Analysis of the Changes of the Vegetated Area in an Unregulated River and Their Underlying Causes: A Case Study on the Naeseong Stream

This study aims to investigate the changes in the riparian vegetated area in the Naeseong stream, an unregulated river, in order to analyze the main factors leading to these changes. For this purpose, the land surface cover in the channel area of the Naeseong stream was classified into 9 categories using past aerial photographs collected between 1970 and 2016, which recorded the long-term changes of the Naeseong stream. The increase or decrease in the vegetated area was calculated for each category using a pair of before and after images. The changes in the vegetated area were divided into 6 periods: the unvegetated channel period (1970 - 1980), the first rapid increase (1980 - 1986), the period of decrease due to flood (1986 - 1988), the period of repetitive man-induced disturbance and vegetation increase (1988 - 2008), the period of gradual vegetation increase (2008 - 2013), and the period of second rapid increase (2013 - 2016). Multiple regression analysis was performed using independent variables representing hydrology, climate, and geomorphology. The major variables found to be involved in the changes in the vegetated area of the Naeseong stream were the discharge during June - July, channel width, and temperature during April - June. Among the three variables, discharge and temperature were respectively the main independent variables in the downstream and the upstream reaches as per a single variable model. Channel width was the variable that distinguished the upstream and downstream reaches of the stream. The implication of the long-term increase in the vegetated area in the Naeseong stream was discussed based on the result of this study.