• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.541-552
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• 2018

This study investigated for perception about particulate matter in daily lives of mothers who have children aged from three to five years old and the difference of perception after participating in forest experience programs. The data were compiled from 122 mothers of preschoolers composed by 61 mothers who participated in the forest experience and those who did not. 82.8 percent of 122 mothers were concerned with particulate matters, and 84.4 percent frequently checked information on particulate matters. However, they lacked knowledge, countermeasures, and active practice to reduce it. Awareness of forest and fine particulate matter was high among mothers who had participated in the forest experience, with a high positive perception of forest role and forest environment. Therefore, expanding the opportunity for mothers to actively experience forest will contribute not only the forest experience in infants being activated but also to improve harmful environment such as fine particulate matter.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.462-473
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• 2015

The research carried out to analyze the change of recognition of elementary school students after a forest experience to determine the effectiveness of the environmental education in elementary school curriculum. The data is collected through surveys before and after forest experience for 311 people on 2nd and 3rd grades of two elementary school in Jeonju city, then the conclusions analyzed the results of the surveys are as follows. Students who participated in the forest experience show a positive change in all areas after the forest experience, for example, awareness of the forest and behavior recognition in the forest, the need for commentary about the forest. Especially, the area of the behavior recognition has much significant result than the other areas. In the details of the behavior recognition, a behavior recognition and environmental awareness for the life of the forest have been greatly improved. From the results described above, the forest experience can be seen a great help to elementary school students to have a respect and dignity of life and recognize the importance of the natural environment. Thus, the nature experience such as the forest experience is needed to enhance the life respect and environmental consciousness, foster sensitivity to natural cycles. In order that much more elementary school student can participate in evironmetal education through the forest experience, it would suggest to perform the forest experience as creative and experiential activities in the school curriculum.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.525-534
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• 2022

In this study, we investigated the psychological and physiological effects of experiences in real natural forests and virtual forests using artificially controllable VR. The experiment tested 60 adult college students in a natural forest and a graduate seminar room where external light was blocked. It evaluated the effects of the natural and the VR forest environments by comparing the psychological and physiological recovery of the subjects. Psychometric testing using the PANAS psychological index showed increased positive emotions and decreased negative emotions after experiencing forest scenery in the natural and VR forest environments. And a stress index, based on measuring cortisol in saliva, decreased significantly in the subjects in both environments. The experiment results can be used to support the creation of a psychological and physiological recovery environment with VR for those who cannot go to the natural forest due to certain restrictions such as physical distance, mobility difficulties, etc. It is expected that the results will be the basis for further research into the visual effects of forest healing and also for widening the use of VR, a technology of the fourth industry, in the field of forestry.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.341-353
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of urban forest and school forest experience programs on attitude toward the forest, psychological well-being, and stress of high school students. The subjects of this study were 26 students from a high school located in B-dong in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. They were divided into the experimental groups participating in urban forest experience and the control groups participating in school forests experience. Each group participated in the five weekly two-hour long forest experience program. We conducted a pre- and post-experience questionnaire surveys using the scale of environmental attitude toward the forest, the scale of psychological well-being, and the scale of academic stress to observe mental and psychological changes of the high school students. Data were analyzed by SPSS 23.0 program and a Wilcoxon sign rank test. There was a significant increase in the attitude toward forests of high school students participating in the forest experience programs. The groups participating in the school forest experience showed an increase in the psychological well-being although it was not statistically significant, and the groups participating in the urban forest experience showed a statistically significant increase, indicating that the forest experience affected the psychological well-being of the high school students. The groups participating in the school forest experience showed a decrease in the academic stress although it was not statistically significant, and the groups participating in the urban forest experience showed a statistically significant decrease, indicating that the forest experience affected the academic stress of the high school students.

• Proceedings of the Korea Information Processing Society Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.592-594
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• 2019

본 연구는 서울숲 일대의 인구유동을 스마트폰으로 바로 확인할 수 있는 유비쿼터스 지도에 구성원리에 대해 다루었다. 버스를 보지 않아도 정류장에서 도착예정시관과 내부혼잡도를 파악할 수 있는 것처럼, 서울숲 인근에 방문한 개개인의 스마트폰에서 전송된 GSP정보, 인근 지역의 가게 WIFI, 서울시 공용 WIFI를 수신하여 인구분포현황을 표시, 쾌적한 환경에서 서울숲 일대를 돌아볼 수 있는 환경을 조성하고자 한다.

• 산림경영
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• s.143
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• pp.43-45
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• 2000

새천년을 맞아 첫 번째로 실시하는 제55회 식목일을 계기로 정부는 IMF 경제위기에 따른 실업대책사업중 대표적인 성공한 사업으로 평가된 숲가꾸기공공근로사업을 실업자 구제를 위한 실업대책사업에서 장기 국가정책사업으로 전환하여 본격 추진한다고 밝혔다. 이는 녹화는 되었으나 그동안 예산부족과 인력부족으로 방치하였던 우리 숲을 경제적, 환경적으로 가치있는 자원으로 육성할 수 있도록 숲가꾸기사업을 $\ulcorner$제2의 식목, 숲가꾸기(育林)$\lrcorner$으로 추진하기 위한 것이다. 정부에서 밝힌 바에 따르면 숲가꾸기공공근로사업에 참여하는 근로자중 12천명을 숲가꾸기 전문기술자로 양성하여 전문직업인으로서 숲가꾸기에 참여할 수 있게 되며, 숲가꾸기전문기능인력이 크게 늘어나 녹화된 숲을 조기에 경제림으로 육성하고 선진임업국으로 도약하는 기반이 마련된다.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.108 no.4
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• pp.655-662
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• 2019

