• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.245-256
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• 2021

This study was conducted to identify the applicability of a LiDAR sensor to forest resources inventories by comparing data on a tree's position, height, and DBH obtained by the sensor with those by existing forest inventory methods, for the tree species of Criptomeria japonica in Jeolmul forest in Jeju, South Korea. To this end, a backpack personal LiDAR (Greenvalley International, Model D50) was employed. To facilitate the process of the data collection, patterns of collecting the data by the sensor were divided into seven ones, considering the density of sample plots and the work efficiency. Then, the accuracy of estimating the variables of each tree was assessed. The amount of time spent on acquiring and processing the data by each method was compared to evaluate the efficiency. The findings showed that the rate of detecting standing trees by the LiDAR was 100%. Also, the high statistical accuracy was observed in both Pattern 5 (DBH: RMSE 1.07 cm, Bias -0.79 cm, Height: RMSE 0.95 m, Bias -3.2 m), and Pattern 7 (DBH: RMSE 1.18 cm, Bias -0.82 cm, Height: RMSE 1.13 m, Bias -2.62 m), compared to the results drawn in the typical inventory manner. Concerning the time issue, 115 to 135 minutes per 1ha were taken to process the data by utilizing the LiDAR, while 375 to 1,115 spent in the existing way, proving the higher efficiency of the device. It can thus be concluded that using a backpack personal LiDAR helps increase efficiency in conducting a forest resources inventory in an planted coniferous forest with understory vegetation, implying a need for further research in a variety of forests.

• 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.