• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.422-432
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• 2022

Soil and micro-climatic environmental monitoring was conducted to evaluate the factors causing tree growth impediments at the Baekdudaegan ecological axis restoration project site. As a result, it was found that the nutrient supply was insufficient in the restoration project site due to the lack of organic matter, total nitrogen and cation exchange capacity of the soil compared to the surrounding forest. After the completion of the restoration, the soil moisture in the autumn decreased more than 7 times faster than that of the surrounding forest, and it was evaluated that the soil moisture was significantly low due to the lack of silt and clay content. In the case of the restoration site, the annual potential evapotranspiration was analyzed to be 975mm, which is approximately two times higher than that of the surrounding forest. The soil moisture of the restoration site in the summer decreased rapidly during the daytime when the amount of insolation increased and this was found to be strongly influenced by the increase in potential evapotranspiration. In order to improve the above factors affecting the tree growth at the Baekdudaegan ecological axis restoration project site, it is necessary to induce the smooth supply of nutrients and water to plants by improving physical proprieties and cation exchange capacity, i.e., using litterfall, humus soil, soil conditioner and organic fertilizer. The results of this study are expected to serve as basic data for the design, construction, and management of ecological axis restoration projects in the future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.96 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate how the qualities of the stream water vary during the event in the regrowth and rehabilitation catchments in Yangju, Gyeonggido, from June to September 2005. During the observation periods, we sampled the stream water continuously by an auto-sampler (ISCO, 6712FR). The sampled waters were analyzed for suspended solid concentration, electrical conductivity and pH. The suspended solid concentration during the event increased concurrently with the stream flow. The peak of suspended solid concentration usually precedes the peak flow. The maximum value of suspended solid concentration was 420.89 mg/l in the event 1 at the regrowth catchment. Among the events simultaneously sampled at both catchments, the maximum values of suspended solid concentration were 212.8 mg/l and 58.24 mg/l in the event 3 at the regrowth and rehabilitation catchment respectively. The maximum value of EC in each event showed in the early stage of rising limb. EC decreased during the rising limb, and then showed minimum value at peak flow. EC gradually increased to pre-event value after minimum one. pH varied in similar pattern with EC. The maximum value of suspended solid concentration during each event was 2.8 to 4.3 times higher at the regrowth catchment than at the rehabilitation catchment. And the EC during each event was higher at the regrowth catchment than at the rehabilitation catchment. This results indicate that a disturbed forest soil during clear cutting at regrowth catchment still has been unstable.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.88 no.3
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• pp.352-363
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• 1999

It has been rare to obtain reliable information related to the size of forest land in North Korea. Several sources of forest statistics, ranging from the first map of forest distribution in Korean Peninsula produced in 1910 to official data reported by the North Korea Government in 1997, were gathered and analyzed to define the characteristics of forest cover changes over years. In addition, Landsat satellite data obtained from 1973 to 1993 were processed for the two study areas of the provinces of Pyungyang and Heasan, where the topography and land use pattern are significantly different each other. Using three sets of multitemporal Landsat imagery, land cover ma-ps were produced by computer classification. Although forest statistics reported before 1990 are somewhat inconsistent, they mere gradually decreasing over years. The estimates of 1991 satellite data and the recent statistics reported in 1998 shows very steep decline in forest lands as compared to the ones before 1990. The abrupt decrease of forest lands after 1990 was also found on the detailed analysis of Landsat data for the two study areas of Pyungyang and Heasan. The rapid decline of forest lands may have something to do with the poor economic situation of the country and the continuing natural disasters of severe flooding and drought. Unstocked forest, which was not classified into forest land, was a very distinct and pervasive land cover type that can be easily observed on satellite imagery. Since unstocked forest land in North Korea may be a critical factor for degrading environmental quality as well as for the continuing natural disasters, further analysis is necessary to define the exact extent and the physical characteristics of the cover type.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.107-118
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to set the boundary of the coastal sand dunes and to analyze the change characteristics of land cover types using aerial photographs on Osan and Dongho coastal sand dunes in Yangyang. The boundaries of sand dunes were established using digital soil map, and land cover maps were made for each year using aerial photographs. As results of analysis, both beach and farmland areas have been decreased, since 1974 and forest area was relatively increased due to planting and forest growth. Facilities and bare land have been greatly increased since 1992. Loss of wetland, and beach due to these changes had an impact on the ecosystem destruction of sand dunes.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.99-112
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• 2021

