• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.111 no.1
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• pp.61-71
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• 2022

Data from an investigation of vulnerable conifer species in the subalpine zone in Korea obtained by the Korea Forest Service in 2017-2018 and monitoring research conducted by the National Institute of Forest Science since 2014 were used to analyze the status of distribution and growing condition of three major conifer species (Abies nephrolepis, Abies koreana, and Picea jezoensis) in the subalpine zone in the Baekdudaegan protected area. The distribution area of the studied species in the Baekdudaegan protected area was ca. 74% (8,035 ha) of the total distribution area in Korea, indicating that Baekdudaegan is a core area for conservation and restoration of subalpine conifer species. From decline index [A. nephrolepis in Mt. Taebaeksan and Mt. Deogyusan increased by 77.3% and 29.6%, respectively; A. koreana in Mt. Jirisan (Chunwangbong Peak) increased by 45.2% in four years; and P. jezoensis in Mt. Jirisan (Chunwangbong Peak) increased by 47.8% in two years] and seedling frequency (lower frequency of newly recruited seedlings than dead seedlings) results, the studied species are expected to face difficulties in sustainability. In contrast, at Mt. Seseoksan and Chunwangbong Peak in Mt. Jirisan, the health of trees and seedling frequency showed a partial tendency to recover and increase. In addition, we identified the relationship between the decline index and seedling frequency. These results will support the implementation of conservation strategies for vulnerable conifer species in the subalpine zone.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.401-414
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• 2017

Vegetation and landscape characteristics at the three highest summits of Republic of Korea, i.e. Seoraksan, Jirisan and Hallasan, are analyzed on the basis of species composition, physiognomy, vegetation distribution and structure of alpine plants, along with landform, geology, soil and habitat conditions. Dominant high mountain plants at three alpine and subalpine belts contain deciduous broadleaved shrub, Rhododendron mucronulatum var. ciliatum (31.6%), and evergreen coniferous small tree, Pinus pumila (26.3%) at Seoraksan, deciduous broadleaved tree, Betula ermanii (35.3%), evergreen coniferous tree, Picea jezoensis (23.5%) at Jirisan, and evergreen coniferous tree, Abies koreana (22.6%), deciduous broadleaved shrub, Rhododendron mucronulatum var. ciliatum, and Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii (19.4%) at Hallasan, respectively. Presence of diverse landscapes at the peak of Seoraksan, such as shrubland, grassland, dry land along with rocky areas, and open land may be the result of hostile local climate and geology. High proportion of grassland and wetland at the top of Jirisan may related to gneiss-based gentle topography and well developed soil deposits, which are beneficial to keep the moisture content high. Occurrence of grassland, shrubland, dry land, conifer vegetation, and rocky area at the summit of Hallasan may due to higher elevation, unique local climate, as well as volcanic origin geology and soil substrates. Presences of diverse boreal plant species with various physiognomy at alpine and subalpine belts, and wide range of landscapes, including rocky, grassland, shrubland, wetland, and conifer woodland, provide decisive clues to understand the natural history of Korea, and can be employed as an relevant environmental indicator of biodiversity and ecosystem stability.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.42-54
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• 2020

This study aimed to analyze the rate of increase and spread patterns of dead trees of the conifer (Abies koreana and others) in subalpine zones by using the high-resolution aerial images in Jirisan National Park around 10 years ago. Furthermore, factors affecting the death of conifer were identified by analyzing the altitude, topographical information, solar radiation, and moisture environment of the site where the dead trees are located. The number of dead trees per unit area increased by two to five times in the Banyabong peak, Yeongsinbong peak, and Cheonwangbong peak in Jirisan National Park over the past decade. The increase was about 2 times in the Banyabong peak, about 3.9 times in the Yeongsinbong peak, and about 5.2 times in the Cheonwangbong peak, indicating the most notable increase in the Cheonwangbong peak. It is estimated that dead trees commonly occurred in the environments where the soil moisture content was low due to the high slope, amount of evaporation was high due to strong solar radiation as the location faced south, and the soil was dry due to strong solar radiation and short rain retention time. In other words, dead conifer trees in subalpine zones were concentrated in dry location environments, and the tendency was the same more than ten years ago.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.415-424
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• 1994

