• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.281-288
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• 2001

The relationships between the growths of Abies koreana W. and climatic factors were analyzed by the use of tree-ring analysis at the subalpine belt of Mt. Halla National Park. The four cores were extracted from each 21 trees at north-facing slope (1,900m a.s.1.). The site chronology was established on the periods from 1912 to 1999. The growth of A. koreana was very poor, in particular in the years of 1982, 1988 and 1996. Simple correlation was employed to analyze the relationship between the growth of A. koreana and climatic factors. The result of simple correlation indicates that the growth of A. koreana represent positive correlations both with the mean temperatures of April and previous November, and the precipitation of previous December and January. The presence of large number of frost-damaged scars in the individual trees of A. koreana implies that local freezing temperature conditions at Mt. Halla have occurred in 1964, 1965 and 1966. The correlations between the fir chronology SOI(Southern Oscillation Index) of previous January, February and November were significantly positive. The growth ratio of A. koreana demonstrates that this species is sensitive to seasonal variations. As the winter temperature rises, the growth ratio of A. koreana decreases, on the other hand, the increase of autumn temperature accelerates the growth ratio of A. koreana. The growth decline of A. koreana was observed from 51 cores out of the 54 cores, and the overall growth declines have initiated at 1978, 1982 and 1988. Distinct growth decline of A. koreana in the range of 70% is noticed at 34 cores out of the 51 cores. The decline of, A. koreana growth appears to be related to the winter temperature which has increased since mid-1970s.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.04a
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• pp.73-73
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• 2019

전나무속(Abies Miller, 1754)은 지구상에서 북반구를 중심으로 50여 종이 현존하고 있다. 전나무속은 주로 높은 고도의 산지 또는 수목 한계선 주변에 자연적 분포지를 형성하고 있으며, 국내에는 전나무(A. holophylla), 분비나무(A. nephrolepis) 및 구상나무(A. koreana), 총 3종이 자생하고 있다. 하지만 국내에 자생하는 3종의 경우도 쇠퇴가 급격히 진행되고 있다. 특히 대한민국 특산식물인 한라산의 구상나무는 IUCN Redlist 상의 'Threatened species' category 종으로 등재되어 있을 뿐만 아니라 구상나무 어린 나무(치수)의 수가 급격히 줄어 우리 사회에서 문제가 직면한 '저출산 고령화 사회'와 유사하다고 할 수 있다. 하지만, 구상나무의 어린 나무에 관한 연구가 미비한 실정이다. 게다가 선행연구에서도 어린 나무의 기준이 모호하다. 따라서 본 연구는 구상나무 등 국내 자생하는 구상나무 천연묘의 기준을 정립하여 추후 진행되는 구상나무 등 전나무속 어린 나무에 관한 연구에 표준화를 유도할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다. 우선, 국내.외 소나무과 어린나무에 관한 논문을 정리 및 분석하였고, 구상나무 어린나무가 자생하는 숲의 구조(제주조릿대 등) 및 환경(암석노출도) 등)에 적절한 높이와 아린흔의 갯수를 참고로 기준안을 제시해 보고자 한다. 본 연구의 기준안은 선행연구에서 조사된 구상나무 어린나무 3,138개체의 높이 및 아린흔 갯수를 토대로 구분해볼 수 있었다. 우선, 높이에 대한 기준은 1년생묘(당해묘, 5cm 미만)-유묘(5cm~10cm 미만)-성묘(대묘, 10cm~30cm 미만)-치수(30cm~100cm 미만) cf.전생치수-유목(100cm 이상) 5단계로 구분되었다. 아린흔 갯수에 대한 기준도 또한 1년생묘(1개)-유묘(2개~6개)-성묘(대묘, 7개~15개)-치수(16개~20개) cf.전생치수-유목(21개 이상) 5단계로 구분되었다.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.144-155
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• 2021

