• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.21-37
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• 2022

The present study was carried out to evaluate the chemical properties of soil in relation to forest structure and composition at different altitudes (900-2,600 m asl) in a part of Western Himalaya. The composite soil samples were taken from three (viz. upper, middle and lower) depths. The soils of the whole study area were acidic in nature (pH=4.90-5.51). Contents of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Carbon (C) and soil organic matter (SOM) showed much fluctuation during different seasons of year. Nitrogen content showed significant positive correlations with altitude (r=0.924, p<0.05) and different community parameters like species diversity (r=0.892, p<0.01) and species richness (r=0.941, p<0.05). Phosphorus exhibited direct correlations with carbon (r=0.637) while weak negative correlations with different community parameters like species richness & diversity, total basal cover (TBC), density and canopy cover. Carbon content and hence SOM showed direct correlations with Nitrogen (r=0.821, p<0.01); Phosphorus (r=0.637, ns) and Potassium (r=0.540, ns). But no significant relationship was observed between K content and species richness (p=0.30, r=-0.504); between K content and species diversity (p=0.14, r=-0.672); between P content and species diversity (p=0.29, r=-0.513) and species richness (p=0.23, r=-0.575). Among the different soil nutrients, only N showed a significant positive correlation with altitude while all others exhibited negative (but non-significant) correlation with it. The study revealed that the chemical properties affect and are reciprocally affected by forest structure and composition and that N rich soils of higher altitudes are best for the growth and development of forests.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.89 no.2
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• pp.185-197
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• 2000

This study was carried out to research structure of forest vegetation and site condition, and supply basic data for conservation of pine forest and ecologically sustainable forest management and control in Anmyondo area. The forest of Anmyondo were largely classified as four forest community : Pinus densiflora community, Pinus thunbergii community, Pinus rigida community, and Quercus variabilis community. Organic matter, total nitrogen, and other nutrients in soil of the study area were relatively low, and average soil pH was 4.9. Soil texture was sandy clay or heavy clay and so the aeration and permeability could be poor. In this study site, the methods such as the promotion of germination of pine seeds through removal of forest floor and inducement of natural regeneration through such method as regeneration under shelter wood would be better than the method such as afforestation after clear-cutting for conservation the pine forests. Also, it will be a good method to practice tending for hardwood species in the dominant areas by hardwood species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.705-714
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• 2014

This text was analyzed and investigated the aerial part plants and buried seed plants at coniferous forest and broadleaved forest in Yesan-gun, in order to offer the basic data of potential natural vegetation change on secondary forest. Plants of buried seed germination were consisted of 29 taxa in coniferous forest (28 species, 1 varieties, of 27 genus, 20 families) and 36 taxa in broadleaved forest (34 species, 2 varieties, of 32 genus, 18 families). Family classification of buried seed plant was the most in Compositae, and emergent plot frequency was the highest of Cyperus amuricus in coniferous forest and Crepidiastrum sonchifolium in broadleaved forest. The soil depth of the most plants appearance was 0~10 cm in coniferous forest and 0~5 cm in broadleaved forest, and the soil depth of the most population appearance was 0~2 cm in coniferous forest and broadleaved forest. Population of buried seed germination was decreased according as soil is deep. Crepidiastrum sonchifolium was a plant that population of buried seed germination is the most. Similarity index of the aerial part plants and buried seed plants was low as 0.22, and coniferous forest and broadleaved forest was 0.40.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2005

Microclimate of Gwangneung forest watershed is characterized by analyzing wind, radiation, profiles of air temperature and humidity, soil and bole temperature, precipitation and soil water content measured at and around the flux tower from April 2000 to September 2003. Mountain-valley wind was prevalent due to the topographic effect with dominant wind from east during daytime and relatively weak wind from west during nighttime. Air temperature reaches its peak in July-August whereas monthly-averaged incoming shortwave radiation shows its peak in May due to summer monsoon. Albedo ranges from 0.12 to 0.16 during the growing season. Monthly-averaged bole temperature is in phase with monthly- averaged air temperature which is consistently higher. Monthly-averaged soil temperature lags behind air temperature and becomes higher with leaf fall. With the emergence of leafage in April, maximum temperature level during midday shifts from the ground surface to the crown level of 15-20m in May. Profiles of water vapor pressure show a similar shift in May but the ground surface remains as the major source of water. Vapor pressure deficit is highest in spring and lowest in winter. Monthly averaged surface soil temperatures range from 0 to 20℃ with a maximum in August. Monthly averaged trunk temperatures of the dominant tree species range from -5.8 to 21.6℃ with their seasonal variation and the magnitudes similar to those of air temperature. Annual precipitation amount varies significantly from year to year, of which >60% is from July and August. Vertical profiles of soil moisture show different characteristics that may suggest an important role of lateral movement of soil water associated with rainfall events.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.330-338
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• 2023