Community structure, size and age distribution of tree species of the subalpine Korean fir (Abies koreana) forest at the elevation of 1, 400~1, 700m were strudied in the north-west side of Chonwangbong Peak (1915m) in Mt. Chiri for the purpose of better understanding of the population dynamics of Abies koreana. Eight 20m X 20m permanent quadrats were established in 1991, and trees $\geq$ 2.5cm DBH for all species were marked with numbered aluminum tag, and saplings of Korean fir and Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) were also tagged with aluminum sheet. These two conifer species comprised more than 60% of the total density and total basal area of the community. Quercus mongolica and Acer pseudo-sieboldianum were subdominats. Oridination study showed that cool temperate species such as Sorbus commixta, Betula costata, Acer tschonoskii and Acer ukurunduense occurred in close association with Abies koreana and Pinus koraiensis. Major tree species, especially Abies koreana and Pinus koraiensis, were well represented in samller size classes, indicating that they were regenerating well. Age distributuion of the Abies koreana and Pinus koraiensis showed that the former has longer physiological longevity than the latter, and that establishment were episodic and varied with sites, which implies the importance of the role of natural and artificial disturbances in this Abies kireana forest.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.330-343
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• 2002

To investigate the vegetation structure of mountain ridge from Pijae to Doraegijae in Baekdudaegan, forty-three sites(size 500$m^2$) were set up and surveyed By using TWINSPAN classification. the plant community was divided into five groups, those are mixed forest on sub-alpine zone. Quercus mongolica - Acer pseudo-sieboldianum community, Q. mongolica-Pinus densiflora community, and Larix leptolepis forest. Quercus mongolica was found as a major woody plant species in the ridge area. And partly the subalpine zone in low elevation was occupied by deciduous tree species and mixed a few conifer such as Abies nephrolepis and Taxus cuspidata etc.. Species diversity index(Area 1,000$m^2$) in the showed calculated 2.0149~3.0139 and it was similar to those of the ridge area of the national parks in Beakdudaegan.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.93-99
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• 2001

We have analyzed the pollen sequence since the end of Last Glacial Maximum at Yugawanuma moor The Yugawanuma moor($39^{\circ}15'N$, $140^{\circ}45'E$) is situated in an closed depression of an old landslide about 590m a.s.l. near the boundary between Iwate and Akita Prefecture. The main results are as follows : Five forest zones have been distinguished. \circled1 Y-I zone : Pinus-Picea-Betula zone (the subalpine forest.the end of the Last Glacial Maximum), \circled2 Y-II : Betula zone (the subalpine forest.the Late Glacial), \circled3 Y-III : Quercus-Betula-Ulmus/Zelkova zone (the lower subalpine or the upper montane forest.R I), \circled4 Y-IV : Fagus zone (the cool temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest.R II), \circled5 Y-V : Fagus-Quercus-Cryptomeria zone (the mixed forest conifer and deciduous broad-leaved forest.R III).

• Proceedings of The Korean Society of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Conference
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• 2019.08a
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• pp.232-233
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• 2019

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.661-670
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• 2017

50-year tree-ring ${\delta}^{18}O$ chronologies (1966~2015) for principle conifer tree species (Taxus cuspidata, Pinus koraiensis, Abies koreana) and Quercus mongolica at subalpine zone in Mt. Jiri were established. The establishing of tree-ring ${\delta}^{18}O$ chronologies for each tree species were fulfilled using four trees, which showed the good result in cross-dating. In the comparisons between tree-ring ${\delta}^{18}O$ chronologies within the same tree species all tree species showed reliable results statistically (p < 0.001), and they also showed EPS higher than 0.85. In addition to, the reliable correlations (p < 0.001) were verified between tree-ring ${\delta}^{18}O$ chronologies of four tree species, as well. In the response function analysis in order to investigate the relationships between tree-ring ${\delta}^{18}O$ chronologies and corresponding climatic factors, i.e., monthly precipitation and mean temperature, T. cuspidata showed a negative correlation with May precipitation (p < 0.05) and A. koreana showed a negative correlation with April precipitation (p < 0.05). If long tree-ring ${\delta}^{18}O$ chronologies of T. cuspidata and A. koreana will be established, it will be possible to reconstruct April and May precipitation in the past when we have no the meteorological data.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.277-285
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• 2019

