• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• 제112권1호
• /
• pp.93-104
• /
• 2023

Life expectancy is increasing due to the aging of the population, which is in turn exacerbating problems such as the prevalence of various geriatric diseases. This study was established to provide basic data for the expansion of forest healing activities for the elderly by systematically analyzing the literature on how such activities affect this age group. For the collection of studies, the Korean databases RISS, KISS, Korea Med, and Science On were used, while PubMed, Cochrane Central, MDPI, and Google Scholar were used to identify reports published elsewhere. To assess the quality of the methodology used in the collected studies, the risk of bias was analyzed using Cochrane's RoB2 and RoBANS. Among 1,856 reports initially identified, 21 were finally selected for analysis in this study, which were limited to research papers on forest healing activities for the elderly published between 2000 and January 2022. In this review, the subjects were those aged 60 or older, with a total of 750 participants, ranging from at least 7 to a maximum of 88 per study. The analysis showed that the most frequently performed tests in each category were on depression as a psychological indicator in 7 studies, MMSE(Mini Mental State Examination) as a cognitive indicator in 2 studies, on blood pressure as a physiological indicator in 4 studies, on melatonin as a biochemical indicator in 2 studies, and on body fat and muscle strength as physical indicators in 3 studies. Of the 21 studies, 19 used two or more test items, with psychological indicators being most commonly measured. For the future application of forest healing activities for the elderly, various forest healing programs to prevent cognitive function decline should be developed and distributed, and follow-up studies should be continuously presented to provide the basis for forest healing activities.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• 제26권3호
• /
• pp.143-150
• /
• 2003

Korea has plentiful precipitation but rainfall events concentrate on several months of rainy season in her weather condition. Korea, therefore, experiences drought for a given period every year. Moreover the soil has usually low water holding capacity, as it is composed coarse particles originated from the granite. Response of several oaks and the Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) on water stress showed that water budget was significant factor determining vegetation distribution. In addition, dehydration level due to cold resistance mechanism of several evergreen plants during the winter season was closely related to their distribution in natural condition. Experimental result under water stress showed that the Korean red pine was very tolerant to desiccation but the seedlings showed high mortality during the dry season. The mortality tended to proportionate to soil moisture content of each site. A comparison between soil moisture content during June when it is severe dry season and moisture content of the culture soil when the pine seedlings reached the permanent wilting point due to water withheld proved that high mortality during the dry season was due to water deficit. Water potential of sample plants measured during the exposure experiment to the air pollutant showed a probability that water related factors would dominate the occurrence of visible damage and the tolerance level of sample plants. In both field survey and laboratory experiment, plants exposed to air pollution showed more rapid transpiration than those grown in the unpolluted condition. The result would due to injury of leaf surface by air pollutants. Aluminum (Al/sup 3+/) increased in the acid soil not only inhibits root growth but also leads to abnormal distribution of root system and thereby caused water stress. The water stresses due to air pollution and soil acidification showed a possibility that they play dominating roles in inducing forest decline additionally to the existing water deficit due to weather and soil conditions in Korea. Sludge, which can contribute to improve field capacity, as it is almost composed of organic matter, showed an effect ameliorating the retarded growth of plant in the acidified soil. The effect was not less than that of dolomite known in widely as such a soil ameliorator. Litter extract contributed also to mitigate the water stress due to toxic Al/sup 3+/. We prepared a model showing the potential interaction of multiple stresses, which can cause forest decline in Korea by synthesizing those results. Furthermore, we suggested restoration plans, which can mitigate such forest decline in terms of soil amelioration and vegetation restoration.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• 제37권3호
• /
• pp.184-191
• /
• 2004

Forest soils were collected from various sites adjacent to the heavy industrial complexes and soil solutions were extracted to characterize the chemical properties and to find factors affecting forest decline by acid deposition. Concentrations of $NO_3{^-}$, $SO{_4}^{2-}$, $F^-$ and Al in the soil solutions collected from industrial complexes were 2-33 times higher than those from the non-industrial areas. pH and Al concentrations were significantly correlated with $NO_3{^-}$ and $SO{_4}^{2-}$ concentrations. Forest soils from Onsan and Ulsan regions had very low Ca and Mg concentrations in the soil solutions. In these sites, the molar ratios of Ca/Al and Mg/Al were also lower than 2 and 1, respectively. Aluminum concentrations in the A and B horizons were 547 and $683mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively, which were considered to be high enough to inhibit tree growth. Magnesium deficiency in A horizon and high concentrations of Al and Mn in B horizon were considered as the major limiting factors for tree growth by inhibiting the uptake of Ca and Mg and causing the imbalance of nutrients in both soil solution and trees.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• 제20권3호
• /
• pp.171-176
• /
• 2012

