• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.143-150
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• 2003

Korea has plentiful precipitation but rainfall events concentrate on several months of rainy season in her weather condition. Korea, therefore, experiences drought for a given period every year. Moreover the soil has usually low water holding capacity, as it is composed coarse particles originated from the granite. Response of several oaks and the Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) on water stress showed that water budget was significant factor determining vegetation distribution. In addition, dehydration level due to cold resistance mechanism of several evergreen plants during the winter season was closely related to their distribution in natural condition. Experimental result under water stress showed that the Korean red pine was very tolerant to desiccation but the seedlings showed high mortality during the dry season. The mortality tended to proportionate to soil moisture content of each site. A comparison between soil moisture content during June when it is severe dry season and moisture content of the culture soil when the pine seedlings reached the permanent wilting point due to water withheld proved that high mortality during the dry season was due to water deficit. Water potential of sample plants measured during the exposure experiment to the air pollutant showed a probability that water related factors would dominate the occurrence of visible damage and the tolerance level of sample plants. In both field survey and laboratory experiment, plants exposed to air pollution showed more rapid transpiration than those grown in the unpolluted condition. The result would due to injury of leaf surface by air pollutants. Aluminum (Al/sup 3+/) increased in the acid soil not only inhibits root growth but also leads to abnormal distribution of root system and thereby caused water stress. The water stresses due to air pollution and soil acidification showed a possibility that they play dominating roles in inducing forest decline additionally to the existing water deficit due to weather and soil conditions in Korea. Sludge, which can contribute to improve field capacity, as it is almost composed of organic matter, showed an effect ameliorating the retarded growth of plant in the acidified soil. The effect was not less than that of dolomite known in widely as such a soil ameliorator. Litter extract contributed also to mitigate the water stress due to toxic Al/sup 3+/. We prepared a model showing the potential interaction of multiple stresses, which can cause forest decline in Korea by synthesizing those results. Furthermore, we suggested restoration plans, which can mitigate such forest decline in terms of soil amelioration and vegetation restoration.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.210-218
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• 2018

Background: Soil respiration (Rs) is a major factor of the absorption and accumulation of carbon through photosynthesis in the ecosystem carbon cycle. This directly affects the amount of net ecosystem productivity, which affects the stability and sustainability of the ecosystem. Understanding the characteristics of Rs is indispensable to scientifically understand the carbon cycle of ecosystems. It is very important to study Rs characteristics through analysis of environmental factors closely related to Rs. Rs is affected by various environmental factors, such as temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, litter supply, organic matter content, dominant plant species, and soil disturbance. This study was conducted to analyze the effects of micro-topographical differences on Rs in forest vegetation by measuring the Rs on the ridge and southern slope sites of the broadly established Quercus mongolica forest in the central Korean area. Method: Rs, Ts, and soil moisture data were collected at the southern slope and ridge of the Q. mongolica forest in the Mt. Jeombong area in order to investigate the effects of topographical differences on Rs. Rs was collected by the closed chamber method, and data collection was performed from May 2011 to October 2013, except Winter seasons from November to April or May. For collecting the raw data of Rs in the field, acrylic collars were placed at the ridge and southern slope of the forest. The accumulated surface litter and the soil organic matter content (SOMC) were measured to a 5 cm depth. Based on these data, the Rs characteristics of the slope and ridge were analyzed. Results: Rs showed a distinct seasonal variation pattern in both the ridge and southern slope sites. In addition, Rs showed a distinct seasonal variation with high and low Ts changes. The average Rs measurements for the two sites, except for the Winter periods that were not measured, were $550.1\;mg\;CO_2m^{-2}h^{-1}$ at the ridge site and $289.4\;mg\;CO_2m^{-2}h^{-1}$ at the southern slope, a difference of 52.6%. There was no significant difference in the Rs difference between slopes except for the first half of 2013, and both sites showed a tendency to increase exponentially as Ts increased. In addition, although the correlation is low, the difference in Rs between sites tended to increase as Ts increased. SMC showed a large fluctuation at the southern slope site relative to the ridge site, as while it was very low in 2013, it was high in 2011 and 2012. The accumulated litter of the soil surface and the SOMC at the depth range of 0~5 cm were $874g\;m^{-2}$ and 23.3% at the ridge site, and $396g\;m^{-2}$ and 19.9% at the southern slope site. Conclusions: In this study, Rs was measured for the ridge and southern slope sites, which have two different results where the surface litter layer is disturbed by strong winds. The southern slope site shows that the litter layer formed in autumn due to strong winds almost disappeared, and while in the ridge site, it became thick due to the transfer of litter from the southern slope site. The mean Rs was about two times higher in the ridge site compared to that in the southern slope site. The Rs difference seems to be due to the difference in the amount of litter accumulated on the soil surface. As a result, the litter layer supplied to the soil surface is disturbed due to the micro-topographical difference, as the slope and the change of the community structure due to the plant season cause heterogeneity of the litter layer development, which in turn affects SMC and Rs. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce and understand these micro-topographical features and mechanisms when quantifying and analyzing the Rs of an ecosystem.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2017