This study was conducted to analyze community structure and species composition of Abies koreana forest. Field survey was carried out from June, 2019 to 2020, September. 121 plots (20×20 m) were set up, 5 herb layer plots (3×3 m) were constructed for each plot, and there, Diameter at Breast Height(DBH), height, environmental factor were measured. It was analyzed that water stress did not have a significant effect on the factors affecting the growth of A. koreana in Mt. Halla-san, and in the case of Mt. Deokyu-san, the more forest stands located at the ridge, the higher the tree density. It was found that the factors affecting the distribution of Abies koreana were not consistent according to the environment of study site.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.111 no.1
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• pp.61-71
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• 2022

Data from an investigation of vulnerable conifer species in the subalpine zone in Korea obtained by the Korea Forest Service in 2017-2018 and monitoring research conducted by the National Institute of Forest Science since 2014 were used to analyze the status of distribution and growing condition of three major conifer species (Abies nephrolepis, Abies koreana, and Picea jezoensis) in the subalpine zone in the Baekdudaegan protected area. The distribution area of the studied species in the Baekdudaegan protected area was ca. 74% (8,035 ha) of the total distribution area in Korea, indicating that Baekdudaegan is a core area for conservation and restoration of subalpine conifer species. From decline index [A. nephrolepis in Mt. Taebaeksan and Mt. Deogyusan increased by 77.3% and 29.6%, respectively; A. koreana in Mt. Jirisan (Chunwangbong Peak) increased by 45.2% in four years; and P. jezoensis in Mt. Jirisan (Chunwangbong Peak) increased by 47.8% in two years] and seedling frequency (lower frequency of newly recruited seedlings than dead seedlings) results, the studied species are expected to face difficulties in sustainability. In contrast, at Mt. Seseoksan and Chunwangbong Peak in Mt. Jirisan, the health of trees and seedling frequency showed a partial tendency to recover and increase. In addition, we identified the relationship between the decline index and seedling frequency. These results will support the implementation of conservation strategies for vulnerable conifer species in the subalpine zone.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.358-371
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• 2020

As climate change is expected to lead to a severe reduction of biodiversity, studies to investigate the reasons for habitat loss, growth decline, and death of Korean fir (Abies koreana Wilson), endangered alpine/subalpine species in Korea, have been conducted for years but found no clear answer yet. This study reviewed previous studies on Korean fir published in the journals in the past 40 years, 1980 through 2020, into 10-year units, examined the study trend by period, region, and subject with a focus on ecological studies, and analyzed the study results. The ecological studies were categorized into evolutionary ecology, physiological ecology, population ecology, and landscape ecology. Based on the results, we suggested the required research fields in the future. We found a total of 73 papers published in the past 40 years and 48 (65.8%) of them published in the past 10 years. In terms of region, Mt. Halla accounted for the most as 41 papers were on it. In terms of ecological subjects, the physiological ecology accounted for the most with 38, and the evolutionary ecology accounted for the least with 10. The review of the study results showed that many studies identified water stress caused by the water resource imbalance due to temperature increase and spring precipitation reduction following climate change as the main reason for the decline and habitat loss of Korean fir. However, recent studies suggested other factors, such as soil environment, disturbing organisms, and climatic events. The cause of the decline and death of the Korean fir not yet being clearly identified is that most of the studies dealt with the basic content, were carried out intermittently, and were concentrated in some regions. Therefore, we need long-term studies with advanced technology in each study subject at a local scale to find the cause of Korean fir decline and present sustainable management and conservation. Moreover, it is necessary to extend our study subjects to ecosystem ecology and systems ecology to integrate the results from various study subjects for a comprehensive understanding of the reason for Korean fir declines. The results of comprehensive studies could provide clearer answers for Korean fir's declines and the alternatives of conservation management and practices.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.325-338
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• 2023