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of atmosphere-leaf vapor pressure deficit (VPD) in Allium microdictyon Prokh. and Allium ochotense Prokh. The vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was rapidly increased with increasing temperature and decreasing relative humidity. Taken as a whole, the stomatal transpiration reaction was slightly late with increading of VPD. Maximum photosynthetic rate at high-VPD condition was 5.98 ${\mu}mol$ $CO_2{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ in Allium microdictyon, which was a little lower than 6.59 ${\mu}mol$ $CO_2{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ in Allium ochotense, respectively. After 2 p.m, stomatal transpiration of Allium microdictyon at the high VPD condition were rapidly decreased. Ci/Ca began to decline sharply at 8 a.m and showed the lowest value at 2 p.m, The results showed that Ci/Ca decreased with being used $CO_2$ in the mesophyll intercellular space for photosynthesis. In high VPD condition, The water potential values showed the highest at 5 a.m, and the lowest at 1 p.m in high VPD condition. The water saturation deficits (WSD) in high VPD condition showed about 1.5 times higher than in low VPD condition. The results indicated that physiological activities in Allium microdictyon is more limited from high VPD conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
• /
• 제7권1호
• /
• pp.30-39
• /
• 2004

This research is of the rapid industrialization taking place resulting in the destruction of forests. The method that is implemented needs the vegetation to work well with the topsoil in order to restore the environment. In November the researcher collected a depth of 5 cm of topsoil from a well developed forest, after the fallen leaves were cleared. The results of the essential research are as follows : In the case of using the forest topsoil to plant trees latency seeds, during the early stages of tree planting, time is necessary for the desired vegetation to reach a similar state to the vegetation being restored. The results conclude that the best possible affect is obtained through a method utilizing seeded species. Utilizing forest topsoil, slopes that have been too damaged for trees to be planted can be sown with seeds. In addition the rearing of naturally-emerging species had a tendency to decline. When considering rearing naturally-emerging species to flourish in the topsoil, in the early stages of tree planting, the beginning foundation of sowing seeded species has to have a standard of about 1,000parts/$m^2$ This standard has been found to the most successful.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• 제12권1호
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 1998

To investigate the structure and the conservation strategy of Taxus cuspidata forest at Janggunbong area in Taebaeksan, 18 plots(20m$\times $20m) set up with random sampling method were surveyed. Major woody species growing with Taxus cuspidata were Acer pseudo- sieboldianum, Euonymus macroptera, Prunus padus, Abies nephrolepis. High positive correlations was proved between abies nephrolepis and Pinus doraiensis, Betula ermanii and Magnolia sieboldii, and high negative correlations was proved between Acer pseudo- sieboldianum and Tripterygium regelii, Weigela subsessilis and Acer tschonoskii var. rubripes, Taxus cuspidata and Acer tschonoskii var. rubripes. Species diversity(H') of investigated area was calculated 2.3015(0.9991) and this value was relatively lower than that of other subalpine forest. Taxus cuspidata trees were severely stressed and vigor-lossed and 8.22% of surveyed Tacus cuspidata trees were dead tree. Dead trees were distributed mainly in 20~60cm DBH class and a few seedlings of Taxus cuspidata were observed. To conserve Taxus cuspidata forest at Janggunbong area in Taebaeksan, intensive research, prescription on the decline of Taxus cuspidata and proper forest management were needed.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• 제28권6호
• /
• pp.417-431
• /
• 2005

