Abstract
Approximately 67% of the total land area of the Korea is covered by forest. Eutrophication, defined as the enrichment of waters beyond natural levels, principally by the nutrient phosphorus (P), is a serious cause of concern at the present time. The contribution of forestry to P loading in catchment waters has not been intensively studied in Korea, but is potentially important because forests are often located in near-pristine environments. Phosphorus is retained by most mineral soils and, as a consequence, losses are usually negligible. However, it is much more mobile in organic soils where it can be relatively easily leached or lost through surface runoff, as these soils have a low capacity to retain free phosphate. This report has been prepared to study the influence of arable land used for paddy, upland, and forestry on water quality in the basin of Daechung reservoir.