To investigate the impact of forestry projects on the carbon stocks of forests, we estimated the carbon stock change of above-ground and soil before and after forestry projects using forest type maps, forestry project information, and soil information. First, we selected six map sheet with large areas and declining age class based on forest type map information. Then, we collected data such as forest type maps, growth coefficients, soil organic matter content, and soil bulk density of the estimated areas to calculate forest carbon storage. As a result, forest carbon stocks decreased by about 34.1~70.0% after forestry projects at all sites. In addition, compared to reference studies, domestic forest soils store less carbon than the above-ground, so it is judged that domestic forest soils have great potential to store more carbon and strategies to increase carbon storage are needed. It was estimated that the amount of carbon stored before forestry projects is about 1.5 times more than after forestry projects. The study estimated that it takes about 27 years for forests to recover to their pre-thinning carbon stocks following forestry projects. Since it takes a long time for forests to recover to their original carbon stocks once their carbon stocks are reduced by physical damage, it is necessary to plan to preserve them as much as possible, especially for highly conservative forests, so that they can maintain their carbon storage function.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.32-37
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• 2005

The soil properties of the royal tombs (managed by cultural properties administration) located in Seoul and suburban Gyonggi area were investigated to see the influence of the change in soil environment on the royal tomb s이I. To compare the soil chemical properties of four royal tombs soil of Changdeokgung, Jongmyo, Seooneung, and Dongguneung, pH, organic content, available phosphate, extractable calcium, extractable potassium, extractable magnesium, cation exchange capacity, degree of base saturation, and total nitrogen content were measured. The concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Cu measured as the degree of heavy metal contamination can be an indication of atmospheric pollution in the soil environment. To estimate the degree of soil compaction, soil hardness, pore space, porosity, bulk density, and soil atmosphere were analyzed. Through these studies, following conclusions were made: 1. The soil hardness and pore space which can be used as indexes of soil compaction, were worse in the soil of Seooneung than in those of Changdeokgung and Dongguneury. These phenomena seem to be the result of increase in visitors in Seooneung and Dongguneung better and soil management in Changdeokgung and Dongguneung. When three different regions of forest area, prohibited area, and soil compaction area in Seooneung soil were compared, the degree of compaction in the forest area was less than compaction area, indicating the need for the employment of soil resting period in the compaction area. 2. The pH measurements of all four royal tombs soil were higher in top soil than sub soil. The higher soil pH values in Jongmyo and Seooneung seem to result from the application of soil conditioner. In the case of Seooneung, the values for soil pH and organic content were higher in the forest area than those in compaction area. It is thought that active soil management was employed in the forest area through application of organic matters and soil conditioners. 3. The heavy metal contents from soil of Changdeokgung and Jongmyo were higher than that from soil of Dongguneung. Since Changdeokgung and Jongmyo are located inside Seoul, it is thought that the high level of heavy metal concentrations in these royal tomb soil is the result of accumulation of pollutants from the city.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.45-51
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• 2014

In accordance with the view on remediated soil as a resource, this study assessed the applicability of soil washing with the neutral phosphate for remediation of arsenic (As)-contaminated soil. Three soil samples of different land uses (i.e., rice paddy, upland field and forest land) were collected from the study site, and the aqua regia-extractable As concentrations were 59.2, 30.8 and 53.1 mg/kg, respectively. Among the neutral phosphate reagents, ammonium phosphate showed the highest As washing efficiency. The optimized washing condition was 2-hr washing with 0.5M ammonium phosphate solution (pH 6) and soil to liquid ratio of 1 : 5. The extraction efficiencies of As did not guarantee the residual soil As concentrations to satisfy the Korea soil regulatory level (i.e., Worrisome level) in the three soil samples. To enhance washing efficiency, the As-contaminated soil was submerged in washing solution (1 : 1, w/v) for 24 hr and 1-hr washing with 0.5M ammonium phosphate solution was tested. As extraction efficiencies of 36.1 (rice paddy), 21.4 (upland field) and 26.4% (forest land) were attained, which satisfied the Worrisome level for Region 1 (25 mg/kg of As) in rice paddy, but not in upland field and forest land.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.465-476
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• 2016

