• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.1-19
• /
• 2023

In Korea, excessive vegetation in rivers made up of sand and gravel is emerging as a nationwide problem, which is attributed to increased spring precipitation and decreased annual precipitation. Therefore, this study was conducted for the purpose of identifying the effect of changes in precipitation patterns on river vegetation in Namcheon, Gyeongju, and analyzing the area of vegetation and ecological characteristics. As a result of the study, the amount of monthly precipitation in the summer of Namcheon decreased after 2007, and the area of vegetation increased continuously compared to the area of the sandbank. The proportion of naturalized plants increased steadily when precipitation continued to a level that did not cause flooding, but the area occupied by naturalized plants was small. Also, when the water level is maintained, the species diversity is low due to the dominance of a single species, and the dominant species was mainly native plants. Dominance of native plants inhibited the growth of naturalized plants, but the vegetation area increased even more. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the spread of vegetation itself rather than the division of native plants and naturalized plants in order to eliminate the active growth and prosperity of river vegetation. High water levels and continuous flooding caused by torrential rains in summer disturbed the plant communities, and vegetation formed afterwards was mainly native plants. Such flooding in river ecosystems is a positive factor for the emergence of native plants and over-formed vegetation communities, so it should be considered when establishing a vegetation management plan.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.276-285
• /
• 2023

This work investigated the viral infection in jujube plants in Korea. A total of 61 samples with the symptoms of putative viral infection were collected from experimental fields and orchards. Thereafter, the samples were subjected to metatranscriptome analysis, Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, and nucleotide sequence analysis. These analyses identified the presence of two DNA viruses, jujube-associated badnavirus (JuBV), jujube mosaic-associated virus (JuMaV), and one RNA virus, jujube yellow mottle-associated virus (JYMaV). All samples collected were confirmed to be infected by at least one of the three viruses, with most showed multiple infections. The detection rates of JuBV, JYMaV, and JuMaV were 100%, 90.2%, and 8.2%, respectively. Only three combinations of viral infections were found: 9.8% of samples showed single infection of JuBV, 82.0% showed double infection of JuBV+JYMaV, and 8.2% showed triple infection of JuBV+JYMaV+JuMaV. Sequence analysis of the three viruses showed very high homology with respective virus isolates reported in China. This study is predicted to provide fundamental data to produce virus-free jujube seedlings and represents the first report of JuBV and JuMaV infection in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.112 no.3
• /
• pp.280-289
• /
• 2023

Diverse native tree species are distributed in Korean forests; however, information on their regeneration strategies is limited. This study analyzed seed rain from 2011 to 2013, seedling emergence, seedling survival, lifespan distribution, and the relationship between seedling mortality and herbaceous vegetation for 3 years, from 2012 to 2014, to understand the natural regeneration and early survival characteristics of Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hance in natural broad-leaved forests. Seed rain and emerged seedling density significantly differed among the years (p < .05). An increase in seed rain was followed by an increase in seedling emergence in the following year. Seed rain in 2013 and seedling emergence in 2014 showed a significant correlation (p < .05), confirming the trait of F. rhynchophylla seeds that germinate in the following year after seed production. Seedlings emerged in late spring and early summer. Of the seedlings, 78% emerged in the early summer of 2014. Most seedlings died immediately after emergence. Of the seedlings that emerged in August 2012, 56% died within 2 months, and 38% of those that emerged in July 2014 died within 1 month. Shade and competition against ground vegetation chiefly affected the seedling survival of F. rhynchophylla. Fraxinus rhynchophylla showed mast seeding, with a large number of seed production in a particular year. A surge of seedling emergence followed in the early summer of the next year. However, most seedlings died in the same year of emergence. Fraxinus rhynchophylla has a high seedling mortality, but mast seeding and the resulting high seedling emergence produce a few survived seedlings, enabling the continuation of the F. rhynchophylla population. Efforts and research on the natural regeneration of native tree species are required to effectively manage natural forests in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.259-272
• /
• 2023

This study set up 49 survey areas with an area of about 400 square meters in Abies koreana natural habitat to identify the species composition and vegetation structure of the A. koreana forest in the Mt. Jiri Nation Park, conducted field surveys using phytosociological methods, and performed the cluster analysis using the Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) and Table manipulation. Subsequently, species composition analysis using the importance value, species diversity analysis, DBH analysis, sapling analysis, and similarity analysis was conducted by each cluster type. The cluster analysis classified the A. koreana forest in Mt. Jiri into five clusters, A, B, C, D, and E. The forest was divided into two clusters, Magnolia sieboldii-Dryopteris crassirhizoma-Sasa borealis and Betula ermanii-Solidago virgaurea-Calamagrostis arundinacea. The former was classified as type A and B by Cornus controversa-Hydrangea macrophylla, and the latter was classified as type E, a typical community, and a Sorbus commixta-Rhododendron mucronulatum cluster. And the S. commixta-R. mucronulatum cluster was divided into C type and D type by Picea jezoensis-Ligularia fischeri and Ainsliaea acerifolia. Through vegetation analysis, the importance value of A. koreana, Quercus mongolica, Acer pseudosieboldianum, Fraxinus sieboldiana, and B. ermanii was highly expressed in the A. koreana forest in Mt. Jiri. Regarding species diversity, the results were similar to those reported in other studies of A. koreana forests in Mt. Jiri. The analysis of diameter at breast height (DBH) showed that A. koreana dominated all layers, and the growth of saplings was also good, indicating that the dominance of A. koreana is expected to continue for a while. However, when considering the value of biodiversity that is expected to increase and threats caused by climate change, systematic preservation and management are required to respond to various threats based on continuous monitoring.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.112 no.1
• /
• pp.71-82
• /
• 2023

