This epilogue concludes the Special Issue of MRD on Mountain Forests in a Changing World: Advances in Research on Sustainable Management and the Role of Academic Training. Gerhard Glatzel tackles the question of what is different in mountain forests and what accelerated change may bring to mountain people. These fundamental issues are traced back to their very roots, based on the experience of an eminent scientist who has worked for may years in mountain forests all over the world.