• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.49-55
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• 2009

The present study analyses the effect of land use on the vegetation of some desert ecosystems in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Three sites were selected to represent different types of land use, inside Umm Al-Banadeq forest, outside the forest and along Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Trucks Road. In total, fifty-two stands were examined; including a matrix of 14 species ${\times}$ 52 stands. Based on species cover data, stands were classified using TWINSPAN and ordinated using DCA. Four vegetation groups were generated at level three of classification. Zygophyllum mandavillei was dominant in most vegetation groups; Heliotropium bacciferum dominated vegetation groups inhabited the forest. Species richness, species turnover, relative evenness and relative concentration of dominance of forest vegetation groups were 2.8, 5.7, 0.7, and 2.0, respectively. The differences were attributed to both natural variability and forestry-induced changes, including change in land use, drainage and ploughing and shading by trees. Vegetation group inhabited Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Trucks Road, that were dominated by Haloxylon salicornicum and Zygophyllum mandavillei have high total cover (8.8 m per $m^{-1}$). Most community and vegetation attributes were significantly higher inside the forest than outside. Human interventions and environmental factors affected species diversity and abundance of these communities.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.508-515
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• 2015

Post-fire restoration can affect breeding bird communities and species compositions over a long-term period by determining pot-fire succession, and a long-term monitoring is therefore required to understand its impacts on forest birds. This study aimed to document the effects of post-fire restoration methods on breeding bird communities in three areas: unburned and two burned (nonintervention and intervention with clear-cut logging and planting) stands 13 years after the stand-replacing Samcheok forest fire at Mt. Geombong in Samcheok, South Korea. According to 108 point counts during the breeding season from April to June 2013, we found that the number of individuals, observed bird species, and species diversity index in intervention stands with clear-cut logging and planting were lower than that in nonintervention and unburned control stands. Foraging and nesting guild analysis also showed a lower abundance of foliage searchers, timber drillers, primary cavity nesters and secondary cavity nesters in intervention stands than in the other stands, while no significant difference was detected between the nonintervention and unburned stands. These results imply that an interventional restoration method may deter the recovery of avian breeding communities after forest fires, and also suggest that non-interventional restoration methods may be an effective way to benefit the species diversity and density of breeding bird communities.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.102 no.2
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• pp.247-254
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to assess the canopy fuel characteristics of five major coniferous species in Korea. This study was also developed allometric equations for the canopy fuel load and canopy base height of the major coniferous species using the allomeric equations of biomass developed by the Korea Forest Research Institute and the data from the $5^{th}$ National Forest Inventory. Among the major coniferous fuel types, Pinus koraiensis stands had the highest mean canopy bulk density, 0.34 kg/$m^3$, followed by Gangwon region Pinus densiflora stands 0.28 kg/$m^3$, Pinus thunbergii stands 0.24 kg/$m^3$, Pinus rigida stands 0.15 kg/$m^3$, Central region Pinus densiflora stands 0.12 kg/$m^3$ and Larix leptolepis stands 0.09 kg/$m^3$. The adjusted multiple coefficient of determination of the developed models ranged from 0.6321 to 0.9950 for canopy fuel load and 0.6390 to 0.8539 for canopy base height.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.656-666
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• 1996

Aspen demand has increased recently in the Great Lakes region in the United States. Since aspen has moved into the region in late 1800's, its growing stock has increased so as to change forestry industry of the Lake States. Intensive timber harvesting and biomass removal may cause nutrient depletion, especially on nutrient-poor sites. Forest nutrients and nutrient cycling were investigated in aspen stands of 7-10, 27-33, and 41-42 year-old growing on sandy soils in Minnesota. Nutrients added to the aspen stands by atmospheric deposition and soil weathering were efficiently absorbed and stored in the tree biomass. Aboveground biomass increased from $24.4t{\cdot}ha^{-1}$ at young stands to $139.2t{\cdot}ha^{-1}$ at mature stands. Nutrients accumulated in the tree biomass showed same magnitude of difference. Nutrients added to the site through atmospheric deposition were in the order of Ca, N, K, Mg, and P. Annual litterfall was greater in older stands. However, the amount of nutrients returned by litterfall was not significantly different among stand ages due to the greater nutrient contents in the litterfall of young stands. Litter decomposition and nutrient release rates were greater at young stands than at older stands. Likewise, nutrient availability was higher in young aspen stands and became lower as the stands grew older. Nutrient leaching loss was minimal at all stand ages. Soil N mineralization was greater at young stands than at older stands. Nutrient cycling process was facilitated in young aspen stands with an increased level of available nutrients, Based on the estimations of nutrient balance and nutrient removal by harvesting, Ca was the most critical element which was likely to be depleted if aspen stands are intensively harvested with short rotations.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2016

Despite it has been mentioned that the successful restoration in landscape level was achieved in the Young-il soil erosion control project, quantitative evaluation of restored plant communities (Alnus firma as introduced species and Pinus thunbergii as native species) was hardly founded. Light availability, litter and woody debris cover, and forest structure and composition were determined for 500 m² band-quadrat in three forest types. Abiotic factors of Q. serrata stands, as reference forest, and A. firma stands were similar but not for P. thunbergii stands. There were no significant difference on mean stem density (stems ha^-1, H = 3.6, p = 0.162), and the mean basal area of each stand had marginal significance (m² ha^-1, H = 5.7, p = 0.058) among stands as total basal area was higher with the order of A. firma (21.4 m² ha^-1), P. thunbergii (19.8 m² ha^-1) and Q. serrata (16.2 m² ha^-1). Restoration of vegetation structure was more effective in fast-growing and N-fixing A. firma, as introduced species plantation. However, result of MRPP, NMS ordination and ISPAN for herbaceous layer, not for tree and shrub species composition, indicated that restoration of ground vegetation was likely influenced highly from local environment. Propagule availability from landscape context such as connectedness to natural vegetation and management practices in restored isolated stands are available explanations for restoration effects and gaps between restored plantations and secondary oak forest.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.143-152
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• 2009

