Arboriculture & Urban Forestry is an international Open Access journal that publishes high quality research results on the scientific and cultural aspects of the selection, establishment, culture, maintenance, and function of individual trees, as well as on the structure, function, and management of forests in and around human settlements. The journal welcomes reports of original research, reviews, and analyses that advance the professions of arboriculture and urban forestry. Subjects appropriate for submission include, among others, tree biology and physiology, entomology, pathology, horticulture, biomechanics, risk management, soil science, inventory and assessment, urban forest functions and benefits, governance, planning and management of urban forests, and utility forestry.
To be considered for publication, manuscripts must make a significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge in arboriculture and urban forestry and have broad applicability and interest to an international audience.
Contributions will be considered in the following categories:
Original Articles
Original fundamental or applied research that contributes to the scientific foundations that support the disciplines of arboriculture and urban forestry. Abstracts should be structured (Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions) and are limited to 250 words. Original Articles should not exceed 8,000 words in length.
Review Articles
Literature reviews or syntheses of previous work that identify trends, designate areas for new work and/or theory development, and/or compare competing theories. Abstracts should be unstructured and are limited to 250 words. Review Articles should not exceed 10,000 words in length.
Short Communications
Appropriate for original research investigations that report preliminary or novel results on limited data sets, for analysis of procedures, equipment, or management systems that will lead to the improvement of best management practices, and for the introduction of novel theoretical perspectives. Short Communications should not exceed 5,000 words in length.
Editorials
Brief opinion pieces from leaders in the arboricultural field that provide state-of-the-art assessments, perspectives on key topics, or relate to and provide context for a manuscript in the same issue of the journal. Editorials that accompany other published articles are solicited only. Editorials should not exceed 3,000 words in length with no more than 20 references and should not include an abstract, tables, or figures.
Letters to the Editor
Letters should directly address ideas or facts presented in the Journal and should refer to material published within a year of the letter’s submission. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 1,500 words in length and should not include tables or figures. The authors of the original publication will be given the opportunity to respond in the same issue of Arboriculture & Urban Forestry.
All manuscripts must be submitted to ScholarOne to be considered for review. Requests for extensions to the word count limits should be sent to the Editorial Office at [email protected] for consideration.
Review Policies and Procedures
Acceptance for publication is based on both editorial criteria and peer review. Manuscripts are evaluated for relevance to the journal’s readership, quality, novelty, scientific importance, and accuracy and clarity of presentation. All submitted manuscripts are first assessed by the Editor-in-Chief. Manuscripts that are outside the scope of the journal are rejected without further review. Manuscripts deemed a good fit for the journal are assigned to an Associate Editor who solicits at least two reviews from experts in the relevant field of study.
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry employs a double-blind peer review process, meaning that both the identity of the reviewers and the identity of the authors is anonymized. All identifying information in manuscripts submitted to the journal will be blinded by the Editorial Office prior to review. Reviewers are asked to disclose any potential conflicts of interest when considering a review request and to recuse themselves if necessary.
Recommendations from reviewers are provided to the authors via email. Some revision is usually necessary after the reviews have been received, and final acceptance depends on satisfactory revisions. The final decision on all manuscripts is made by the Editor-in-Chief.
Originality of Manuscripts
All authors must certify that, with the exception of publication in a preprint server, their manuscript is a unique submission that has not been previously published in a refereed journal, book, or peer-reviewed conference proceedings and must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Manuscripts should be substantially different from previously published conference proceedings, industry-oriented publications, and locally published progress or extension reports. At the time of submission, authors must describe all prior publications or postings of the material in any form of media in their cover letter.
Preprint Repositories
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry allows the submission of preprints. Preprints are manuscripts that have not been submitted to a journal for full peer review, have not been copyedited or typeset, and have been deposited to a recognized repository such as bioRxiv. Authors submitting preprints to Arboriculture & Urban Forestry must inform the Editorial Office in writing at the time of submission that the manuscript is a preprint. Authors must represent and warrant that the manuscript does not infringe any other copyright, license agreement, or other interests. Upon acceptance for publication in Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, authors must add the following acknowledgement to all web pages where the preprint had been deposited: “This article has been accepted for publication in Arboriculture & Urban Forestry published by the International Society of Arboriculture.” Upon final publication, authors must add the following to all web pages where the preprint had been deposited: (i) attribution to Arboriculture & Urban Forestry as the original place of publication; and (ii) full citation information, including the article’s DOI.