This study was conducted to elucidate the ecological characteristics of sub-alpine coniferous forest on Banyabong, Mt. Jiri. Soil pH was 4.20. The contents of organic matter, total N, available P and CEC were 14.15%, 0.43%, 10.1 ppm and $17.17cmol^+/kg$, respectively. Sub-alpine coniferous forest had a relatively soil moisture content with 22.9%. According to the results of importance value analysis, Picea jezoensis (42.7) and Abies koreana (34.0) for tree layer, Rhododendron schlippenbachii (25.5) for subtree layer and Tripterygium regelii (18.4) and Rhododendron mucronulatum (16.6) for shrub layer were high, respectively. Shannon's diversity ranged from 0.3560 to 1.050. Evenness and dominance ranged from 0.398 to 0.733 and 0.267 to 0.601, respectively. A. koreana population had a reverse J-shaped DBH distribution, while P. jezoensis population had a normal DBH distribution. Height growth according to DBH of A. koreana was higher than that of P. jezoensis, which indicate than A. koreana have more effective water use efficiency than P. jezoensis. Annual mean tree ring growth of P. jezoensis and A. koreana showed up 1.792, 1.652, 1.389 mm/yr and 2.081, 1.921, 1.576 mm/yr for small, middle and large diameter tree, respectively.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.481-489
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• 2018

In this study, the succession and stand dimension attributes related to the disaster prevention function of Pinus thunbergii coastal forests were examined after damage from Diplodia tip blight. In 2015, 101 years after the Taisho eruption, field investigations were performed on the vegetation, soil thickness, and pH of surface soil of P. thunbergii coastal forests in western Sakurajima (Hakamagoshi plot) and Taisho lava flows in southeastern Sakurajima (Seto plot). The Hakamagoshi plot had more woody plant species with larger basal areas than that in the Seto plot. The mean age and height, maximal age and height of plant species, and H/D ratio were all larger in the Hakamagoshi plot than in the Seto plot. These results may be explained by the relatively smaller effect of volcanic ash and gas on forests in the Hakamagoshi plot compared to the Seto plot, resulting in a more suitable environment for many plant species. Although P. thunbergii coastal forests in Sakurajima are currently recovering from damages owing to Diplodia tip blight, there has not yet been a sufficient recovery compared to the results from a 1997 study. Furthermore, the results of assessment based on the H/D ratio and abundance of trees in P. thunbergii forests indicate that both regions are not yet effective in disaster prevention. Thus, it is necessary to establish Pinus trees, which can adjust to harsh environments like coastal areas and are resistant to volcanic ash and gas, to enhance the disaster prevention function of P. thunbergii coastal forests in volcanic regions. It may also be helpful to establish coastal forests with ectotrophic mycorrhizal fungi and organic matter coverage. Additionally, it is necessary to ensure the continuous maintenance of stand density and soil quality, and further develop efforts to prevent Diplodia tip blight and promote forest recovery.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.496-499
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• 2014

The present study investigated variations in soil microbial communities and the chemical properties of forest soils by differing amounts of penetrating sunlight. The soil temperature was significantly higher in higher light-penetrated soils. Higher light-penetrated soils (LP70) showed significantly more fungal communities than the lower light-penetrated soils (LP40 and LP50) (p < 0.05). The $NH_4$-N concentration in LP70 was significantly lower than those of LP40 and LP50, whereas the other chemical properties showed no significant difference among the soils. The cy19:0 to $18:1{\omega}7c$ ratio was significantly lower in LP70 than in LP 40 and LP50 showing the negative correlation of light level with microbial stresses (p < 0.05). The soil microbial communities and the chemical properties that showed positive eigenvector coefficients for PC1 were the fungi to bacteria, fungi, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and Gram-positive bacteria, whereas negative eigenvector coefficients were found for $NH_4$-N, actinomycetes, Gram-negative bacteria, and bacteria. Consequently, the amount of penetrating light was responsible for microbial compositions in the forest soils in correlation with the concentration of $NH_4$-N and soil temperature.