Forest biomass is used as a representative indicator of forest size, maturity, and productivity. Therefore, quantitative evaluation is important for management and harvest as well as the evaluation of ecosystem functions and services including CO₂ absorption. The allometric equation is a widely used method for estimating the value of each component through the relative growth rate of plants. Recently, studies indicated that the relative growth of trees is changing because of the increased CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere and the resulting climate change, raising the need to review the previously developed relative growth models and coefficients. In this study, the height-diameter at breast height (DBH) relationships of four major tree species in Korea [(Pinus densiflora (PD), Larix kaempferi (LK), Quercus variabilis (QV), and Quercus mongolica (QM)] were analyzed using the 5th-7th National Forest Inventory (NFI) data. Furthermore, these results were compared with the present yield table from the National Institute for Forest Science. This analysis revealed that the expected height for the same DBH increased as the NFI progressed. For example, in model analysis, the expected heights for PD, LK, QV, and QM for DBH of 25 cm were 12.48, 19.17, 14.47, and 13.19 m, respectively, in the 5th NFI data. In the 7th NFI data, these values were estimated as 13.61 (+9.1%), 21.58 (+12.7%), 15.76 (+8.9%), and 13.93 m (+5.6%), respectively. These results indicate that the major tree species in South Korean forests currently are more vigorous in height growth than in diameter growth when compared to the height-DBH development trends by tree species identified through past survey data.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.111 no.4
• /
• pp.473-481
• /
• 2022

Environment-friendly harvesting is practiced to maintain ecosystem, landscape, and forest protection functions. The present study was conducted at Simgok-ri, Sinbuk-myeon, Pocheon, Gyeonngi-do, where a 41-50-year-old Japanese larch forest was harvested in an environment-friendly manner from 2017 to 2019. The dynamics of organic matter in this forest were investigated at three years after the harvest. Specifically, organic matter content was measured on the forest floor and in overstory biomass, litterfall, and soil up to 30 cm in depth from June 2020 to January 2021. Owing to the harvest, the amount of overstory biomass of the Japanese larch stands decreased from 142.22 to 44.20 t ha^-1. On the forest floor, the amount of organic matter was 32.87 t ha^-1 in the control plots and 23.34 t ha^-1 in the harvest plots. Annual litterfall was 4.43 t ha^-1 yr^-1 in the control plots and 1.16 t ha^-1 yr^-1 in the harvest plots. Soil bulk density in the B horizon was 0.97 g cm^-3 in the control plots and 1.06 g cm^-3 i n the harvest plots. Soil organic matter content was 11.5% in the control plots and 12.8% in the harvest plots. The total amount of soil organic matter did not differ significantly between the control plots (245.21 t ha^-1) and harvest plots (263.92 t ha^-1), although the amount of soil organic matter tended to be higher in the harvest plots. The total amount of organic matter in the forest was estimated to be 406.48 t ha^-1 in the control plots and 338.21 t ha^-1 in the harvest plots. In the harvest plots, the ratio of aboveground organic matter decreased to 13.1% and soil organic matter increased to 78.0%, indicating that the distribution of organic matter changed significantly in these plots. Overall, the carbon accumulated in aboveground biomass was substantially reduced by environment-friendly harvesting, whereas the soil carbon level increased, which played a role in mitigating the reduction of system carbon in the forest. These results highlight one possible resolution for forest management in terms of coping with climate change. However, given that only three years of environment-friendly harvesting data were analyzed, further research on the dynamics of organic matter and tree growth is needed.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.676-683
• /
• 2022