This study was performed to predict spatial change of future forestland area in South Korea at regional level for supporting forest-related plans established by local governments. In the study, land use was classified to three types which are forestland, agricultural land, and urban and other lands. A logistic regression model was developed using transitional interaction between each land use type and topographical factors, land use restriction factors, socioeconomic indices, and development infrastructures. In this model, change probability from a target land use type to other land use types was estimated using raster dataset(30m×30m) for each variable. With priority order map based on the probability of land use change, the total annual amount of land use change was allocated to the cells in the order of the highest transition potential for the spatial analysis. In results, it was found that slope degree and slope standard value by the local government were the main factors affecting the probability of change from forestland to urban and other land. Also, forestland was more likely to change to urban and other land in the conditions of a more gentle slope, lower slope criterion allowed to developed, and higher land price and population density. Consequently, it was predicted that forestland area would decrease by 2027 due to the change from forestland to urban and others, especially in metropolitan and major cities, and that forestland area would increase between 2028 and 2050 in the most local provincial cities except Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Jeju Island due to locality extinction with decline in population. Thus, local government is required to set an adequate forestland use criterion for balanced development, reasonable use and conservation, and to establish the regional forest strategies and policies considering the future land use change trends.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.481-495
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• 2022

This study was designed to identify the actual state of naturalized plants and invasive alien species that cause disturbances to the ecosystem, plants which are introduced after forest restoration, and explore the implications resulting from the project. Onsite examination included 29 sites which have been subjected to forest restoration by the Korea Forest Service. Once these were chosen, activity took place twice a year in the spring (May-June) and in the summer (August-September) in 2020 and 2021. Areas not relevant to the project sites were excluded from this activity so that we could identify the plants that could be understood to have been introduced or brought into the site after the actual forest restoration. And the correlation was analyzed, between the naturalized flora within the project sites and the working types applied to the site through confirmation of completion of the restoration project. The naturalized plants appearing on the entire site cover a total of 109 taxa, which includes 29 families, 80 genera, 108 species and 1 subspecies, while invasive plants included 3 families, 7 genera and 8 species. The number of classifications and the naturalization rate gradually decreased over time, after the project. While there was no significant difference between the number of classification groups and the naturalization rate for naturalized plants between project sites, given the number of taxa of naturalized plants, organized by type of damage, there were relatively more naturalized plants that appeared in the severed section of the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range, as well as at quarry and facility sites. Seeding apparently results in naturalization rates as high as 15.545%, on average, based on comparisons of naturalization rates by sowing, seeding, planting, herb planting, and sod pitching channels, all of these being methods of vegetation for planting/greening of bareland and slopes within the project areas. With no seeding, it was 9.167%, higher than the average. As for other vegetation, there was no significant difference depending on application of the working type. This means that unlike the plants subjected to planting, the working type of seed planting which makes it difficult to identify whether a certain plant is a naturalized plant greatly affects the introduction of naturalized plants to the restoration sites, even when using herb planting and sod pitching to control plants and results. Therefore the study suggests that there be inspection by experts of seeds when sowing within restoration sites. The results of this study suggest good practices that will help to direct effective vegetation restoration and follow-up management.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.167-174
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to compare the perception of forest activities effects and academic stress of 3^rd and 4^th year nursing students. The data collection period is from April 15 to May 10, 2021, and the subjects of this study are nursing students, 179 third-graders students and 121 fourth-graders, totaling 300 students. Using the SPSS (ver.25) program, the collected data were analyzed as t-test for differences in forest activity effect recognition and academic stress, including the general characteristics of the subjects, and the correlation between each variable was confirmed. As a result of the study, the degree of perception of the forest activities effects was 3.89 points (out of 5 points) and the degree of academic stress was 3.41 points (out of 6 points). Comparison results by grade level, the current health status was positively perceived by the 3rd grade students, the perception of forest activities effects was higher in the 4th grade students, and the academic stress was higher in the 4th grade students. Perception of forest activities effects, grade, current health status, and appropriateness of forestry activities showed a positive correlation and an inverse correlation with academic stress. It may be concluded it will be necessary to develop practical programs that can practice forest activities to improve health and reduce academic stress.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.4
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• pp.502-514
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• 2023