Soils of Korea experienced with long-term acidic deposition have been exhaustively leached exchangeable base cation (BC) for plant nutrient comparable with soils of forest decline areas in Europe and N. America. Ratios of $BC/Al^{3+}$ of most soils are below than 1, which value is critical load for plant growth. Acid soil applied with dolomitic liming is increased as much as 20% and 244% in concentrations of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2+}$, respectively, as well as shrub leaves increase much cation uptake by 1 year later. Ions of $NO_3^-$ and $NH_4^+$ in acid rain are absorbed by the canopy acted as the sink but f is leached out from the canopy to throughfall as the source at Gwangneung forest with a little of acidic deposition, however, such sink and source functions are not found at Kwanaksan forest because of so much deposition. In coniferous and deciduous forested watershed ecosystems ions of $K^+$, $Cl^-$, $NO_3^-$ and $SO_4^{2-}$ from throughfall are retained in forest floor but ions of $Na^+, $Mg^{2+}$ and $Ca^{2+}$ are leached from the floor to streamwater.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• 제56권4호
• /
• pp.303-319
• /
• 2023

Pitfall traps that use ethylene glycol as a preservative solution are commonly used in arthropod research. However, a recent surge in cases involving damage to these traps by roe deer or wild boars owing to the sweet taste of ethylene glycol has prompted the addition of quinone sulfate, a substance with a pungent taste, to deter such wildlife interference. This study aimed to assess the effects of quinone sulfate on arthropods collected from pitfall traps containing ethylene glycol. We strategically positioned 50 traps using ethylene glycol alone and 50 traps containing a small amount of quinone sulfate mixed with ethylene glycol in a grid pattern for systematic sampling at the Gwangneung Forest long-term ecological research (LTER) site. Traps were collected 10 days later. The results revealed a notable effect on ants when quinone sulfate was introduced. Specifically, it decreased the number of ants. In a species-specific analysis of ants, only Nylanderia flavipes showed a significant decline in response to quinone sulfate, whereas other ant species remained unaffected. Additionally, among the arthropod samples obtained in this survey, we identified species or morpho-species of spiders, beetles, and ants and assessed species diversity. Consequently, the utilization of quinone sulfate should be undertaken judiciously, taking into account the specific species composition and environmental characteristics of the monitoring site. Our study also highlighted the significant response of various arthropod groups to variations in leaf litter depth, underscoring the crucial role of the leaf litter layer in providing sustenance and shelter for ground-foraging arthropods. Furthermore, we have compiled comprehensive species lists of both spiders and ants in Gwangneung forest by amalgamating data from this investigation with findings from previous studies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
• /
• 제9권3호
• /
• pp.95-100
• /
• 2009

Fine fuel moisture code (FFMC), a main component of forest fire weather index(FWI) in the Canadian forest fire danger rating system(CFFDRS), indicated a probability of ignition through expecting a dryness of fine fuels. According to this code, a rising of temperature and wind velocity, a decreasing of precipitation and decline of humidity in a weather condition showed a rising of a danger rate for the forest fire. In this study, we analyzed a weather condition during 5 years in Kangwon province, calculated a FFMC and examined an application of FFMC. Very low humidity and little precipitation was a characteristic during spring and fall fire season in Kangwon province. 75% of forest fires during 5 years occurred in this season and especially 90% of forest fire during fire season occurred in spring. For developing of the prediction model for a forest fire occurrence probability, we used a logistic regression function with forest fire occurrence data and classified mean FFMC during 10 days. Accuracy of a developed model was 63.6%. To improve this model, we need to deal with more meteorological data during overall seasons and to associate a meteorological condition with a forest fire occurrence with more research results.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• 제8권1호
• /
• pp.10-14
• /
• 2006

We tested the seed viability of Pinus rigida using accelerated aging to discover optimum times and temperatures far artificially accelerated aging. Seeds were artificially aged at different temperatures and during different tines. The seed viability was affected by the accelerated aging and by temperature with a decline in germination and seed vigor. The aging index of P. rigida seed was 0.31 at $35^{\circ}C$ and seed viability was nearly lost after aging treatment at $40^{\circ}C$ for 15 days. The optimum temperature of P. rigida far the aging test was decided to be approximately $37^{\circ}C$ on the basis of the aging index. Inorganic materials and conductivity of leaching solution from aging seeds increased with the increase of aging period. The accelerated aging test was considered to be a suitable method to evaluate the seed viability of tree species. Because seed characters are much different among tree species, however, more studies need to be done to discover the optimum conditions for aging by tree species.