Introducing the inaugural issue of Forests Monitor: an international peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal.

On behalf of our editors and scientific board members, we are delighted to welcome you to the inaugural issue of Forests Monitor. Launching a new journal dedicated to addressing pressing challenges in academic publishing is a significant endeavor, and we would like to share the purpose and focus of Forests Monitor, as well as the unique benefits it offers to readers, reviewers, and prospective authors. The mission of Forests Monitor is to accelerate scientific and practical discourse on the applied science of multifunctional forest ecosystems. By providing a robust platform for exchanging ideas supported by a rigorous peer-review process, we aim to contribute meaningfully to advancing forest management and governance. Our vision for Forests Monitor is to become a premier applied scientific journal that bridges forest ecology and conservation, forest management and planning, and forest policy and economics—all under one umbrella. Forests Monitor seeks to foster scientific development and promote meaningful dialogue by publishing original research articles, comprehensive reviews, thought-provoking opinion pieces, forest perspectives, and book reviews related to multifunctional forest ecosystems. This editorial also summarizes the contributions included in our inaugural issue, where we published five articles, including two research papers and three perspectives on forestry. The contributions address a diverse range of topics across the globe, such as Forest Stewards Guild position statement on climate-smart forestry, forest governance in the Nordic region, defining and monitoring forest disturbances and damages, methods for tracking forest pests in the United States, and the role of retention border zones in enhancing broadleaf habitats within production forests in Sweden. In this editorial, we also want to highlight how you can support our grassroot mission.