Korean fir (Abies koreana Wilson) is one of the most important environmental indicator tree species for assessing climate change impacts on coniferous forests in the Korean Peninsula. However, due to the nature of alpine and subalpine regions, it is difficult to conduct regular field surveys of Korean fir, which is mainly distributed in regions with altitudes greater than 1,000 m. Therefore, this study analyzed the vegetation change trend of Korean fir using regularly observed remote sensing data. Specifically, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), land surface temperature (LST), and precipitation data from Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievalsfor GPM from September 2003 to 2020 for Hallasan and Jirisan were used to analyze vegetation changes and their association with environmental variables. We identified a decrease in NDVI in 2020 compared to 2003 for both sites. Based on the NDVI difference maps, areas for healthy vegetation and high mortality of Korean fir were selected. Long-term NDVI time-series analysis demonstrated that both Hallasan and Jirisan had a decrease in NDVI at the high mortality areas (Hallasan: -0.46, Jirisan: -0.43). Furthermore, when analyzing the long-term fluctuations of Korean fir vegetation through the Hodrick-Prescott filter-applied NDVI, LST, and precipitation, the NDVI difference between the Korean fir healthy vegetation and high mortality sitesincreased with the increasing LST and decreasing precipitation in Hallasan. Thissuggests that the increase in LST and the decrease in precipitation contribute to the decline of Korean fir in Hallasan. In contrast, Jirisan confirmed a long-term trend of declining NDVI in the areas of Korean fir mortality but did not find a significant correlation between the changes in NDVI and environmental variables (LST and precipitation). Further analyses of environmental factors, such as soil moisture, insolation, and wind that have been identified to be related to Korean fir habitats in previous studies should be conducted. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using satellite data for long-term monitoring of Korean fir ecosystems and investigating their changes in conjunction with environmental conditions. Thisstudy provided the potential forsatellite-based monitoring to improve our understanding of the ecology of Korean fir.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 1991

To investigate the structure and the conservation of Abies koreana forest at Banyabong area in Chirisan, 38 plots(100$m^2$) set up with random sampling method. Dead individuals of Abies koreana were 12.81%. were observed mainly upper-layer trees. A few seedlings of Abies koreana were observed. Three groups were classified by cluster analysis. High positive correlations was proved between Abies koreana and Rhododendron mucrolunulatum var. ciliatum, and High negative correlations was proved between Abies koreana and Fraxinus sieboliana, Carpinus cordata, Sasa purpurascens and Cornus controversa. Species diversity(H') of investigated area was calculated 1.9796-2.7509. To conserve Abies koreana forest at Banyabong area in Chirisan. Research and prescription on the declining of Abies koreana was needed and Quercus mongolica, Acer pseudo-sieboldianum, Fraxinus sieboliana, Carpinus cordata, Sasa purpurascens and Cornus controversa in the Abies koreana forest should be cleared out.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.408-423
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• 2021

We established and monitored survey sites in seven regions of Mt. Jiri to investigate population decline and change of the Korean fir (Abies koreana) over a ten-year period from 2009 to 2018. With the exception of one site (Seseok), the six remaining ones all showed a four-layer stratification structure. The importance value of Korean firs in all of the survey areas decreased significantly by 28.5%, from 55.7% in 2009 to 39.8% in 2018. The average population of objects with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 5cm or more in all survey sites was 711 objects/ha in 2018, and the cumulative death rate from 2009 to 2018 was 10.8%. Among the death types, DS (dead standing) was the most dominant, comprising 82.4% of the total survey area. However, in Banyabong 1, which had a high gradient of 35°, the death types other than DS accounted for 44.2%. We estimate that A. koreana can maintain a stable population as its distribution type for each diameter class in the Saeseokpyeongjeon site showed a reverse-J shape. The average annual ring growth in all survey sites was 1.09 mm/year, with the most abundant growth observed in the Seseokpyeongjeon site, which was formed mainly by a subtree layer. The growth ring survey showed the estimated average age of A. koreana population in the Byeoksoryeong and Banyabong 1 sites to be 102 and 91 years, respectively, a general downward trend of vitality since 2013.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2022.09a
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• pp.24-24
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• 2022

