A Bibliometric Analysis of Forest Gap Research during 1980–2021

Jiaqi Xie, Guangqi Zhang (), Yuling Li, Xiyu Yan, Lipeng Zang, Qingfu Liu, Danmei Chen, Mingzhen Sui and Yuejun He
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Jiaqi Xie: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Guangqi Zhang: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Yuling Li: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Xiyu Yan: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Lipeng Zang: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Qingfu Liu: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Danmei Chen: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Mingzhen Sui: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Yuejun He: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: (1) Background: Forest gaps play an important role in promoting forest regeneration and facilitating the forest growth cycle. Since the 1980s, forest gaps have been widely studied by forestry scientists. The purpose of this study was to review the global literature from 1980 to 2021, based on the scientific database Web of Science Core Collection, and to summarize the research hotspots and the trends of the forest gaps. (2) Method: A bibliometric analysis was performed using the visual analytic software CiteSpace to quantify the description of annual publications, collaboration analysis of authors, institutions and countries, co-citation analysis of cited journals, cited authors, and cited references. The keyword co-occurrence, burst, and time zone were also analyzed by the software. (3) Results: The results show that the volume of annual publications is increasing. Dr. Harald Bugmann is the author with the most published works. The most active institution is the American Forest Service. The United States, Canada, and China are the three most productive countries. “Ecology” is the most cited journal. The results indicate that the hotspot in the forest gap research has shifted, and the effects of forest environmental changes caused by forest gaps under climate change have received more attention from scientists. In the future, more attention may be paid to the role of forest gaps on near-natural forest management patterns, the effect of forest gaps on forest sustainable development, and the way to study forest gaps using lidar technology. (4) Conclusion: Our results can help to understand emerging trends in forest gap research to inform forest ecology and management.

Keywords: bibliometric analysis; forest gaps; CiteSpace; hotspots (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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