This study was conducted to understand the long-term changes in soil physiochemical properties and seedling growth in Larix kaempferi (larch) stands planted in clear-cut larch and Pinus rigida (pine) forest soils over an 11-year period after reforestation. Two-year-old bare-root larch seedlings were planted in 2009-2010 at a density of 3,000 seedlings ha^-1 in clear-cut areas that harvested larch (Chuncheon and Gimcheon) and pine (Wonju and Gapyeong) stands. We analyzed the physiochemical properties of the mineral soils sampled at 0-20 cm soil depths in the planting year, and the 3^rd, 7^thand 11^th years after planting, and we measured seedling height and root collar diameter in those years. We found significant differences in soil silt and clay content, total carbon and nitrogen concentration, available phosphorus, and cation exchangeable capacity between the two stands; however, seedling growth did not differ. The mineral soil was more fertile in Gimcheon than in the other plantations, while early seedling growth was greatest in Gapyeong. The seedling height and diameter at 11 years after planting were largest in Wonju (1,028 tree ha^-1) and Chuncheon (1,359 tree ha^-1) due to decreases in stand density after tending the young trees. The soil properties in all plantations were similar 11 years after larch planting. In particular, the high sand content and high available phosphorus levels (caused by soil disturbance during clear-cutting and planting) showed marked decreases, potentially due to soil organic matter input and nutrient uptake, respectively. Thus, early reforestation after clear-cutting could limit nutrient leaching and contribute to soil stabilization. These results provide useful information for nutrient management of larch plantations.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.2
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• pp.259-270
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• 2024

Since 2013, Korea has allocated significant budgets and manpower nationwide to prevent the spread of pine wilt disease and to reduce damage. As a result, the number of damaged trees decreased from 2.18 million in 2014 to 310,000 in 2021. However, the damage has increased again since then. Despite the overall decrease in the number of damaged trees, the scope of the damage continues to expand every year. Previous studies have develope In order to judge the control performance, a quantitative control performance analysis method to objectively evaluate control performance. This method takes into consideration two factors-quantity change and the change in the damage area, which is an area factor. This approach provides a more comprehensive assessment than the control guidelines that only suggest changes in damage grade based on the volume of damaged trees. The expansion of the damage range is also an important factor in analyzing control performance, but previous studies have not reflected this. Therefore, this study calculates the change in the distance of the pine wilt disease boundary area for Gyeongsangbuk-do, where changes in the damage range can easily be observed from year to year. The study then creates application criteria and coefficients and uses them to improves control performance index calculation formula. As a result, it was possible to calculate a quantitative analysis of the control performance, taking into account the changes in the damage range. When the improved formula was applied to 26 cities, counties, and districts in Gyeongsangbuk-do, it slightly decreased or increased compared to the existing calculation formula. This confirmed that the control performance index can change from a positive value (+), indicating increased damage, to a negative value (-), indicating reduced damage.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.453-461
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• 2019

This study was conducted to monitor the soil characteristics and growth of Pinus densiflora and to determine the effect of soil characteristics on growth rate five years after an ecological restoration project in Baekdudaegan ridge including Ihwaryeong, Yuksimnyeong, and Beoljae sites. The ecological restoration project was executed with the forest of P. densiflora in 2012-2013. In April 2018, we collected soil samples from each site and measured the height and the diameter at breach height (DBH) of P. densiflora. Although there was no significant change of soil pH compared to the early stage of restoration (one year after the project), it was high in Ihwaryeong, and Beoljae with values of 7.7 and 6.4, respectively. Also, the organic matter decreased by 70-80%, and the available phosphorus (P) was unchanged in three restoration sites. The decreased organic matter can be attributed to restriction of inflow and thus decomposition of litter in the early stage after the restoration. The tree height growth rate ($m\;yr^{-1}$) of P. densiflora in Yuksimnyeong was the highest at 1.02, followed by Beolja at 0.75 and Ihwaryeong at 0.17. The height growth rate showed negative relationships with soil pH and cations, including Na and Ca concentrations and a positive relationship with available phosphate. The low growth rate in the Ihwaryeong site, in particular, might result from the poor nutrient availability due to high soil pH and the decrease in water absorption into the root due to high Na and Ca concentrations. The substantial reduction of organic matter after five years indicates that the need for soil improvement using chemical fertilizer and biochar.