北京林業大學《森林生態系統（英文）》（Forest Ecosystems）主編、德國著名林學家Klaus v.Gadow教授9月26日接受了媒體專訪。
Gadow認為，Forest Ecosystems這樣的高水平國際期刊提升了北林的國際聲譽，並將在全球森林生態系統的研究成果傳播方面起非常重要的作用。
以下為完整採訪內容。
1） Forest Ecosystems作為一本高校創辦的學術期刊在短短幾年快速發展並躋身國際一流。您可否談談這是如何實現的呢？將來如何保持這一高水準並進一步提升？
Gadow： 首先，我要非常感謝北京林業大學尤其是北林期刊編輯部主任趙秀海教授給予我的信任。我還記得五年前，我和趙秀海教授在機場時，他告訴我他接手期刊編輯部並要大力發展這一國際性的期刊，問我能否提供幫助。我非常高興盡我所能。第一步，我們查閱了目前所有林學類期刊的名稱，並確定了本刊新的刊名，即Forest Ecosystems。對一份國際期刊來說，刊名尤其重要，它必須面向該領域多數讀者。
現在回到你的問題上來，我們的期刊在創刊四年即能取得如此的成績，我們也覺得稍有「驚訝」。我覺得期刊要取得成功，有以下幾個因素。首先，我們有一個非常出色的領導趙秀海教授；其次，我們有優秀的編輯團隊，李慧和黃珍兩位編輯在協助我管理期刊；最後，也是尤其重要的是，我們創刊伊始就決定用開放獲取模式而不是純粹的紙刊模式出版此刊。開放獲取模式意味著全球各角落的讀者都能免費訪問我們期刊的內容，從而回報以較高的引用。開放獲取模式對欠發達地區來說很受歡迎，這些地區的讀者或許不能在當地的圖書館獲得我們的資源，但他們只要有網絡就隨時隨地下載我們的文章。從這個角度來說，開放獲取就意味著較高的引用率。
2）Forest Ecosystems雜誌是依託北京林業大學「林學」優勢學科所創辦的學術期刊，隨著雜誌辦刊水平和國際影響力的提升，它將對北林大一流學科建設和人才培養起到什麼樣的作用？
Gadow：高水平國際期刊對主辦方也就是北京林業大學帶來的好處，我覺得首先就是它提升了學校的國際聲譽。人們從我們的期刊下載所需內容時，首先看到的就是北京林業大學的logo，這自然提升了學校的形象和聲譽。如果一所學校建立的良好的聲譽，人們總是願意與她建立更多的聯繫，學者們將更願意來此與同行交流合作，尋求大學教育的學生也會被吸引而來。另一個好處，我覺得與我們期刊每年春秋兩季的國際研討會有關。學校無私地支持了期刊編輯部組織的這些研討會，每次研討會都至少吸引十幾位國際知名學者前來交流，而我們除了學術報告外，還帶他們去實地考察由我校尤其是趙秀海教授的團隊建立的樣地和生態網絡，讓他們直觀感受北林學者的工作和成果。我想，我們的期刊已經成為北林與國際林學界進行成果交流的國際性平臺。
3）當前人類的生態安全問題受到了空前重視，森林生態系統作為最重要的自然生態系統，當然也受到了前所未有的特別關注。您能否從人類的生存與發展，談一談Forest Ecosystems未來的藍圖和規劃？
Gadow：我想，從事森林生態系統的工作者對此問題會有各種不同的想法。森林覆蓋著全球30%的陸地面積，是世界上最為重要的生態系統，向人類提供了多種產品和服務，比如木材產品用於建築和薪材等用途；同時，森林還提供很多非木材類的林產品。舉個例子，我們帶國際學者在吉林蛟河考察時發現，我們晚餐桌上很多菜餚都來自那裡的森林，包括很多種蘑菇和蔬菜，那些叫得上名的以及專業人員也叫不上名的，種類繁多。前去考察的學者們甚至表示要準備一篇關於森林提供非木材產品的稿件，一位俄羅斯女士說這是個特別好的注意，並願意提供俄羅斯在這方面的相關材料。你所提的問題確實很重要，像Forest Ecosystems這樣的國際期刊將會在全球森林生態系統的研究成果傳播方面起非常重要的作用。謝謝。
Gadow 英文文本
1）As a scientific journal published by a university, 「Forest Ecosystems」 has grown rapidly during the past five years. In your opinion, how can the high standard be maintained, or perhaps even improved, in the future?
