• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.73-83
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• 2015

The objective of this study is to establish implications for forest restoration planning in North Korea by analyzing spatio-temporal forest changes and detecting bio-physical factors driving forest degraded. We measured the relationship and spatial distribution between shifting cultivation and sparse forest. We also analyzed between degraded forest land and ecological variables by binary logistic regression to find biophysical drivers of forest degradation and deforestation in North Korea. Between the sparse forest and the shifting cultivation, a positive relationship is found (r=0.91) and scattered discontinuously throughout the country (Moran's I = -1, Z score = -13.46 (p=0.000)). The sparse forest showed a negative relationship with the warmest month(bio 9), the coldest month(bio10), and the minimum of soil water contents (swc_min), while the shifting cultivation had a negative relationship with the warmest month(bio 9) and the minimum of soil water contents(swc_min). However, the most critical drivers convert forests into sloping farmland were the three months rainfall in summer(bio8) and the yearly mean of soil water contents. Such results reflect the growth period of crops which overlaps with the rainy season in North Korea and the recent land reclamation of uplands where the soil water contents are maintained with a dense forest. When South Korea aids forest restoration projects in North Korea, in consideration of food shortage due to North Korea's cropland deficiency, terrace farmlands where soil water contents can be maintained should be excluded from the priority restoration area. In addition, an evaluation method for selecting a potential restoration area must be modified and applied based on multiple criteria including altitude and socio-economic factors in the respective regions.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.177-191
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• 2015

The effect of environmental variables on the presence and abundance of tree species in a tropical lowland undisturbed limestone and non-limestone forest in Ben En National Park, Vietnam was investigated. The relationships between 13 environmental variables and 29 tree species with a DBH ${\geq}10cm$, as well as between six 6 physical variables with 26 species of seedling and sapling communities were assessed by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Data concerning all tree species ${\geq}10cm$ DBH were collected from eighteen $400m^2$ sample plots, while the abundance of regeneration (all individuals ${\leq}5cm$ DBH) was counted in fifty $2{\times}20m$ strip-plots. The significance of species-environments correlations were tested by distribution-free Monte Carlo tests. The CCA of the 29 examined tree species and 13 environmental variables indicated that the presence and abundance of the tree species were closely related to topographic factors. We may confirm that soil properties including pH, soil moisture content, and soil textures, were the most crucial factor in tree species composition and their distribution. Several species including Pometia pinnata, Amesiodendron chinense, Gironniera cuspidate, Cinnamomum mairei, and Caryodaphnopsis tonkinensis were not controlled by soil properties and topographic variables. The CCA also indicated that the abundance of regeneration tree species at all sites had positive and significant correlations with soil depth, while the occurrence of several other tree species (such as Koilodepas longifolium and Aglaia dasyclada) was positively correlated with a higher slope and rocky outcrop.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.390-399
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• 2019

Background: The Northern Hemisphere forest ecosystem is a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide, and the subalpine zone stores large amounts of carbon; however, their magnitude and distribution of stored carbon are still unclear. Results: To clarify the carbon distribution and carbon budget in the subalpine zone at volcanic Jeju Island, Korea, we report the C stock and changes therein owing to vegetation form, litter production, forest floor, and soil, and soil respiration between 2014 and 2016, for three subalpine forest ecosystems, namely, Abies koreana forest, Taxus cuspidata forest, and Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii forest. Organic carbon distribution of vegetation and NPP were bigger in the A. koreana forest than in the other two forests. However, the amount of soil organic carbon distribution was the highest in the J. chinensis var. sargentii forest. Compared to the amount of organic carbon distribution (AOCD) of aboveground vegetation (57.15 t C ha^-1) on the subalpine-alpine forest in India, AOCD of vegetation in the subalpine forest in Mt. Halla was below 50%, but AOCD of soil in Mt. Halla was higher. We also compared our results of organic carbon budget in subalpine forest at volcanic island with data synthesized from subalpine forests in various countries. Conclusions: The subalpine forest is a carbon reservoir that stores a large amount of organic carbon in the forest soils and is expected to provide a high level of ecosystem services.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.322-328
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• 2004

