Advances in Forest Management Research in the Context of Carbon Neutrality: A Bibliometric Analysis
Yanqin Zhang, Xinhui Fei, Fan Liu, Jiaxin Chen, Xianli You, Shanjun Huang, Minhua Wang, Jianwen Dong
Abstract
Climate change has become a threat to humanity, and achieving carbon neutrality is a worldwide objective. Forests are significant natural carbon sinks; forest ecosystems are one of the effective ways to mitigate climate change, and professional management may effectively contribute to achieving carbon neutrality goals. Using the bibliometrix R-package in R and CiteSpace for bibliometric analysis of research areas from general statistics and knowledge base perspectives, this study systematically reviewed the status, evolution, and research hotspots of forest management in the context of carbon neutrality based on 6112 papers published in this research area between 2002 and 2022. The results revealed: (1) The research on forest management in the context of carbon neutrality has rapidly developed with a high level of attention between 2002–2022. Furthermore, this field of research has become a well-established discipline. (2) Throughout the research history, there were five main research hotspots, which were the function of forest carbon sinks, scientific and rational forest management, forest ecosystem services, assessment of forest carbon sinks, and forest management models. (3) Potential future research avenues include the development of a new model of forest management in the context of carbon neutrality.