Gadow: From the outset, I would like to say many thanks to the Beijing Forestry University and especially to Professor Zhao Xiuhai who trusts me with this job, and I still remember we were at the Beijing Airport and he asked me: 「I have been given the job to develop a new international journal, would you like to help me?」That was five years ago, and I was happy enough to do this and the first decision that we have to take was the (journal) title. The title (is) very very important for a journal and we decided the title should be Forest Ecosystems which is a very general title, but we have to check whether the title was already given. So, come back to your question, I think there are four ingredients to make a journal so successful. In the first place, it was a great surprise for us to have achieved after four years only this great success. And it is due mainly to good leadership. We have a very excellent leader, Prof. Zhao Xiuhai. It is also due to a good team. We have a very capable team. Dr. Li Hui and Huang Zhen are helping me in managing this journal. And it is also (an) important decision that we took at the beginning was to have an Open Access journal, not a print journal, but an Open Access journal, and Open Access means that people everywhere in the world can download our manuscripts and that means we get more citations if we have an Open Access journal. Also, Open Access means a service to underprivileged regions. 「Underprivileged」means there are many regions in the world where young scientists do not have access to library, so they can download from the internet our manuscripts. Open Access means we are doing a great service to some regions of the world and also means that we get (a) higher rate of citations.
2) The journal 「Forest Ecosystems」 was launched by Beijing Forestry University. Can you talk about the benefits to the Beijing Forestry University of maintaining such a journal ?
Gadow: Well, there are many benefits to the university of course. One is (what) we call in English you have the word 「reputation」. It is more than an image, because in the mind of people, they carry some ideas about the university and at every download of the manuscripts, people see the Beijing Forestry University logo, so this is a wonderful platform to increase the image and the reputation of the university, and if a university has a high reputation, people would like to be associated with this university. Scholars would like to come here and work with their colleagues at this university, and students who are looking for university will come to your university with a higher reputation because they like to be associated with it. So, I think there are many many benefits. Other benefits of course are derived from our workshops. The Beijing Forestry University very generously supports us in organizing two workshops each a year as spring workshop and autumn workshop, and during these workshops we have about a dozen of foreign experts that come here. They work with the students, they talk to their colleagues, they give lectures and workshops of their own, and we take them to the field to see the wonderful network of forest plots established by Beijing Forestry University and especially by Prof. Zhao Xiuhai, So there are many many benefits of establishing a journal and a general international platform for the dissemination of research results for the university.
3) Nowadays, the security of human livelihood is receiving unprecedented attention. How important are Forest ecosystems for the survival and well-being of humans ?
Gadow: Well, people working in the science of forest ecosystems, they have many many answers to your question. A simple number would be that thirty percent of our land surface area of the Earth is covered by forests. They are considered by many to be the most important natural ecosystem in this world. And there are products and services. Normally we talk about products, like timber products or wood products, timber for construction and house fueling, and woods for firewood and huge areas in Africa for example wood for burning is very very important and wood is derived from the forest. But there are many non-wood forest products. In the Jiaohe (in Jilin), the other day we took about a dozen of international scholars to Jiaohe, and they were having dinner, and at dinner time, everything that we ate was from the forest. There are some foods from the forest that we perhaps not mention them here, but most of them are mushrooms and vegetables or different kinds of herbs. The local people knew their local names, but the botanical names of these different vegetables were not known even by the scientists who attended our dinner. And there was a talk that we should prepare a manuscript about the forest delivering non-forest products especially the foods and dishes. There was a Russian lady who said, this a wonderful idea, we will do this and we will provide some information from Russia. So your question, I think it is a very important question, and the journal like Forest Ecosystems that can help to disseminate knowledge about this important ecosystem like ours has a very important role to play. Thank you!