Available nutrients in soil solution play key roles on the growth of plants, but the equilibria in soil solution can be disturbed by acid precipitation. In this study, we investigated the relationships between element concentrations in the needles of Pinus thunbergii and chemical properties of forest soil solutions in the industrial complexes as an effort to find the possible limiting factor(s) causing the forest decline. The Ca/Al molar ratios in needles of Pinus thunbergii collected from the control sites were 18. However, at Onsan and Ulsan industrial complexes, those were decreased to the ranges from 10 to 11 for the one-year old needles and from 9 to 10 for the two-year old needles. The Mg/Al molar ratios showed similar tendencies with the Ca/Al molar ratios of the needles of Pinus thunbergii. In the A horizon, there existed a significant correlation between Mg concentrations in the needles of Pinus thunbergii and Ca/Al molar ratio of forest soil solution. Calcium concentrations in the needles of Pinus thunbergii in the B horizon were also significantly correlated with Ca/Al molar ratios of forest soil solutions. The uptakes of Ca and Mg by Pinus thunbergii were mainly limited by Al in the soil solutions of the A horizon and by Mn and Al in the soil solutions of the B horizon.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.90 no.6
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• pp.683-691
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• 2001

This study aimed to clarify the influencing factors of the mesopore ratio on a pore geometry of surface soil in mixed stands as an index of the water retention capacity. Twenty four factors including site conditions and soil properties were analyzed by spss/pc+ for the data collected from during March to October of 1995. The factors influencing the mesopore ratio(pF2.7) on the surface soil were as follows; mesopore ratio(pF2.7) on the B horizon soil, under vegetation coverage, organic matter contents of surface soil and F layer depth. And influencing factor on the ratio of mesopore in the soil surface was correlated with surface soil hardness and depth of 10cm soil hardness shows high negative significance. Also, multiple regression equations for mesopore ratio of the mesopore ratio of B horizon soil and organic matter contents shows high significance($R^2$; 0.84).

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.83-99
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• 1982

In this study, thirty-two stands in Kwangnung forest located in the central part of Korea were preferentially selected. In each stand, all stems for trees and shrubs were recorded by species and their girths were measured down to 5cm. In addition, several enviromental factors such as field soil pH, field soil moisture, soil compressibility, depth of soil, thickness of litter layer, elevation and basal area were measured. Three soil cores were sampled and various physical and chemcial properties was determined. The vegetational data were subjected to three kinds of multivariate ordination(PO, PCA, RA). The results suggested that Kwangnung forest was consisted of three forest types: coniferous, mixed and broad leaved forest communities. The relation between the stand scores of ordination and several environmental factors were investigated in terms of correlation analysis in order to examine the relationships between the vegetation and certain environmental factors. As a result of this analysis, the amount of sand content in A1 horizon decreased frm the coniferous to broad leaved forest, while maximum field capacity, pore space, exchangeable cations, loss on ignition, soil pH nad the amount of total nitrogen had a tendancy to increase significantly. However, easily soluble phosphorus appeared to have little to do with the forest types. The result of species ordination of centered-standardized PCA suggested that the major successional pathway in Kwangnung forest was; Pinus densifloralongrightarrowQuercus mongolica, Q. serrata, Q. alienalongrightarrowCarpinus laxifloralongrightarrowC. erosa in sequence. This trend is in good agreement with the past studies. In three kinds of ordination (centered PCA, centered-standardized PCA and RA) based on nineteen species and twenty-five stands, the total variances accounted for the first three axes were 77%, 46% and 63% respectively. The estimated beta diversity in Kwangnung forest assumed as a coenocline, was 1.5~1.8 HC. Increasing the effect of the sampling errors on ordination perfermance, this low heterogeneity seems to cause the poor concentration of the total variance. The results from the four kinds of ordination were in good agreement with each other, especially between PO, centered-standardized PCA and RA appeared robust. It seems to be worthy of applying multivariate method for analyzing other forest communities in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.141-148
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• 2002

This study was carried out to estimate the effect of forest fire on herb layer development and chemical properties of soil. The forest fire was in April 2000 in Pinus rigida(softwood) and Robinia pseudoacacia(hardwood) dominant forests at Gaejoksan, Daejeon. Vegetation studies were in the two communities and herb layer development study was in July using dominance of Dierssen. The coverage of herb layer was higher in the burned area than in the unburned area in the two study communities. There was no different herb layer species number between the burned and unburned areas, but there was different herb layer species number between the two communities. Soil samples were collected at 0～10cm and 10～20cm soil depths from the unburned and burned sites after 3 days and 8 months of forest fire. There was no forest floor in burned site, but unburned site has the forest floor of 1.5cm thick. There were no significant differences in soil organic matter, total N, available P, exchangeable K, Ca, Na, and Mg, and CEC, pH in all soil depth, between unburned and burned sites after 3 days of forest fire and between burned site after 3 days and 8 months of forest fire, except in organic matter in 10～20cm soil depth in hardwood sites and in exchangeable Ca in the 10～20cm soil depth, and in Mg in the two soil depths in hardwood sites. It seems to be that forest fire had not changed the chemical soil properties in this study.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.80-89
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• 2001

