forest fire (FF), Google Earth Engine (GEE), burnt vegetation, difference normalized burn ratio (dNBR), normalized burn ratio (NBR), dendroecology, dominant coniferous tree, timescale, growth patterns, eastern Qilian Mountains, provenance regions, forest ecosystems, climate envelope, climate change, forest management, south-eastern Europe, GPP, temporal and spatial change, climate tendency rate method, meteorological factors, Altay Mountains, NDVI, phenometrics, start of the season, end of the season, elevational gradient, forest damage, windstorm, random forest, block cross-validation, forward feature selection, natural reserve, mixed sessile oak–beech forest, old-growth forest, topography features, gap characteristics, potential distribution, range expansion, anthropogenic pressure, former virgin forest, structure, regeneration, deadwood, soil respiration, ground vegetation diversity, seed harvesting, interactive effect, Pinus koraiensis, glossy buckthorn, provenance trial, berry count, seedling emergence, germination, water limitation, transgenerational effect, stone weight, variance analysis, bud burst, forest resilience, drought, old-growth forests, forest fires, Applied mathematics

The Special Issue (SI) titled “Impact of climate warming and disturbances on forest ecosystems” underscores the critical importance of understanding how forests respond to environmental challenges and past management. The rapid pace of climate change is altering disturbance patterns and the adaptability of forests. Some key outputs of this SI include evidence on how climate change is already impacting forest ecosystems. The climatic envelope of many forest species has shifted due to global warming, making species more vulnerable, especially those in lower elevations and those at the edges of their distribution. Urgent adaptive measures in forest management are necessary to address this challenge. Climate change also affects vegetation phenology, tree growth, stand productivity, reproduction rates, and stand regeneration.