• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.85-96
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• 2023

This study proposes a method for forest vegetation monitoring using high-resolution aerial imagery captured by unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV) and deep learning technology. The research site was selected in the forested area of Mountain Dogo, Asan City, Chungcheongnam-do, and the target species for monitoring included Pinus densiflora, Quercus mongolica, and Quercus acutissima. To classify vegetation species at the pixel level in UAV imagery based on characteristics such as leaf shape, size, and color, the study employed the semantic segmentation method using the prominent U-net deep learning model. The research results indicated that it was possible to visually distinguish Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zucc, Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb, and Quercus acutissima Carruth in 135 aerial images captured by UAV. Out of these, 104 images were used as training data for the deep learning model, while 31 images were used for inference. The optimization of the deep learning model resulted in an overall average pixel accuracy of 92.60, with mIoU at 0.80 and FIoU at 0.82, demonstrating the successful construction of a reliable deep learning model. This study is significant as a pilot case for the application of UAV and deep learning to monitor and manage representative species among climate-vulnerable vegetation, including Pinus densiflora, Quercus mongolica, and Quercus acutissima. It is expected that in the future, UAV and deep learning models can be applied to a variety of vegetation species to better address forest management.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.574-587
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• 2014

In this study, vertical distribution patterns of Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb. and Q. serrata Murray in Korea were recognized and possibility of introgressive hybridization and gene flow between Q. mongolica and Q. serrata in Mt. Jiri was inferred by flavonoid analyses. The most critical factor on distribution patterns was the altitude in accordance with temperature condition. A zonal distribution was recognized: Quercus mongolica zone in the upper area and Q. serrata zone in the lower area. In Central Korea, the range of vertical distribution of Q. mongolica was above alt. 100m, almost everywhere, whereas that of Q. serrata was from alt. 0 m to alt. 500(-700) m, and the species is rare above that altitude. But in Southern Korea, Q. serrata is found up to above alt. 1,000 m, whereas frequency of Q. mongolica reduces as elevation in decline and the species is rare below alt. 300 m, even though pure stands being formed on higher mountain slope. Altitudinal distribution of the two species, however, overlaps, where the two species occur together. Thirty-seven individuals of Q. mongolica and Q. serrata in Mt. Jiri and other area were examined for leaf flavonoid constituents. Twenty-three flavonoid compounds were isolated and identified; they were glycosylated derivatives of the flavonols kaempferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin, myricetin, and four compounds among the flavonoid compounds were acylated. Kaempferol 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-galactoside and its acylated compounds were major constituents and present in all individuals. Quercus mongolica is distinguished from Q. serrata by the presence of quercetin 3-O-arabinosylglucoside and by high concentration of three acylated compounds, acylated kaempferol 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-galactoside, and by relatively low concentration or lacking of rhamnosyl flavonol compounds. There are intraspecific variations in flavonoid profiles for Q. mongolica and Q. serrata, the flavonoid profiles for individuals of two species in hybrid zone (sympatric zone) tend to be similar to each other, qualitatively and quantitatively. These findings strongly suggest that gene exchange or gene flow occurs through the introgressive hybridization between Q. mongolica and Q. serrata in Mt. Jiri. Therefore, Quercus crispula, occupying morphologically intermediate position between Q. mongolica and Q. serrata, is suspected of being a hybrid taxon of two putative parental species.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1319-1328
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• 2011

Rhododendron brachycarpum is a evergreen broad-leaved shrub and belongs to the Ericaceae family and the Rhododendron genus. It is well known for its beautiful leaves and flowers. There are 11 species of the Rhododendron genus in Korea. It includes 3 species - Rhododendron brachycarpum, Rhododendron aureum Georgi and Rhododendron brachycarpum var. roseum Koidz. They grow naturally over 1,000 meters above sea level of the Baekdu Mountain Range in Korea. These habitats, according to investigations of 9 Rhododendron brachycarpum natural habitats, are mostly located on the slope of mountains facing north at an altitude of 1,200 m to 1,526 m above sea level with angle of inclination from 30 degrees to 45 degrees. Based on the result of vegetation analysis of dominance species in the quadrates, there are Quercus aliena, Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb, Abies holophylla in species of upper trees, and so on. Dominant species of woody plants in tree layer are Quercus aliena, Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb, Abies holophylla, Betula platyphylla and Veeatrum patulum Loes. fil, Erythronium japonicum, Dryopteris crassirhizoma, Paeonia japonica var. glabra Makino are founded in herbaceous plants. And we can see another result of the investigation that the flowering rates of the plants with the buds are highly ranked mountains such as Mt. Hambaek 68%, Mt. Gyebang 40%, Mt. Yagksu 9%, Mt. Gaein 7% and Mt. Seolag 0%. The results show that there are 24 over 15-year-old Rhododendron brachycarpums in Mt. Odae and are 56 under 15-year-old trees in Mt. Hambaek and are no trees in Mt. Gyebang and are 9 over 30-year-dead trees only in Mt. Taebaeg. Out of found trees, the highest tree is 7 m in height and 0.6 m in diameter. Also this result shows what are the vulnerability factors of the natural habitats. They are as follows: indiscriminate trails in mountains, damages by mountain climbers, uncareful plant collecting, the fierce competitions with other plants such as Acer pseudosieboldianum var. ishidoyanum Uyeki, Quercus aliena, Celastrus orbiculatus and damages by disease and insect, unusual temperature in natural habitats, etc. Rhododendron brachycarpums have high ornamental value and excellent pharmaceutical effect. But the areas of its habitats decrease dramatically. So we need measures to protect and their natural habitats. It is necessary that we conductfurther investigations to designate conservation area for Rhododendron brachycarpums.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.95 no.1
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• pp.102-112
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• 2006

The change of species composition and stand structure along altitudinal gradients in different aged stands was studied in five natural stands located each at 400 m, 800 m, 1,000 m, and two at 1,300 m above sea level (asl) in the western part of Mt. Chiri in Korea. Trees larger than 2.5 cm DBH were inventoried in 3 to 8 $20m{\times}20m$ quadrats in each study site. Stand ages were estimated based on the ages of Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zucc. and Abies koreana Wilson, and used to analyze the changes in species composition and stand structure including diameter and height distributions. Species composition was changed along altitudinal gradients as P. densiflora dominated stands at 400 m asl while A. koreana dominated stands at 1,300 m asl. Major species of Quercus also changed along altitudinal gradients as Quercus variabilis Blume at 400 m asl, Quercus serrata Thunb. ex Murray at 800 m asl, and Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb. at higher than 1,000 m asl. The diameter distribution did not show significant differences among stands of different altitudes. However, the height distributions of upper crown layers were significantly different among stands at below and above 1,000 m as) (P < 0.0001). Trees taller than 20 m rarely appeared in stands over 1,000 m asl. P. densiflora dominant stands at 400 m asl developed two clumped age groups as one in 30-40 ages and the other around 70 years old. Q. serrata dominant stands at 800 m asl, Q. mongolica dominant stands at 1,300 m asl and A. koreana dominant stands at 1,300 m asl were estimated to be around 30, 70, and over 140 years old after major disturbances, respectively. The diameter distribution with age structure indicated that P. densiflora at 1,300 m asl might be replaced by Q. mongolica, and Q. mongolica might be replaced by A. koreana and Pinus koraiensis later. A. koreana dominant stand seemed to stay its dominance quite long if the large disturbance would be absent.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.449-461
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• 2013

This study is contributed to examine the vegetation characteristics of the Quercus mongolica which are located in between two summits, hyangnobong and gitdaebaggybong, with dividing two regions(I, II). A total of 63 Quercus mongolica communities were enrolled in this survey. A~E, 5 communities were the result of analysed classification by TWINSPAN. Spatial distribution of the communities; 'A' community is concentrated at an altitude of about 1,300 meters in Mt. Taebaek(II region). 'B' and 'C' communities are concentrated at an altitude of between 700 and 1500 meters in Mt. Seorak and Odae(Iregion). 'D' and 'E' communities are concentrated at an altitude of below 1,100 meters in Mt. Cheongok and geumdaebong(II region), and also Mt. Seorak and Odae(Iregion). Arboral and shrub populations, maximum species diversity and height of arboral of each communities have a characteristic of decreasing according to increasing altitude gradually. And the result of studying on arboreal growth increment with up to 40-year-old trees, there is no special tendency with growth increment in the altitude of subnormal 1,100 meters, but there is a tendency that growth increment becomes lower in the altitude of more than 1,100 meters. In correlation analysis, it is -0.53 in the Quercus mongolica and Betula costata community at an altitude of over 1,000 meters, the correlation shows negative(-). It is +0.59 in the Quercus mongolica and Rubus crataegifolius community at an altitude of less than 1,000 meters, the correlation shows positive(+). And those are cognate trees with the correlation of Betula costata, Betula costata Trautv., Tripterygium regelii Sprague&Takeda., Acer barbinerve Maxim. With a summary of the results, the changes in the environment according to the elevation affect Quercus mongolica community.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1092-1101
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• 2014

In this study, the distribution patterns of Quercus mongolica and Q. serrata in Korea were investigated, and the possibility of introgressive hybridization and gene flow between Q. mongolica and Q. serrata in Mt. Seorak was inferred by flavonoid analyses. The most critical factor in the vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of Q. mongolica and Q. serrata was the temperature, in accordance with latitude and altitude. The species showed a zonal distribution, with a Q. mongolica zone in the upper area and a Q. serrata zone in the lower area. In Mt. Seorak, Central Korea, the range of the vertical distribution of Q. mongolica was generally above an altitude of 100 m, whereas that of Q. serrata was an altitude of 0-400 m (-500) and rarely above an altitude of 500 m. However, in Mt. Jiri, Southern Korea, Q. serrata was found up to an altitude of 1,000~1,200 m, whereas the frequency of Q. mongolica was reduced at lower elevations and the species was rare below an altitude of 300 m, although pure stands were found on higher mountain slopes above an altitude of 1,200 m. The altitudinal distribution of the two species overlapped, where the two species occurred together. The leaf flavonoid constituents of thirty-four individuals of Q. mongolica and Q. serrata in Mt. Seorak and Mt. Jiri, Korea were examined. Twenty-four flavonoid compounds were isolated and identified. These were glycosylated derivatives of flavonols kaempferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin, myricetin. Five compounds among the flavonoid compounds were acylated. Kaempferol 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-galactoside, and its acylated compounds were major constituents and present in all individuals. Quercus mongolica is distinguished from Q. serrata by the presence of quercetin 3-O-arabinosylglucoside, a high concentration of three acylated compounds (kaempferol 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, and quercetin 3-O-galactoside), and a relatively low concentration or lack of rhamnosyl flavonol compounds. Intraspecific variations, however, were found in the flavonoid profiles of Q. mongolica and Q. serrata, and the flavonoid profiles of individuals belonging to the two species in a hybrid zone (sympatric zone) tended to be similar, qualitatively and quantitatively. These findings strongly suggest that gene exchange or gene flow occurs through introgressive hybridization between Q. mongolica and Q. serrata in Mt. Seorak.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.1-18
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• 2024

The study aims to establish a direction for forest ecological restoration by classifying forest types and understanding the ecological characteristics of the Uljin forest area damaged by a large fire in 2022. Hierarchical cluster analysis and indicator species analysis were conducted on 78 survey plots located in the forest fire-affected area, and four forest cover types were derived: P. densiflora pure forests, P. densiflora dominant forests, mixed broad-leaved forests, and Q. variabilis dominant forests. As a result of visually comparing changes in forest types before and after forest fire damage, by classifying data according to whether or not upper dead trees are included, it was confirmed that pine forests, which have a high proportion of pine trees, spread widely due to forest fire damage. However, broad-leaved mixed forests and oyster oak dominant forests showed characteristics of maintaining concentration, indicating that pine forests were severely damaged. As a result of the important value analysis, during the process of natural recovery after a forest fire, the species that appear early in the lower layer are the sprouts of existing species such as Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb., Quercus variabilis Blume, Fraxinus sieboldiana Blume, Rhododendron mucronulatum Turcz. The distribution of diameter at breast height by forest cover type showed that among areas with extreme forest fire damage, the proportion of dead trees was relatively high and structural changes were large in P. densiflora pure forests and P. densiflora dominant forests where pine trees had a high distribution ratio. However, if continuous monitoring is carried out in the future with reference to the results of this study and plant data is collected and analyzed from a mid- to long-term perspective, it is believed that it will be used as useful data to promote forest ecological restoration projects in forest fire-affected areas.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.102 no.3
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• pp.446-454
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• 2013

