Thinning is a major tending operation conducted in a forest stand to obtain various objectives, including forest products and ecosystem services. The impact of thinning in tropical and temperate forests is one of the least studied subjects. Therefore, this study aims to look for such studies in the tropical and temperate regions and find out the trend in the response of the remaining trees regarding tree growth and development, climate resilience, and other services. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) framework and Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome measures (PICO) tools were used to select the important papers according to defined objectives and then data extraction and analysis. Extracted data was grouped, pooled, and sorted to see if there were any temporal or spatial trends or patterns in the variables studied, and the reviews' findings were detailed. The impacts on the growth and yield of a forest or stand from thinning have been widely studied throughout the world. However, there are still some uncertainties regarding species-specific responses. This review also underscores the need for studies on the effects of thinning on other ecosystem services, including non-wood forest products, biodiversity, social functions, and tradeoffs between different ecosystem services. The study stresses the importance of long-term trials for forest ecosystem monitoring. Furthermore, analysis on the impact of thinning on other ecosystem services except growth and yield discovered that the few researches conducted to date, especially as regards to biodiversity and provisioning functions, must focus on a large number of ecosystem services without only concentrating on the components described in past studies. This will help us to develop our understanding of different ecosystem services and their responses after thinning and enable us to analyze the trade-offs between them. While managing forests, we cannot maximize all the services at the same time. However, with the best available knowledge on tradeoffs between different outcomes, we can optimize the benefits.

Reservoirs are artificial wetlands with functions such as flood control, water supply, improving livelihoods and regulating the ecological environment. Taking the plants of Sifeng Mountain Reservoir in Jiamusi City as the object of investigation, we studied and analyzed the diversity of plant resources in the reservoirs, aiming to provide a basis for the conservation and use of plants in the reservoirs and the ecological restoration of artificial wetlands. The field trekking method, literature research method, and sample method were used to study the reservoir plant resources in terms of their life types, ecological types, distribution types and plant communities. The survey found 175 species, 137 genera, and 56 families of plants around the Sifeng Mountain Reservoir, including 2 species under National Grade II status. The predominant plant families are Compositae and Rosaceae, while the main plant genus is Artemisia L. Among the six life types, perennial herbaceous plants are dominant, with 86 species, accounting for 49.14% of the total plant population. The ecotype is dominated by mesophytes (118 species), followed by wet plants (56 species) and aquatic plants are the fewest, with only one species. The type of distribution area is clearly temperate. The 16 sample plots were divided into six communities based on species importance, with the plant communities showing a distribution of patches with varying sizes.

The genus Fagopyrum is in the flowering plant family Polygonaceae, and includes some important food plants, such as F. esculentum (common buckwheat) and F. tataricum (tartary buckwheat). Except for these two cultivated species, the other buckwheat plants are all wild species. They are mainly distributed in southern China in general, and in Yunnan Province in particular. However, our understanding of their richness and geographic distributions in Yunnan remains very limited. The aim of the present study is to establish a list of buckwheat species found in Yunnan, examine their geographic distributions and patterns, and analyze their conservation and utilization status. The results showed a high richness of buckwheat plants in Yunnan, which accounts for nearly 70% of the global buckwheat richness. Species such as F. capillatum and F. gracilipedoides are endemic to Yunnan, and they exist nowhere else in the world. Also, the northwestern Yunnan and central Yunnan regions represent two important distribution centers of buckwheat species in Yunnan, and the highest buckwheat richness was found at the altitude range of 1500-3000 m. Many buckwheat species are rich in amino acids, fiber, vitamins, minerals and bioactive substances. They are also adapted to the high-altitude regions in Yunnan with harsh climatic and soil conditions. As climate change has direct impacts on agricultural biodiversity and food security, the conservation of diversity in buckwheat species, which have both high dietary beneficial components and great ecological adaptability, merits more attention. We believe that it is important to find a balance between the protection and utilization of buckwheat resources in order to achieve the sustainable utilization of this precious natural resource.