제주는 면적에 비해 생물종다양성이 높은 지역으로 평가된다. 한반도 자생 관속식물은 4,500여종으로 이 중 50%에 달하는 2,200종이 제주에 분포하고 있으며 최근 30년간 80여종의 미기록 식물이 출현하였다. 이러한 특성은 선태식물과 산림버섯 분야에서도 유사하게 나타나는 것으로 지리적 위치, 기후적 조건, 한라산으로 인한 수직 식생 분포, 특이산림생태계로 인한 입지 환경의 다양성과 관련이 있다. 동시에 제주는 희귀 및 유용 산림생명자원의 보고이다. 제주에서 수집하여 종의 실체를 확인한 2,167종을 대상으로 희귀성과 유용성을 평가한 결과 제주고사리삼, 구상나무, 갯취 등의 희귀·특산 식물이 400종, 흑오미자, 제주백서향, 황칠나무 등의 유용식물이 781종에 달하였다. 또한 제주는 우리나라에서 기후변화에 가장 민감한 지역으로 동북아시아 기후변화의 요충지로 전망되고 있다. 한라산의 구상나무가 쇠퇴하는 등 이상 징후가 지속적으로 증가하고 있으며 동북아시아 아열대 최북한계지로서 한반도 생물지리의 징검다리 역할을 하기 때문이다. 따라서 나고야의정서 발효와 기후위기로 산림생명자원의 보존과 활용의 중요성이 더욱 강조되고 있는 현재의 시점에서 제주는 우선 연구 대상지라 해도 과언이 아니다. 이에 국립산림과학원 난대·아열대산림연구소는 절멸 위기에 처한 종의 보존과 유용 산림생명자원의 활용 기반 마련을 위해 수집 및 탐색-빅데이터 기반 구축-증식기술 개발-현지내·외보존원 조성 및 관리 기술 개발 등의 일련의 연구를 20년 이상 수행해 왔다. 여기에서는 제주지역 산림생명자원의 가치와 함께 보존과 활용 연구 성과를 소개하고 향후 연구 방향을 제안함으로써 산림 바이오 소재 산업화와 관련된 학계와 임업인 및 기업에 도움이 되고자 한다.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-28
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• 2019

This study analyzed the density and mortality rate of Korean fir at 9 sites where individuals of Korean firs were marked into the live and dead trees with coordinates on orthorectified aerial images by digital photogrammetric system. As a result of the analysis, Korean fir in each site showed considerable heterogeneity in density and mortality rate depending on the location within site. This make it possible to assume that death of Korean fir can occur by specific factors that vary depending on the location. Based on the analyzed densities and mortality rates of Korea fir, we investigated the correlation between topographic factors such as altitude, terrain slope, drainage network, solar radiation, aspect and the death of Korean fir. The density of Korean fir increases with altitude, and the mortality rate also increases. A negative correlation is found between the terrain slope and the mortality rate, and the mortality rate is higher in the gentle slope where the drainage network is less developed. In addition, it is recognized that depending on the aspect, the mortality rate varies greatly, and the mean solar radiation is higher in live Korean fir-dominant area than in dead Korean fir-dominant area. Overall, the mortality rate of Korean fir in Mt. Halla area is relatively higher in areas with relatively low terrain slope and low solar radiation. Considering the results of previous studies that the terrain slope has a strong negative correlation with soil moisture and the relationship between solar radiation and evaporation, these results lead us to infer that excess soil moisture is the cause of Korean fir mortality. These inferences are supported by a series of climate change phenomena such as precipitation increase, evaporation decrease, and reduced sunshine duration in the Korean peninsula including Jeju Island, increase in mortality rate along with increased precipitation according to the elevation of Mt. Halla and the vegetation change in the mountain. It is expected that the spatial patterns in the density and mortality rate of Korean fir, which are controlled by topography such as altitude, slope, aspect, solar radiation, drainage network, can be used as spatial variables in future numerical modeling studies on the death or decline of Korean fir. In addition, the method of forest distribution survey using the orthorectified aerial images can be widely used as a numerical monitoring technique in long - term vegetation change research.