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of school forests on the cognition and mental health of elementary school students. Data were obtained through the surveys of sixth graders in an elementary school in Seoul that took part in the School Forest Project run by Korea Post, the Korea Forest Welfare Institute, and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Students were surveyed before and after the creation of green spaces in their schools, and changes in their environmental sensitivity, attitude toward forests, depression, anxiety, and aggression were analyzed. The findings indicated that the creation of green spaces showed significant effects on the students in terms of encouraging them to strengthen their environmental sensitivity, helping them develop more positive attitudes toward forests, and reducing anxiety and physical aggression, which are the subfactors of aggressive behavior. In other words, creating school forests had positive effects on cognition and mental health, reduced bad behavior, and improved attitudes toward nature in children. The findings of this study are significant in that they reinforce the requirement of school forests by indicating the positive effects of school forests on children's cognition and mental health.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.31-55
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• 2005

Dangsan forests and Rural Community Forests(RCF) have been historical assets for the rural communities of more than 40,000 in Korea and they have provided an identity through the cultural heritage. The Dangsan forests and the RCF are parts of a unique cultural landscape in the rural areas as components of stream landscape. In many cases, the Dangsan forests and the RCF are located close to stream corridors. The objective of this study was to understand the function of the Dangsan forests and the RCF on stream water quality and to evaluate its ecological landscape values. Through the consideration of international concensus and domestic government policy for close-to-nature stream, we could find out that Dangsan forests and RCF's have close relationship with the close-to-nature streams. The water quality of the streams close to the Dangsan forests and the RCF are maintained with local culture. It is also compared to the streams located where Dangsan forests and the RCF are absent. Eight study sites were selected. Water samples were collected at three different locations at each study site. Water samples were analyzed for temperature, pH, total P, total N, dissolved oxygen, EC, BOD, COD and SS. Aquatic invertebrates were observed as water quality indicator species. The results showed that the number of aquatic invertebrate species, GPI, DO, EC, BOD, and SS were significantly improved in stream water due to the presence of the Dangsan forests and the RCF. The role of Dangsan forests and the RCF was evident in the conservation of stream landscape and rural culture as well as in maintaining stream water quality. The management schemes of the streams with Dangsan forests and the RCF's are also suggested.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.108 no.2
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• pp.259-268
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the schools and local governments were aware of the creation and operation of school forests. A survey was conducted of 45 teachers of schools selected as having the best practices in the school forest and 153 local government officials within the district where the school forests were built. The school teachers attributed the necessity to create school forests to the importance of beautifying the environment. The results showed that the area in which the school forest was created, the school environment after the school forest was created, and use of the school forest were generally satisfactory, but maintenance of the school forest was not somewhat unsatisfactory. Additionally, the results indicated that continuous maintenance was necessary for the effective use of the school forest, and there was a great need for professional personnel to conduct the maintenance program. Furthermore, local government officials recognized that beautification of the school environment was the best effect of creating the school forests. They also realized a great need for local government's support of a maintenance program and its cooperation with related ministries and agencies to create and operate the school forest. Thus, it is crucial to devise measures for maintenance and to establish a system by which schools and local governments can work closely to promote the creation and operation of these school forests.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.49-63
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• 2021

The Forest Visitor Centers for Little Children who means preschoolers is an educational facility that achieves holistic growth by experiencing forests, and it should not be completed by installing specific facilities in the forest environment, but should be a space where preschoolers can play freely in the forest environment themselves. This study comprehensively evaluated the current status of Seoul Forest Visitor Centers for Little Children and suggested space improvement measures to enhance the effectiveness of forest experience. Through the theoretical review, seven spatial elements that enhance the effect of forest experience and six areas composing outdoor play areas were derived to prepare an analysis table for current status evaluation, and field survey studies were conducted on 24 centers in Seoul. Through expert interviews, the physical status was examined from the perspective of childhood education and the experiences of the users were summarized. As a result of the study, the Seoul Forest Visitor Center for Little Children is classified into six types according to the location characteristics and spatial structure, and has the characteristics of each type. The effectiveness of forest experience can be enhanced by identifying and revealing the environmental strengths of individual centers. In the case of outdoor experience learning zones, the proportion of exercise play areas was very large. By evenly organizing the forest experience space for each area, it will be possible to provide more diverse experiences to preschoolers. However, the status of uniform facility-oriented cannot be viewed as a fragmentary factor that lowers the effect of forest experience. The key to increasing the effect of forest experience by inducing creative activities is the spatial composition that considers the surrounding natural environment. Facilities should be a medium to help preschoolers' interest move into the forest. This study prepared data to understand the average physical status of the Seoul Forest Visitor Center for Little Children and suggested space improvement measures to increase the effectiveness of forest experience. This can be used as basic data for research to improve the quality level of the Seoul Forest Visitor Center for Little Children about 10 years after the project was implemented.