Windbreaks are important measures for reducing wind erosion in arid and semi-arid areas. A series of experiments were conducted in a wind tunnel to assess the effectiveness of different vegetation patterns (uniform, random, and cluster) of simulated Caragana korshinskii stands on wind speed. The uniform pattern provided a better shelter effect and was optimal at a density of 50%. The protected area and the wind reduction ratio increased and the downwind minimum wind speed decreased with an increase in the number of rows and a reduction in the belt’s spacing. The locations of minimum wind speed (X_min) were similar in arrangements with single-, two- and three-row belts. At the leeward distance close to vegetation (≤5 H, where H is the height of the plants), the efficiencies of vegetation patterns with high densities were greater than those of multiple-row belts and similar to those of multiple-belt shelterbelts; but at the leeward distance >5 H, the relationship was reversed. The single-row belt was the least effective, and the double-belt shelterbelt with belt spacing of 4 H was the most effective pattern. Multiple-belt shelterbelts had a lower downwind wind speed and a longer sheltering length than the other patterns, and so it is recommended windbreaks designed to reduce wind speed and control aeolian erosion in arid and semi-arid areas.

Urban trees are valuable resources for urban areas as they have the capacity to reduce ambient temperatures, mitigate urban heat island effects and reduce runoff of rainwater playing an important role in mitigating the impacts of climate change by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂). It also helps to reduce aerial suspended particulate matter, add visual appeal to the urban landscape sequestrating a significant amount of carbon from ambient atmospheric CO₂. Carbon storage by urban trees in the ring road area of the Kathmandu Valley was quantified to assess the magnitude and role of urban forests in relation to mitigate the impact of global climate change. A total of 40 sample plots were placed randomly for the detailed carbon assessment. Aboveground and belowground carbon pools were considered in the detailed assessment. Furthermore, quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) were maintained through regular monitoring and capacity building of the field crews while collecting the bio-physical data. The assessment recorded a total of 33 different species of plants in the avenue’s plantation sites in ring road. The mean seedling, sapling, and tree density was found to be 2149585 and 185 per hectare. The mean carbon stock per hectare in the avenue plantation of the ring road area was 24.03 tC ha^-1 and the existing total carbon stock was 7785.72 tC in 2021. Likewise, the total baseline carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) in the avenue plantation was found to be 28573.60 tCO₂e. The carbon dioxide emission from the transport sector in the ring road area in a full movement scenario was 312888.00 tCO₂e per annum, while the net emissions was 42547 tCO₂e. There was a deficit of carbon dioxide in terms of stock by avenue plantations of 14000.8 tCO₂e. This study indicates that the existing urban forest plantation is unable to sequestrate or offset the carbon dioxide that is emitted through the transportation sector. Consequently, open spaces like riverbanks and any other public lands, in which urban forests could be developed has to be planned for the green infrastructure and plantation of the multipurpose trees. The distinct values of forests in and around urban areas have to be recognized in the specific policies and plans for the sustainable management of urban and peri-urban forests to meet the adverse impact of global climate change. In addition, this study provides insights for decision-makers to better understand the role of urban forests and make sustainable management plans for urban forests in the cities like in Kathmandu Valley.

Based on target tree management, the effects of different thinning intensities and environmental factors on the natural regeneration of a Pinus massoniana and Quercus variabilis mixed forest were explored in order to provide a theoretical basis for the natural regeneration and sustainable forest management of P. massoniana and Quercus L. mixed forests. Taking the mixed forest after thinning as the research object, three average thinning intensities of WT (7.6%) for weak thinning, LT (15.3%) for light thinning, and MT (24.3%) for moderate thinning were carried out in 5 m×5 m quadrats with 7-10 replicates for each intensity level and 3 replicates for the control. Three years after the thinning, the amount of natural regeneration, growth height, regeneration density, diversity of regenerated tree species and their influencing factors at different thinning intensities were measured and analyzed. The results indicated four main features of the subsequent regeneration. (1) There were 32 species of vascular plants in the 28 quadrats 3 years after thinning, belonging to 22 families and 30 genera, and the dominant species for regeneration were arbor species. The number of regeneration species increased with increasing thinning intensity. (2) As thinning intensity increased, the number of natural regeneration plants between various height classes rose; so, the increased thinning intensity promoted the density of different height classes during regeneration. (3) As thinning intensity increased, so did species abundance S and species evenness. The degree and intrinsic diversity increased, while the Shannon-Weiner and Simpson indices showed no discernible trends. (4) Slope, aspect, and slope position, as well as thinning intensity, all had significant impacts on species richness, species evenness, and regeneration density. MT has the most appropriate promoting effect on natural regeneration and species diversity, so increased thinning intensity can promote natural regeneration and species diversity in the P. massoniana and Q. variabilis mixed forest. In addition, aspect and slope position can increase the species richness S and diversity of natural regeneration, whereas slope has a clear inhibitory effect on the species richness S and diversity during natural regeneration.