Data Accessibility
Authors are encouraged to share the data and other materials that support the results of their research by archiving them in an appropriate public repository. A data accessibility statement, including a link to the repository they have used, should be included in the Acknowledgements section to be published alongside their paper.
Authorship
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry follows the ICMJE recommendations on defining authorship. Individuals identified as authors must meet all of the following criteria:
- Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
- Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
- Final approval of the version to be published; AND
- Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Conflicts of Interest
Any interest or relationship, financial or otherwise, that might be perceived as influencing an author’s objectivity is considered a potential source of conflict of interest. These must be disclosed when directly relevant or directly related to the work that the authors describe in their manuscript. The existence of a conflict of interest does not preclude publication. If the authors have no conflicts of interest to declare, they must also state this at submission. In the event of an article being accepted, all authors will be required to complete a Conflict of Interest form and submit it to the Editorial Office. Disclosed conflicts are collated into a Conflict of Interest statement which is published alongside the article.
Publication Ethics
All instances of alleged scientific misconduct identified in submitted and published manuscripts are investigated using the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices. Investigations are conducted by the Editorial Office in conjunction with the Editor-in-Chief. Outcomes of investigations may include rejection of a manuscript, publication of a correction, or retraction.
Appeals
Authors of manuscripts that have been rejected can request an appeal of the decision by sending an appeal request to the Editorial Office at [email protected]. Appeals must contain the manuscript ID (AUF-23-0000) and a detailed description of why the paper should be considered and how it contributes to the scientific literature. Appeals will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief. There is no guarantee of approval of any appeal. If the appeal is approved, the authors will be notified of next steps in resubmitting the paper. Manuscripts that are resubmitted without an approved appeal will be automatically rejected.
Copyright
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry operates under a Gratis Open Access model. All articles published in this journal are protected by copyright, which covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the article, as well as all translation rights. No material published in this journal may be reproduced without first obtaining written permission from the International Society of Arboriculture.
Submission of Manuscripts
To submit a paper, go to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/auf. A manuscript ID number will be assigned to each new or resubmitted manuscript (AUF-23-0000); refer to this number in all subsequent correspondence. If you need to create an account, click on “Create Account” and follow the instructions. For technical assistance anywhere in the system, click “Help” in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. You may also email the Editorial Office at [email protected] for additional assistance.
Preparation of Manuscripts
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry follows the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style manual. Contributors are strongly encouraged to write in a readable style and include management implications of their research. Contributions from both ISA members and nonmembers are welcome.
Prior to submission, authors are strongly encouraged to have their articles reviewed by colleagues. All manuscripts must be submitted in standard English. Authors who do not write with ease in English (for example if their primary language is not English) should obtain editorial assistance before submitting their manuscripts.
Authors are encouraged to read the guidelines below carefully and consult recent issues of the journal. Submissions that do not follow these guidelines will be returned for correction.
Cover Letter
Provide a cover letter that describes the significance and novelty of the work, includes a statement verifying the originality of the work, and discloses any previous abstracts, presentations, reports, or publications that contain material that might be perceived to overlap with the current submission, as well as any additional information that may impact the review process. Approved word count extensions should be noted in the cover letter. Cover letters should be addressed to Cecil Konijnendijk, Editor-in-Chief.
Blinding
All authors and their relevant affiliations MUST be listed on the title page of the manuscript. This information, along with any identifying details in the article, acknowledgements, tables, and figures, will be blinded prior to review. For revised articles, authors should not include identifying information in their response to reviewer comments, which will be shared with the reviewers in order to evaluate the revisions made.
Manuscript Format
- Submit text files only as .DOC or .DOCX file formats. Other file formats are not permitted.
- Include continuous line numbers on the document, beginning with the title page.
- Use standard 11-point font size. Manuscripts should be double spaced.
Manuscript Organization
The main article file should be presented in the following order:
- Manuscript title
- Author full names (complete with middle names or initials and academic titles)
- Author institutional affiliations
- Corresponding author’s complete contact information to include address, phone number, and email address
- Abstract
- Keywords
- Manuscript text
- Literature cited
- Acknowledgements and disclosure of any relevant funding
- Tables (complete with title and footnotes); tables may also be included separately as .DOC, .DOCX, or .XLSX files
- Figure legends
Title
The title of the paper should be a precise and concise description of the work performed and results obtained.
