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The Special Issue "Impact of climate warming and disturbances on forest ecosystems" underscores the critical importance of understanding how forests respond to these environmental challenges and the legacy of past management practices. Forest ecosystems are facing significant challenges due to ongoing climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and increased frequency of extreme events. The rapid pace of climate change is altering disturbance patterns and the adaptability of forests, which have a direct impact on ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being. This Special Issue features 11 research papers from nine countries. Some key outputs from these research papers include evidence on how climate change is already impacting forest ecosystems. For instance, the climatic envelope of many forest species has shifted due to global warming, making species more vulnerable, especially in lower elevations and 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. Remote sensing data and ecological modeling techniques play a crucial role in monitoring and understanding these changes, especially in remote regions where field measurements are limited. The rising frequency and intensity of extreme events like droughts, windstorms, and forest fires require enhanced prediction and automatic monitoring. Leveraging machine learning tools and remote sensing data is imperative. This Special Issue provides insights into the intricate relationships among forests, climate change, and human interventions. We provide further research recommendations for the quantification and automated monitoring of forest fires and the management of forests to better withstand storms and increase their resilience to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediterranean forests and fire regimes are closely intertwined. Global change is likely to alter both forest dynamics and wildfire activity, ultimately threatening the provision of ecosystem services and posing greater risks to society. In this paper we evaluate future wildfire behavior by coupling climate projections with simulation models of forest dynamics and wildfire hazard. To do so, we explore different forest management scenarios reflecting different narratives related to EU forestry (promotion of carbon stocks, reduction of water vulnerability, biomass production and business-as-usual) under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 climate pathways in the period 2020–2100. We used as a study model pure submediterranean Pinus nigra forests of central Catalonia (NE Spain). Forest dynamics were simulated from the 3rd National Forest Inventory (143 stands) using SORTIE-nd software based on climate projections under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5. The climate products were also used to estimate fuel moisture conditions (both live and dead) and wind speed. Fuel parameters and fire behavior were then simulated, selecting crown fire initiation potential and rate of spread as key indicators. The results revealed consistent trade-offs between forest dynamics, climate and wildfire. Despite the clear influence exerted by climate, forest management modulates fire behavior, resulting in different trends depending on the climatic pathway. In general, the maintenance of current practices would result in the highest rates of crown fire activity, while management for water vulnerability reduction is postulated as the best alternative to surmount the increasingly hazardous conditions envisaged in RCP 8.5. • We simulate forest, climate, and wildfire dynamics under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5. • We forecast wildfire hazard in terms of crown fire potential and rate of spread. • Current management practices will not be able to surmount the increased hazard. • Management for water vulnerability reduction is postulated as the best alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]