This study was conducted to understand the growth characteristics of Picea jezoensis that was one of representative subalpine species in Korea, in the light of the effects of wind and micro-topography in its habitats on Mt. Deogyu, Korea. The prevailing wind directions were southwest and west at the study sites. We randomly selected P. jezoensis (height ≥ 1.5 m) on windward, intermediate, and leeward slopes and measured diameter at breast height (DBH), height, crown length by 8 directions in upper, middle and lower sectors of the crown. We examined the micro-topography of P. jezoensis stood on and classified it into 3 types: type 1 was mounded and fully exposed to surrounding environments without neighboring trees; type 2 was somewhat wind-protected by surrounding rocks, but no neighboring vegetation; type 3 was on gentle slope or flat where P. jezoensis grew with neighboring trees or shrubs. The ratios of height to DBH, and estimated crown growth to actual crown growth (hereafter crown growth ratio) were compared among the three types of micro-topography on windward, intermediate and leeward sites. The height growth per DBH and crown growth ratio in the upper and middle crowns were the smallest on the windward site, and the highest on the leeward site (p < 0.01). The crown growth ratio on type 1 on the windward site was only 46% of that on type 3 on the leeward site. Although on the same windward slope, trees on type 1 had more deformed crown shapes than that on Type 3, showing asymmetric crown cross-sectional areas. Wind and micro-topography played critical roles on the crown growth of P. jezoensis.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.196-206
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• 2020

Background: The Himalayan forests are of great importance to sustain the nature and community resource demands. These forests are facing pressures both from anthropogenic activities and ongoing global climatic changes. Poor natural regeneration has been considered a major problem in mountainous forests. To understand the population structure and regeneration status of Larix (Larix griffithiana and Larix himalaica), we conducted systematic vegetation surveys in three high-altitude valleys namely Ghunsa (Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, KCA), Langtang (Langtang National Park, LNP), and Tsum (Manaslu Conservation Area, MCA) in Nepal Himalaya. The average values of diameter at breast height (DBH), height, and sapling height were compared for three sites and two species using Kruskal-Wallis test. Population structure was assessed in terms of proportion of seedlings, saplings, and trees. Regeneration was analyzed using graphical representation of frequencies of seedlings, saplings, and trees in histograms. Results: The results showed that the population structure of Larix in terms of the proportion of seedling, sapling, and tree varied greatly in the three study areas. KCA had the highest record of seedling, sapling, and tree compared to other two sites. Seedlings were the least among three forms and many plots were without seedlings. We found no seedling in MCA study plots. The plot level average DBH variation among sites was significant (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 7.813, df = 2, p = 0.02) as was between species (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 5.9829, df = 1, p = 0.014). Similarly, the variation in average tree height was significant (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 134.23, df = 2, p < 0.001) among sites as well as between species (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 128.01, df = 1, p < 0.001). All the sites showed reverse J-shaped curve but more pronounced for KCA and MCA. In comparing the two species, Larix griffithiana has clear reverse J-shaped diameter distribution but not Larix himalaica. Conclusion: The varied responses of Larix manifested through regeneration status from spatially distinct areas show that regeneration limitations might be more pronounced in the future. In all the three studied valleys, regeneration of Larix is found to be problematic and specifically for Larix griffithiana in MCA and Larix himalaica in LNP. To address the issues of disturbances, especially serious in LNP, management interventions are recommended to sustain the unique Himalayan endemic conifer.