Author List
All authors who meet the qualifications of authorship must be included on the title page of the manuscript, along with their affiliations at the time the research was performed. The author list on the title page must match the author list in ScholarOne. Adding or removing authors to/from the author list during revisions is not acceptable without written confirmation from all authors, including those who are being added/removed.
Abstract
The abstract should include a justification for the study, objectives, and a concise summary of significant data, major findings, and conclusions, not exceeding 250 words. The abstract should be able to stand by itself without reference to the main text. Statements requiring the support of literature citations should not be included. Structured abstracts are required for Original Articles and must have four specified subtitles: Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.
Key Words
Include three to five key words to be used for indexing that are not already present in the title or abstract (e.g., scientific names [without the name of the authority], common names of plant species, and names of chemicals). Key words should be in alphabetical order.
Text Organization
The body of the text may be divided with up to three levels of subheadings. Footnotes are not permitted, except in tables. For research papers, the text should normally be organized into five sections:
- The INTRODUCTION explains why the research was conducted in the context of the current literature and includes specific objectives of the study.
- The MATERIALS AND METHODS section describes the technical and experimental methods so that the work may be replicable. Well-known tests or procedures should be cited but not described in detail. When specific equipment is mentioned in the text, include the model number followed by the name and location (model, city, state, country) of the manufacturer in parentheses. The statistical procedures used to analyze data should be clearly stated.
- The RESULTS and DISCUSSION sections report and interpret, respectively, the outcome of the study. The discussion should compare and explain any differences in the results within the experiment or those contrary to previous studies. Practical applications of the study and areas for future research should also be included in the discussion. Speculation must be firmly founded in observation and related literature; limitations of the study should be clearly stated. Results and Discussion can be separate or combined.
- The CONCLUSIONS section closes the article with a brief, pertinent conclusion or interpretive statement.
Names and Terms
Scientific names are to be italicized. The scientific name should be shown in parentheses for all plants, insects, pathogens, etc. at first listing. Use authorities as part of the scientific name of a species only in taxonomic works or when confusion is likely. Both the common/commercial and chemical name of pesticides and herbicides may be given when first mentioned in a manuscript. All subsequent references to a pesticide or herbicide should use its chemical name (e.g., glyphosate, paclobutrazol, or imidacloprid). In addition, manufacturer information (product name, manufacturer, city, and country) should be included with the first mention of commercially available products (e.g., sensors, probes) used in the study.
Units of Measurement
All units of measurement are to be SI (International System of Units).
Literature Cited
Citations in the text should be written as follows: (Smith 1988) for a single author; (Smith and Anderson 1998) for two authors; or (Smith et al. 1988) for three or more authors. When citing multiple sources for one point or fact, arrange the references chronologically, from earliest to latest: (Smith 1988; Jones 1990; Brown et al. 1998). Publications by the same author(s) in the same year should be listed as 2006a, 2006b, etc. Papers or manuscripts submitted to a publisher may not be used in literature citations unless the work has been accepted for publication, in which case the work may be cited as "(In press)." Unpublished work or information received personally should be noted in the text, e.g., "(ED Brown, unpublished data)" or "(JB Smith, personal communication)". Compositions without an author, typically produced or edited by committee, may use "Anonymous" where appropriate.
Authors must check the original source to avoid the possibility of copying an error. List full references at the end of the article in alphabetical order by name of author. Include full DOI links for all sources that have been registered.
Examples of commonly used literature citations are given below.
Journal Article.
Author(s). Date. Article title. Journal title. Volume(issue):pages. DOI
Hauer RJ, Schulz BB. 2023. Improved model estimates of tree debris following ice storms. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. 49(2):55-63. https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2023.005
Book.
Author(s). Date. Title. Edition. City of publication (State Abbreviation and/or Country): Publisher. Extent.
McCormac JS, Kennedy G. 2004. Birds of Ohio. Auburn (WA, USA): Lone Pine. 182 p.
Book Chapter.
Author(s). Date. Chapter title. In: editor(s). Book title. Edition. City of publication (State Abbreviation and/or Country): Publisher. Pages of chapter or book part.
McDaniel TK, Valdivia RH. 2005. New tools for virulence gene discovery. In: Cossart P, Boquet P, Normark S, Rappuoli R, editors. Cellular microbiology. 2nd Ed. Washington (DC, USA): ASM Press. p. 473-488.
Proceedings.
Author(s). Date. Title of paper. In: editor(s). Title of book. Number and name of conference; date of conference; place of conference. City of publication (State Abbreviation and/or Country): Publisher. Pages.
