Journal profile · Forestry
Journal of Forest Research
ISSN 1341-6979 · eISSN 1610-7403 · Springer Japan · JAPAN · Bimonthly · Founded 1996
Journal of Forest Research: CAS Zone 4 · Agricultural & Forestry Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.27; hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 250 days to acceptance (96 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 48 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Forest Research is published by Springer Japan and is in Zone 4 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Forest ecology and management, Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies and Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics, together about 32.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Forest Research publishes Original Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, and Data Notes. It covers all aspects of forest research, both basic and applied, with the aim of encouraging international communication between scientists in different fields who share a common interest in forest science. Membership of the society is not a prerequisite for publication in this journal. Journal of Forest Research covers 4 sections with the following research areas; Socioecnomics, Planning and Management Section - forest policy and social sciences, forest assessment, modelling and management, forest operations and forest engineering, landscape planning and design, forest education Forest Environment Section - forest meteorology, hydrology, erosion control and hazards, ecosystem ecology and soil science Silviculture and Plant Sciences Section - silviculture and production processes, forest ecology and vegetation dynamics, molecular ecology and conservation, forest genetics and tree breeding, tree physiology Forest Health Section - forest insects and animals, forest microbes, non-wood forest products The journal is open for anyone to submit papers in these research areas.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Forestry
Editor-in-chief Imai, NobuoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Japan 11 (11 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Forest ecology and managementEnvironmental Science14.1%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science11.9%
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon DynamicsEnvironmental Science6.7%
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.7%
- Forest Insect Ecology and ManagementEnvironmental Science5.9%
- Forest Management and PolicyEnvironmental Science5.2%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.2%
- Tree Root and Stability StudiesEngineering4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Forestry | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Forestry | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Forestry | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA, OCLC, Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, CSA, CAB International, Academic OneFile, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS, CSA Environmental Sciences, Elsevier Biobase, Environment Index, Gale, Geobase, Global Health, Highbeam, PaperChem, SCImago, Summon by ProQuest, Zoological Record
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.27LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.38LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.38Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.63LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.63Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 35LetPub ·
- h-index
- 57OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 777OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.48OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 15.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 7.1%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 46LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 66,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,716 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35 | 11 | 10 |
| 2025 | 48 | 15 | 60 |
| 2024 | 55 | 13 | 134 |
| 2023 | 56 | 24 | 281 |
| 2022 | 66 | 20 | 322 |
| 2021 | 62 | 17 | 605 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
250 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 190 days – 322 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 19 days (96 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 272 days
- Sample
- 96 articles with submission and acceptance dates (97 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 29%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 68 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 34 daysPublisher website ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted6
- data notesJournal of Forest Research publishes Original Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, and Data Notes.Length not stated
- original articlesJournal of Forest Research publishes Original Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, and Data Notes.Length not stated
- researchResearchLength not stated
- reviewReviewLength not stated
- reviewsJournal of Forest Research publishes Original Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, and Data Notes.Length not stated
- short communicationsJournal of Forest Research publishes Original Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, and Data Notes.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Self-archiving
- Open access Open access
Journal of Forest Research is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving
Membership of the society is not a prerequisite for publication in this journal. Model summary
Membership of the society is not a prerequisite for publication in this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Japan
- Country or region
- JAPAN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1996
- ISSN
- 1341-6979
- Electronic ISSN
- 1610-7403
- Society / sponsor
- Japanese Forest Society
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 31, Issue 5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Forest Research
What CAS zone is Journal of Forest Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Forest Research is in Zone 4 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Forestry. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Forest Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.27; CiteScore 2.9, h-index 57.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Forest Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 96 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 250 days (interquartile range 190–322 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 29%. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Forest Research based?
Of the 11 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Japan (11). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Forest Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Forest Research is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Forest Research open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Forest Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .