• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-28
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• 2019

This study analyzed the density and mortality rate of Korean fir at 9 sites where individuals of Korean firs were marked into the live and dead trees with coordinates on orthorectified aerial images by digital photogrammetric system. As a result of the analysis, Korean fir in each site showed considerable heterogeneity in density and mortality rate depending on the location within site. This make it possible to assume that death of Korean fir can occur by specific factors that vary depending on the location. Based on the analyzed densities and mortality rates of Korea fir, we investigated the correlation between topographic factors such as altitude, terrain slope, drainage network, solar radiation, aspect and the death of Korean fir. The density of Korean fir increases with altitude, and the mortality rate also increases. A negative correlation is found between the terrain slope and the mortality rate, and the mortality rate is higher in the gentle slope where the drainage network is less developed. In addition, it is recognized that depending on the aspect, the mortality rate varies greatly, and the mean solar radiation is higher in live Korean fir-dominant area than in dead Korean fir-dominant area. Overall, the mortality rate of Korean fir in Mt. Halla area is relatively higher in areas with relatively low terrain slope and low solar radiation. Considering the results of previous studies that the terrain slope has a strong negative correlation with soil moisture and the relationship between solar radiation and evaporation, these results lead us to infer that excess soil moisture is the cause of Korean fir mortality. These inferences are supported by a series of climate change phenomena such as precipitation increase, evaporation decrease, and reduced sunshine duration in the Korean peninsula including Jeju Island, increase in mortality rate along with increased precipitation according to the elevation of Mt. Halla and the vegetation change in the mountain. It is expected that the spatial patterns in the density and mortality rate of Korean fir, which are controlled by topography such as altitude, slope, aspect, solar radiation, drainage network, can be used as spatial variables in future numerical modeling studies on the death or decline of Korean fir. In addition, the method of forest distribution survey using the orthorectified aerial images can be widely used as a numerical monitoring technique in long - term vegetation change research.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.182-191
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• 2023

This study was carried out to identify the distribution and growth characteristics and evaluate the conservation status of the Michelia compressa Maxim., a rare and endangered wild plant II, in the habitats in Korea. A total of 314 individuals were found in the natural habitats of Heuksan Island and Jeju Island and were divided into four populations. About 45.9% (144 individuals) were distributed in the range of 401m~500m above sea level. The average height of trees was 2.7(±4.8)m, the diameter at breast height was 12.6(±13.9)cm, and the number of branches was 1.0(±0.5) on average. 54.3% of the sapling individuals of M. compressa were distributed within a radius of 30 m from the mother tree, 25.8% were distributed between 31 m through 40 m, and most (90.1%) were distributed within a radius of 60 m. The fact that sapling individuals of M. compressa are not identified even around some mature individuals and appear only in extremely limited areas is estimated to be closely related to the growth conditions as well as the environment of the natural habitats. The dispersal of M. compressa is presumed to be related to the birds and natural seedlings because water puddles, a resting place for birds beyond the range of natural seedlings, characterize its habitats. The IUCN Red List evaluation criteria at the regional and national level of M. compressa corresponds to the Critically Endangered category, and the domestic population under the category of "CR B2ab(v); C2a(i); D."

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.209-218
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• 2020

This study was conducted to monitor the growth and development of Abies koreana seedlings in the Hallasan Mountain. Accordingly, the obtained results indicate that the number of A. koreana seedlings increased by 2.6 and 4.8 times in the Yeongsil and Jindallaebat areas, respectively, over the 10-year period. Most of these seedlings were found to be growing on moss-covered rocks. The average tree height over the last 10 years was obtained as 20.4 cm in the Yeongsil area and 3.6 cm in Jindallaebat with growths of 4.1 cm and 1.4 cm, respectively over the last 2 years. Of all the mature trees that were surviving in 2009, 6 died in Yeongsil in 2014 (with an additional 4 in 2018) and 13 in Jindallaebat in 2016. Over the 10-year period, the diameter at breast height of the trees in Yeongsil and Jindallaebat has increased by an average of 0.6 cm and 4.2 cm. Similarly, an average of 6.8 cones was found in the Yeongsil area in 2014 and 26.3 in Jindallaebat in 2016. However, in 2018, no additional cones were found in the former, although an average of 1.4 cones was observed in the latter. With respect to the average temperature and relative humidity, no significant difference could be observed between two monitored areas from 2016 to 2018. However, in July 2017 and February 2018, the average temperature was higher in the Jindallaebat area, while relative humidity was higher in Yeongsil, there by possibly affecting cone growth and flowering between areas. These results indicate the survival and growth of A. koreana seedlings in the Hallasan Mountain is sensitive to the environments of each area. Hence, continuous monitoring of the environment changes and in-depth studies on the flowering and fruiting of A. koreana seedlings needs to be carried out in order to analyze the relationship between their survival rates and changes in weather conditions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• 2010.10a
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• pp.204-207
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• 2010

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.115-119
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• 2009

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.103-105
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• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.129-132
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• 2007

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.178-180
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• 2007

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.55-57
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• 2007