Preface to the special issue for the 8th International Symposium on Forest Soils: Linking Soil Processes to Forest Productivity and Water Protection under Global Change

Abstract

The 8th International Symposium on Forest Soils: Linking Soil Processes to Forest Productivity and Water Protection under Global Change was held during 24–28 October 2015 on the campus of Fujian Normal University in Fuzhou, China. The Symposium was organized for two principal reasons: first, to celebrate the 2015 International Year of Soils; and second, to address a crucial gap in the forest soils and forest management literature in a concerted effort. There is a pressing need for a “state-of-the-art” publication on the nature and research needs of integrating soil information and expertise into the management of Chinese forest resources. Especially in South China, most forests are located in the mountains and hills. Soils of the region are perceived to be fragile and easily damaged. Relatively few studies have been published in the international literature on forests and forest soils of southern China. Thus, our intention was to emphasize regionally available datasets, to incorporate the pertinent information from the world literature, and to place the issues facing forest scientists in southern China in an international context. The 8th International Symposium on Forest Soils continues the series of International Symposia sponsored by the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS) (previously International Society of Soil Science or ISSS) and other related agencies. The 3rd Symposium of this series was held in Balikpapan, Indonesia, 29 October–3 November 1995, with the 4th held in Vila Real, Portugal, 18–22 September 2000. The 5th, 6th, and 7th symposia were held in Bordeaux, France, 15–18 September 2004; in Noosa, Queensland, Australia, 19–23 August 2007; and in Shenyang, China, 17–20 September 2013, respectively. Next, the Forest Soils Working Group of IUSS will co-sponsor the joint North American Forest Soils Conference/the 9th International Symposium on Forest Soils, 10–16 June 2018, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Quebec symposium will be co-sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), the Canadian Society of Soil Science (CSSS), and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). In addition, the Forest Soils Working Group, currently convened by Professor Zhihong Xu of Griffith University, Nathan, Brisbane, Australia, and Professor Chris Johnson of Syracuse University, USA, has also hosted both oral and poster sessions on forest soils during each IUSS (ISSS) World Congress of Soil Science since 2002.