This study has been carried out to estimate carbon contents in an average 37-years-old Pinus densiflora plantations and an average 42-years-old natural Quercus acutissima stands in Gongju, Chungnam Province. Average carbon concentration in stemwood, stembark, branch, foliage, and root were 54.59% in Pinus densiflora and 53.73% in Quercus acutissima stands. Aboveground carbon contents was estimated by the equation model logWt = A + BlogD where Wt is oven-dry weight in kg and D is DBH in cm. Total carbon contents was 79.28t/ha in Pinus densiflora stands and 71.52t/ha in Quercus acutissima stands. Net primary carbon production was estimated at 9.79tC/ha/yr in Pinus densiflora stands and 5.52tC/ha/yr in Quercus acutissima stands.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.211-218
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• 2013

This study was conducted to examine the community structure of ground beetles between coniferous- and deciduous-dominant forest in agricultural landscapes, in Miryang-si, Yeongdong-gun, Icheon-si, and Cheolwon-gun during April to October in 2009. A total of 19 species belonging to 15 genera of 9 subfamilies were identified from 6,253 collected ground beetles. Dominant species from 4 regions were Synuchus nitidus (3,715 individuals, 59.4% of total) and Synuchus cyloderus (1,783 individuals, 28.5%) respectively. Non-metric multidimensional scaling based on Bray-Curtis similarity showed that ground beetle assemblage was not different between forest stands, but it was significantly different among regions. Overall, forest stands of secondary forests may not show a different community structure of ground beetle assemblages in our study. However, monitoring on the ground beetle fauna as well as other arthropods of secondary forests in agricultural landscapes is still important for the management and conservation of biodiversity, because forests provides important habitats for many predatory arthropods, such as ground beetles, spiders and rove beetles.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.215-222
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• 2011

We evaluated the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) status of litterfall in a natural red pine (Pinus densiflora) stand damaged by pine wilt disease in Jinju City, which was one of the areas severely affected by the disease in Korea. A significant correlation (P < 0.05) was found between tree density and basal area and the C and N status of litterfall components, but C and N status was not correlated with mean diameter at breast height in the pine wilt disease stands. Needle-litter C and N concentrations were linearly related (P < 0.05) to basal area in pine wilt disease stands. Needle-litter C concentration decreased with a decrease in damage intensity due to pine wilt disease, whereas litter N concentration increased with an increase of basal area in pine wilt disease stands. The linear regression equations developed for litterfall C and N inputs were significant (P < 0.05), with basal area accounting for 50-86% of the variation, except for cone and flower litter. The results indicated that the incidence of pine wilt disease could impact the quality and quantity of C and N in litterfall of pine stands suffering from pine wilt disease.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.237-247
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• 2009

This study was conducted to determine the carbon (C) contents in different mixed stands of P. dens if/ora and deciduous oak species in Gwangneung, central Korea. Five mixed stands with different ratios of P. densiflora and deciduous oak species were chosen based on the basal area of all trees ${\geq}\;5cm$ DBH: pure P. densiflora (P100D0), 70% P. densiflora + 30% deciduous oak species (P70D30), 44% P. densiflora + 56% deciduous oak species (P50D50), 37% P. densiflora + 63% deciduous oak species (P40D60), and 10% P. densiflora + 90% deciduous oak species (P10D90). Total C contents in the overstory (aboveground and belowground) vegetation were higher in the mixed stands (P70D30, P50D50, P40D60) than in the pure stands (P100D0, P10D90). Moreover, except for P40D60, C contents of forest floor (litter and coarse woody debris) were larger in the mixed stands (P70D30, P50D50) than in the pure stands. However, total soil C contents up to 30cm depth were highest in the pure deciduous oak stand than in the pure P. densiflora stand and mixed stands. Total ecosystem C contents (Mg/ha) were 163.3 for P100D0, 152.3 for P70D30, 188.8 for P50D50, 160.2 for P40D60, and 150.4 for P10D90, respectively. These differences in total ecosystem C contents among the different mixed stands for P. densiflora and deciduous oak species within the study stands were attributed by the differences in vegetation development and forest management practices. Among the five study stands, the total ecosystem C contents were maximized in the 1:1 mixed ratio of P. densiflora and deciduous oak species (P50D50).

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.90 no.3
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• pp.227-235
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• 2001

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of adjacent stand on the invasion of Robinia pseudoacacia plantations. The results were as follows. 1) Robinia pseudoacacia tended to invade into all directions regardless of the kinds of adjacent stands. But it was estimated that the invasion of Robinia pseudoacacia into adjacent stands could be very difficult, if the layer structure of adjacent stands were well developed. Whereas, it was estimated that Robinia pseudoacacia more rapidly intruded into adjacent stands, if adjacent stands were opened and bared. 2) Robinia pseudoacacia tended to invade into all aspects regardless of the kinds of vegetation units in the adjacent stands. But the dominance class of Robinia pseudoacacia in the adjacent stands showed a little differences among the vegetation units. The dominance class of Robinia pseudoacacia in Quercus aliena community and Quercus serrata community showed low level as + ~2, while the dominance class of Pinus densiflora community, Pinus rigida community, Quercus variabilis community and Quercus acutissima community represented high level as 1~4. Also the dominance class of Isodon inflexus subgroup among three subgroups of Pinus densiflora community showed the lowest level as + ~2.