The present study investigated the biological agents and environmental conditions of the habitats of the Kirengeshoma koreana, a class 2 endangered species class according to the South Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE), elucidated the structural characteristics of the forest stands in the habitats with the importance value and the diversity index, conducted comparative analysis of the factors, and explored their relationship with environmental factors. According to the results of direction analysis of natural habitats of the Kirengeshoma koreana, the direction was distributed to the north or the northeast, and the slope amounted to $15-40^{\circ}$, thus demonstrating that the slope has little effect. In addition, the results showed that the distribution of Kirengeshoma koreana populations dramatically increased starting in areas at least 600 m above the sea level and that the relative light intensity was 3.79% on an average. Most populations were native to gorges and crevices between rocks so that they mainly tended to inhabit areas that could see soil loss in times of precipitation. In addition, a considerable number of the populations were close to hiking trails as well, thus leading to concerns about their artificial destruction. The soil of layer a in the main growth space of the Kirengeshoma koreana was analyzed and turned out to be strongly acidic, measuring pH 4.45-4.89 (average: 4.68). All investigation sections were typical natural broad-leaved tree areas, and, judging from the fact that the Kirengeshoma koreana was most likely to appear in colonies of the Mongolian oak tree (Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb.), the Mongolian oak tree seems to be the species of tree that has the greatest effect on the inhabitation of the Kirengeshoma koreana.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.106-115
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• 2020

In order to find out the relationship between spring phytophenological index and temperature index for the past nine years (2010~2018), this study identified the relationship between temperature changes and trends in spring phytophenological index of sprouting, flowering and leaf unfolding of Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zucc., Larix kaempferi (Lamb.) Carrière, Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb., Rhododendron mucronulatum Turcz., Lindera obtusiloba Blume and Acer pseudosieboldianum (Pax) Kom. in Daegu Arboretum, Palgong mt., Juwang mt. and Gaya mt. The change in temperature was caused by an increase in the monthly average temperature between March and April compared to February for nine years, and the average temperature of Daegu Arboretum and Palgong mt. were higher by region. The sprouting, flowering and leaf unfolding were the fastest of the Lindera obtusiloba and the slowest of the Pinus densiflora for each species, and the fastest plant season in Daegu arboretum came. SPI (Spring Phytophenological Index) tends to advance by -1.267~-6.151/9 years, with the largest Pinus densiflora (-6.151/9 years), with the lowest rate of change for Rhododendron mucronulatum (-1.267 days/9 years). Species which shows significant values in sprouting, flowering and leaf unfolding is Rhododendron mucronulatum and Pinus densiflora, which correlate with the mean temperature of January to March. As a result of checking the time series change of SPI, the change rate in the four regions was all negative and the phenolocal index was all accelerating. Among them, the rate of change was greater in inland areas such as Daegu arboretum, Palgong Mt. and Gaya mt. and the rate of change was slightly lower in the case of Juwang mt., which is somewhat distant.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.52-61
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• 2021

Decay fungi can decompose plant debris to recycle carbon in the ecosystem. Still, they can also be fungal pathogens, which can damage living trees and/or wood material and cause a large amount of timber loss. We isolated and identified basidiomycetous fungi from the decayed bark of Mongolian oak wrapped with sticky roll traps. The degrading enzyme activities were then tested for all fungal isolates. The decay ability of selected isolates was assessed based on the weight loss of wood discs after inoculating with culture suspension of decay fungi under the different humidity levels. A total of 46 basidiomycetous fungal isolates belonged to 12 species, and 10 genera were obtained from Jong Myo (16 isolates), Chang Kyung palace (7 isolates), Cheong Gye (10 isolates), and Gun Po (13 isolates). Gymnopus luxurians was the most dominant fungus in the present study, and this species distributed in all survey sites with 9 isolates in Jong Myo, followed by 3 isolates in Chang Kyung palace, while Cheong Gye and Gun Po had only 1 isolate each. Among 46 isolates, 44 isolates secreted at least one enzyme, while 25 isolates produced both cellulase and phenol oxidase enzymes, and 2 isolates produced neither. The assessment of decay ability by artificial inoculation indicated that the weight loss of wood discs was significantly influenced by humidity conditions when inoculated with bark decay fungi. The percent weight losses by G. luxurians inoculation in RH of 90-100% and RH of 65-75% were 4.61% and 2.45%, respectively. The weight loss caused by Abortiporus biennis were 6.67% and 0.46% in RH of 90-100% and RH of 45-55%, respectively. The humidity reduction approach should be applied for further studies to control the growth and spread of bark decay fungi on the trunks wrapped with sticky roll traps.