Coder KD. 1998. Root growth control: Managing perceptions and realities. In: Neely D and Watson G, editors. The Landscape Below Ground II: Proceedings of an International Workshop on Tree Root Development in Urban Soils. Champaign (IL, USA): International Society of Arboriculture. p. 51-81.
Conference Presentation.
Author(s)/Presenter(s). Date. Title of presentation. In: Number and name of conference; date of conference; place of conference. URL
Klein C, Kalyvaki M, Mullins D. 2010. A research based approach for developing printed recruitment material for undergraduate landscape architecture students. In: 56th North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Conference; 2010 June 22–25; State College, Pennsylvania, USA. https://www.nactateachers.org/index.php/2010-56th-penn-state
Technical Report.
Author(s). Date. Title of report. Edition. City of publication (State Abbreviation and/or Country): Publisher. Report No. Extent. URL
Ford PL, Fagerlund RA, Duszynski DW, Polechla PJ. 2004. Fleas and lice of mammals in New Mexico. Fort Collins (CO, USA): USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station. General Technical Report No. RMRS-GTR-123.
Thesis/Dissertation.
Author(s). Date. Title of dissertation or thesis [content designation]. City of publication (State Abbreviation and/or Country): Publisher. Extent.
Dettmers JM. 1995. Assessing the trophic cascade in reservoirs: The role of an introduced predator [dissertation]. Columbus (OH, USA): Ohio State University. 112 p.
Web Publications.
Title of Homepage. Date. Edition. City of publication (State Abbreviation and/or Country): Publisher. [Date updated; date accessed]. URL
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Columbus (OH, USA): Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. [Accessed 2007 July 24]. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry/health/eab.htm
Acknowledgements
Contributions from anyone who does not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed with permission from the contributor. Statements of appreciation for anonymous reviewers are not appropriate and will be removed.
Funding
Authors should list all sources of funding in the Acknowledgements section.
Tables and Figures
- All tables and figures must be cited in numerical order in the text.
- Figures should not be embedded in the manuscript. Figures should be uploaded separately in .TIFF, .EPS, .PPT, .PPTX, .JPG, or .PDF file format. File types such as .PNG, .GIF, and .DOC are not permitted.
- Tables must be submitted in .DOC, .DOCX, or .XLSX format.
- Tables and figures must be clear and legible in the ScholarOne-generated PDF proof.
- Figures must have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Line-art images, such as graphs and charts, should be submitted at 1200 dpi to ensure clarity in print.
- .PPT and .PPTX files should only be used for figures created in Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Provide legends at the end of the manuscript to include the table/figure number and a brief description of the table/figure.
- Legends should adequately describe content so that tables and figures are understandable when considered apart from the text. Include definitions of any symbols used and define/explain all abbreviations and units of measurement.
- Data should not be duplicated in tables and figures.
- Do not use ditto marks in tables or figures.
- Figures with multiple parts should be labeled and referred to as (a), (b), (c), etc.
- Obtain written permission to reproduce previously published figures and tables. Signed permission forms must be sent to the Editorial Office upon submission.
- Color figures are published in print and online free of charge.
Image Manipulation
Adjustments to figures for clarity are sometimes necessary; however, it is never acceptable to manipulate imagery in order to deceive or present a false result. Specific features within an image should not be enhanced, obscured, removed, moved, or introduced. Adjustments to brightness or contrast are only acceptable if they apply equally across the entire image and do not obscure, eliminate, or misrepresent any information present in the original image.
Use of Previously Published Materials
All materials included in a submission that have been previously published must include credit to the original publication. In instances where the published work is copyrighted, permission must be acquired from the copyright owners and provided to the Editorial Office.
Procedure After Submission
After submission, a confirmation e-mail will be sent to all authors. Authors can also log in to ScholarOne any time to check the status of a manuscript. Decision letters are sent via email.
Accepted Articles
Upon acceptance, authors will be asked to provide the final materials of their manuscript, including all completed Conflict of Interest Forms. Timely publication is dependent upon all files being delivered to the Editorial Office promptly.
Publication Charges
There are no fees associated with any part of the review or publication process.
Proofs
Authors will have an opportunity to review a proof of their article prior to online publication. Proofs should be checked carefully, as manuscripts are edited for grammar, journal style, and consistency across all materials.
Publish Ahead of Print
Articles are published online before being assigned to a print issue. No further editorial changes may be made to an article once it has been published online. Ahead of print articles are fully accessible and citable and will have a registered DOI.