Viewing forests through the lens of complex systems science

TLDR

Complex systems science offers a transdisciplinary framework defined by heterogeneity, hierarchy, self‑organization, openness, adaptation, memory, non‑linearity, and uncertainty, and while it has guided ecosystem resilience strategies, its application to forest ecology and management is only now emerging. The authors review complex‑systems properties in temperate, boreal, tropical, and Mediterranean forest biomes and demonstrate how this perspective aids scientists and managers in conceptualizing and managing forests as integrated social‑ecological systems. They conduct a review of complex‑systems properties by examining four representative forest biomes—temperate, boreal, tropical, and Mediterranean—as illustrative case studies. The review demonstrates that applying complex‑systems thinking enables forest scientists and managers to conceptualize forests as integrated social‑ecological systems and offers concrete management examples for treating forests as complex adaptive systems.

Abstract

Complex systems science provides a transdisciplinary framework to study systems characterized by (1) heterogeneity, (2) hierarchy, (3) self‐organization, (4) openness, (5) adaptation, (6) memory, (7) non‐linearity, and (8) uncertainty. Complex systems thinking has inspired both theory and applied strategies for improving ecosystem resilience and adaptability, but applications in forest ecology and management are just beginning to emerge. We review the properties of complex systems using four well‐studied forest biomes (temperate, boreal, tropical and Mediterranean) as examples. The lens of complex systems science yields insights into facets of forest structure and dynamics that facilitate comparisons among ecosystems. These biomes share the main properties of complex systems but differ in specific ecological properties, disturbance regimes, and human uses. We show how this approach can help forest scientists and managers to conceptualize forests as integrated social‐ecological systems and provide concrete examples of how to manage forests as complex adaptive systems.