• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.118-130
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• 2023

Decay or large cavities inside trees are the main causes of trees overturning and broken branches, and structurally weakened trees are more vulnerable to strong winds and heavy snowfall. Recently, as strong winds and typhoons increase due to climate change, the damage to human life and property due to trees overturning continues to increase, and cultural assets are in a similar situation. In particular, old big trees are structurally vulnerable to external shocks such as strong winds and heavy snowfall. This study was aimed at providing a scientific basis for preventive protection measures by conducting a structural stability diagnosis of seven retusa fringe trees designated as natural monuments. For the structural stability diagnosis, tree risk assessment and internal tree defect measurements were performed. As a result of the tree risk assessment, the Retusa Fringe Trees in Sinjeon-ri, Yangsan and Gwangyangeupsu had the highest risk of broken branches due to weak branch attachment strength. As a result of the diagnosis of internal defects of cross sections of measured trees, there were suspected cavities or severe decay in all except two trees of the population of Retusa Fringe Trees in Pyeongji-ri. Natural disasters due to climate change are increasing, and the scale is getting larger, so it is very important to preemptively manage large old trees through scientific structural safety diagnosis to manage trees that are vulnerable to environmental changes.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.535-549
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• 2022

Damage to forests, such as broken or falling trees, has increased due to the increased intensity and frequency of abnormal climate events, such as strong winds and heavy rains. However, it is difficult to respond to them in advance based on prediction since structural defects such as cavities and bumps inside trees are difficult to identify with a visual inspection. Non-invasive sonic tomography (SoT) is a method of estimating internal defects while minimizing physical damage to trees. Although SoT is effective in diagnosing internal defects, its accuracy varies depending on the species. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the reliability of its measurement results before applying it in the field. In this study, we measured internal defects in wood by cross-applying destructive resistance micro drilling on old Pinus densifloraSiebold & Zucc. and Ginkgo bilobaL., which are representative tree species in Korea, to verify the reliability of SoT and compared the evaluation results. The t-test for the mean values of the defect measurement between the two groups showed no statistically significant difference in pine trees and some difference in ginkgo trees. Linear regression analysis results showed a positive correlation with an increase in defects in SoT images when the defects in the drill resistance graph increased in both species.