversity. In most cases, forest ecosystems will be unable to adapt fast enough to keep pace with changes in climate. Extreme weather events and low precipitation during the growing season will cause high mortality of seedlings after planting. New forests will face the whole range of these changes because of the long lifetime of trees. Reforestation programs must take projections of climate change into consideration. In the long term, new guidelines for site-species matching, provenance selection, and genetic diversity need to be adopted. In the short term, site preparation, planting techniques, and post planting protection need to be improved. In addition, seedling quality (morphological, physiological, and genetic) and planting time need to be specific for each site. New site preparation, planting, and post-planting protection methods are useful tools for short term success measured in seedling survival and initial growth. Seedling quality is essential for short and long term success. Different strategies, such as assisted migration and increased genetic diversity of planting material, can provide better chances for long term success measured in growth, fitness, and capability to produce the next, better adapted generation.

The conducted research that involved the assessment of the census size of the black poplar population on The Great War Island, its viability and health status, levels of genetic diversity and recent changes in population served as the basis for defining the measures of in situ conservation of the available gene pool. A network of in situ conservation habitats, labeled A, B and C, were formed. The area of conservation habitat A is 27.90 ha and includes 455 individual trees of black poplar. Conservation habitat B spreads over an area of 7.84 ha and includes 192 individual trees of black poplar. Conservation site C spreads over an area of 21.25 ha and includes 260 individual trees of black poplar. Potential new areas suitable for natural regeneration have been identified in the vicinity of the conservation habitats. Their total area amounts to 16.50 ha and they are surrounded by reproductively mature black poplar trees and thus, seeds can easily be transferred to these areas. The suggested measures of in situ conservation are aimed at the maintenance and conservation of existing black poplar population in the area of Great War Island.

It is widely accepted that the Mediterranean Basin is a prominent hotspot of biodiversity hosting a significant richness of plant lineages and fauna.  Projected trends in the context of global change suggest this area will cope with strong increases in temperature and decreases in precipitation with consequent effects on forests and ecosystem services. Upward shifts of species range and/or mass extinction are expected to occur on a broad scale, especially in the Mediterranean.  Here, mountain ecosystems would undergo the most severe reduction and fragmentation events.  Further human based impacts aggravate the effects of global warming.  Among them, wars and civil disorders seriously affect mountain landscapes, marking them over time.Presently, many threats of war are occurring in the Mediterranean and mostly in mountain areas at a high level of biodiversity. Furthermore, these same scenarios are overlapped with global warming, thus exposing many species to an actual risk of extinction.The aim of this study was to find a solution to the disturbances created in the forest ecosystem by the consequences of war of an identified area in the Mediterranean basin.

Field trials were conducted in 2010 and 2011 to evaluate floristic composition of  weeds and the efficacy of pre herbicides in black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) nurseries. The weed population in both years was consisted mainly of annual spring and summer weeds, and some perennial weeds. The weediness in both years was relatively high. Weed density in the untreated control plots was 106.5 plants per m2 in 2010 and 87.4 plants per m2 in 2011. The most dominant weeds were Chenopodium album, Polygonum aviculare and Amaranthus retroflexus in 2010 and Polygonum aviculare, Tribolus terestris and Cynodon dactilon in 2011. By taxonomic aspect, the weed flora was distributed in 11 families. 15 weed species were dicotyledons and 2 weed species were monocotyledons. Terophytes were the dominant life form weed category in black locust nurseries. Efficacy of herbicides 28 days after treatment (DAT) ranged from 91.0% (pendimethalin) to 95.3% (linuron) in 2010, and 74.5% (linuron) to 88.0% (pendimethalin) in 2011, respectively. Efficacy of herbicides 56 DAT ranged from 93.6% (pendimethalin) to 98.3% (linuron) in 2010, and from 74.8% (linuron) to 83.1% (pendimethalin) in 2011, respectively. Prevailing weed control by herbicides was not consistent over the years. However, efficacy of herbicides in control of prevailing weeds 28 and 56 DAT ranged from 88% to 100% in 2010 and 7% to 86% in 2011, respectively. Lower herbicide efficacy in 2011 was most likely due to high precipitation occurred immediately after herbicide application and domination of perennial weeds, particularly Cynodon dactilon.