The objective of this study was to introduce the current status and development strategy for the environmental restoration of stream side in Japan, and to consider the methodology which could be effectively applied to the environmental restoration of stream side in Korea. 1. We should establish a new paradigm of forest conservation and erosion control which can emphasize the restoration of the stream side ecosystem and reduce soil movement in the areas. Also, in the past, the objective of forest conservation and erosion control was to fix soil by constructing permanent structures. The direction of future forest conservation and erosion control needs to be new forest conservation and erosion control technology to prevent large scale soil movement but allow small scale soil movement to conserve sound ecosystem and biotic habitats. 2. In the past, the goal of forest conservation and erosion control planning was to fix the amount of soil movement by constructing permanent facilities. Forest conservation and erosion control planning in the future needs to change the techniques which could prevent soil movement from large scale of soil disasters, but allow soil movement effectively to a small and middle scale's soil movement. Also, it is considered to change erosion control dams from non passing type to passing type. 3. In the point of ecological conservation aspects, we should evaluate the effects of new forest conservation and erosion control methods which are emphasized on the restoration of the stream side ecosystem. Also, forest conservation and erosion control construction projects for restoring stream and river ecosystem should be planned for perfectly restorating their ecosystems by the way of sustainable maintenance and management. 4. The restoration direction of stream and river ecosystems needs to be restoring the diversity of small geographies such as waterway, shoal and puddles rather than flattening stream bed. And the restoration of the stream side ecosystem should provide continuity of the stream side environment which allows desirable biological habitats, and environmentally sound facilities to harmonize with the environment.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.209-220
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• 2020

Background: This study investigated the effects of soil properties on the soil fungal community in first and continuous cultivation areas of Cnidium officinale Makino. Methods and Results: The soil fungal community was analyzed for relative abundance and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) was conducted using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. The correlation between the soil chemical properties and the soil fungal community was assessed with distance-based linear models (DISTLM). The soil fungal community showed distinct clusters consisting in the continuous cultivation area of C. officinale Makino. PCoA and DISTLM indicated that soil pH, calcium, and available P₂O₅ significantly affected the soil fungal community in the cultivation area of C. officinale Makino. In addition, considering 5 different pathogenic fungi the relative abundance of Fusarium in the continuous cultivation area was significantly higher compared to that in the first cultivation area of C. officinale Makino. Conclusions: This study is important because it has determinined the effects of soil properties on the soil fungal community in both first and continuous cultivation areas of C. officinale Makino. Moreover, these results will be helpful to investigate the cause of continuous cropping obstacle in C. officinale Makino by examining the changes of soil fungal community.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.165-172
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• 2017

Background: This study investigated the temporal variation in soil $CO_2$ efflux and its relationship with soil temperature and precipitation in the Quercus glauca and Abies koreana forests in Jeju Island, South Korea, from August 2010 to December 2012. Q. glauca and A. koreana forests are typical vegetation of warm-temperate evergreen forest zone and sub-alpine coniferous forest zone, respectively, in Jeju island. Results: The mean soil $CO_2$ efflux of Q. glauca forest was $0.7g\;CO_2\;m^{-2}\;h^{-1}$ at $14.3^{\circ}C$ and that of A. koreana forest was $0.4g\;CO_2\;m^{-2}\;h^{-1}$ at $6.8^{\circ}C$. The cumulative annual soil $CO_2$ efflux of Q. glauca and A. koreana forests was 54.2 and $34.2t\;CO_2\;ha^{-1}$, respectively. Total accumulated soil carbon efflux in Q. glauca and A. koreana forests was 29.5 and $18.7t\;C\;ha^{-1}$ for 2 years, respectively. The relationship between soil $CO_2$ efflux and soil temperate at 10 cm depth was highly significant in the Q. glauca ($r^2=0.853$) and A. koreana forests ($r^2=0.842$). Soil temperature was the main controlling factor over $CO_2$ efflux during most of the study period. Also, precipitation may affect soil $CO_2$ efflux that appeared to be an important factor controlling the efflux rate. Conclusions: Soil $CO_2$ efflux was affected by soil temperature as the dominant control and moisture as the limiting factor. The difference of soil $CO_2$ efflux between of Q. glauca and A. koreana forests was induced by soil temperature to altitude and regional precipitation.