CiteSpace and Bibliometric Analysis of Published Research on Forest Ecosystem Services for the Period 2018–2022

Abstract

With the development of the social economy, human demand for forest ecosystem service functions is increasing, and at the same time, higher requirements are being put forward for forest ecosystems. Therefore, a more comprehensive and scientific evaluation of forest ecosystem service functions is needed. In order to understand the current status and trends of research on forest ecosystem service functions and value assessment, this study used bibliometric methods and CiteSpace visual analysis to organize and summarize the relevant research. The results show that current research focuses on three aspects: the formulation of forest ecosystem service assessment issues, the classification of ecosystem service functions, and ecosystem service assessment methods. The focus of future research on forest ecosystem services can be summarized as follows: refining the indicators and methods for assessment, extending the research area and scope, analyzing the spatial and temporal dynamics, conducting research on mechanisms of forest ecosystem service functions, and transforming the evaluation results. This study provides an initial insight into the study of forest ecosystem services and a reference for future scholarly research.