Due to the effects of rapid changes in the living environment since 2000 and the recent unforeseen pandemic, people are refraining from domestic and international traveling and movement, and outdoor activities for health and the public value of forest trails, called Dullegil Trail in Korea, have become more important. This study estimated the environmental value of the tentatively named "East-West Trail," which connects the forest trails crossing Chungcheong and Gyeongsang Provinces using CVM (Contingent Valuation Method). It surveyed visitors to the East-West Trail, and 725 questionnaires were used for analysis. The average characteristics of respondents were those who exercised 2-3 times per week, visited a forest trail not far from their residence with friends or family, and showed a tendency to spend 50 thousand Korean won or more per visit. Visitors to the Dullegil Trail felt that there was a shortage of information boards on the forest trail, and they preferred a shelter in appropriate locations. We used a double-bounded dichotomous choice (BDDC) logit model proposed by Hanemann to measure the conservation value of the East-West Trail. It was estimated that the environmental value that a visitor to the East-West Trail could obtain was 30,087 won per trip. The estimated environmental value of the East-West Trail can be converted to about 94 billion won total visitors annually based on the population belonging to the direct-use zone near the East-West Trail. As there has been no study on the environmental value of forest trails using CVM, the results of this study will be able to suggest the feasibility of the government policies on forest trails.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.112 no.2
• /
• pp.258-266
• /
• 2023

Pine wilt disease is caused by the pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) and has killed many pine trees in Europe and Northeast Asia, including South Korea. Resistance to pine wilt disease varies among species. Previous studies were mostly conducted in nature or greenhouses and only a few in test fields. In this study, seedlings of six pine species (Pinus thunbergii, P. koraiensis, P. densiflora, P. parviflora, P. rigida × P. taeda, and P. strobus) were artificially inoculated by pine wood nematodes in the test field. The Wilt Index was measured every 2 weeks after inoculation in addition to the mortality rate, detection rate, and pine wood nematode concentration measurement after 24 weeks. The pine wilt disease mortality rates were P. thunbergii (80%), P. koraiensis (77.8%), P. densiflora (62.5%), and P. parviflora (22.0%), and both P. rigida × P. taeda and P. strobus survived. The pine nematode detection rates were the same among the species except for P. rigida × P. taeda pine (22.2%). High Wilt-Index values were obtained for P. thunbergii, P. koraiensis, and P. densiflora, which had mortality rates higher than the other species. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the Wilt Indexes between P. parviflora, P. rigida × P. taeda, P. strobus, and the control group. Statistically, P. thunbergii and P. koraiensis showed high susceptibility to pine wilt disease, P. densiflora and P. parviflora showed moderate susceptibility, and P. rigida × P. taeda and P. strobus showed apparent resistance. These results provide basic data for pine wood nematode resistance breeding or as evidence of the need for afforestation of P. rigida × P. taeda and P. strobus.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.54-63
• /
• 2022

Prunus subg. Cerasus is the most planted street and landscaping tree in South Korea, but it is difficult to identify species according to their macro-morphologies, leading to problems when attempting properly to manage species quantities. The purpose of this study is to understand the current status of plant types and species compositions in Bundang Central Park in Bundang-gu of Seongnam City and to discuss the necessity of the management of landscaping tree planting. In April of 2021, during the cherry blossom season, a total of 5,866 planted cherry trees were investigated within an area of 6 km² of Bundang-gu in Seongnam City. As a result, 5,744 trees were sorted into eleven taxa, but the remaining 122 trees were not determined due to their complex morphologies. Prunus ×yedoensis Matsum. accounted for the highest proportion (52.1%), followed by P. serrulata Lindl. var. pubescens Nakai and P. jamasakura Siebold ex Koidz. P. ×nudiflora (Koehne) Koidz., a plant native to Jejudo Island, was not found in this survey. In order to help identify cherry trees based on micro-morphologies, an identification key was presented for the eleven taxa planted as major landscaping trees. It is known that cherry trees frequently form interspecific hybrids in nature. In order to prevent a loss of the genetic originality of native species due to hybridization and gene introgression from foreign cherry trees, it is necessary to manage planting species near the habitats of native taxa and track their origins.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
• /
• v.50 no.2
• /
• pp.73-82
• /
• 2016

Best drought tolerance index was determined through statistics analysis and growth appearance of drought tolerant plants was determined by cultivation in pot and sloping land. For determination of best drought tolerant indicators, RD(Resistant dry days), LD(Leaf area), UTR(Unit transpiration), RWC(Relative water content), RWL(Relative water loss), LA(Leaf area), SN(Stoma unmber) and SA(Stoma area) were carried out by correlation and PCA analysis. RWL and UTR were affected on plant drought tolerance according to comparison among six indices for resistant dry days. The PCs axes separated SA, LA, RD and RWC and SN. UTR was negatively correlated with SA, RWL were also negatively correlated with RWC and SN. RWL and UTR were proved best selection indicator for the selection of drought tolerant species. Ulmus parvifolia, Bidens bipinnata, Patrinia villosa, Kummerowia striata, Arundinella hirta, Artemisia gmelini etc. were selected drought tolerant plants. Shoot growth appearance of drought resistant plants was differed pot and sloping land. Shoot growth and leaf number was no significant differences between the pot and sloping land. However, root growth of drought tolerant plants was all the difference between two cultivation. T/R ratio of drought tolerant plants was also found a big difference. T/R ratio of drought tolerant plants in sloping land was lower than that of pot. These results will be served efficiently plant breeding.