The objective of this study was to determine the growth characteristics of cool (C1) and warm season grasses (C2) in pastures mixed with C1 and C2 at an altitude of 400 m in Jeju island to establishing pasture suitable for grazing horses and to evaluate the effect of pastures mixed with tall and short type grasses on the intake characteristics of horses. C1 used in this study was Kentucky bluegrass, redtop (short type grass) and tall type grasses were orchardgrass and tall fescue, respectively. Treatments of this study were consisted of four groups and the short type grass used in pastures mixed with C1 and C2 was mainly bermudagrass. Four treatment groups were follow as; Treatment 1 (bermudagrass + Kentucky bluegrass + redtop) 2) Treatment 2 (bermudagrass + tall fescue + orchardgrass) 3) Treatment 3 (Kentucky bluegrass + redtop) 4) Treatment 4 (tall fescue + orchardgrass). Bermudagrass was a little winter killing and inhibition of plant growth at an altitude of 400 m. Plant heights in pastures mixed with C1 and C2 were grown better than that in pastures mixed with C1. Especially, plant height in Treatment 4 was higher than other treatments. Dry matter yield was in the following order: Treatment 4> Treatment 3> Treatment 2> Treatment 1. Dry matter yield in pastures mixed with C1 increased as compared with pastures mixed with C1 and C2. Dry matter yield in Treatment 3 was higher than other treatments. In the first investigation regarding vegetation distribution, bermudagrass ratios among grasses in Treatment 1 and Treatment 2 were 11.7 and 13.3%, respectively. The growth of bermudagrass in winter was low due to the cold damage. However the growth of Kentucky bluegrass, redtop, tall fescue and orchardgrass was good. In the second investigation, bermudagrass ratios among grasses in Treatment 1 and Treatment 2 were 5.0 and 11.7%, respectively. Growth of forage in the second investigation was poor as compared to the first investigation. nutritive values(crude protein content, neutral detergent fiber content, acid detergent fiber content, digestibility) were good in pastures mixed with C1 Especially, nutritive values in pastures mixed with tall was higher than those of pastures mixed short grasses. P content among minerals in Treatment 1 was higher than other groups. However, the content of Ca, Mg and Mn were lower. The contents of Ca, K, Mg, Na, Cu, Zn and Fe in Treatment 2 were higher. However, the contents of K, Mg, Na, Cu, Zn and Fe in Treatment 3 were lower. Therefore, we suggest that cool season grasses with short grasses were sowed to establishing pasture suitable for grazing horses at an altitude of 400 m in Jeju island.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.219-229
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• 2013

This research is performed in order to suggest seasonal effective research time that is applied to wild birds research which lives in a forest. The subject area of this research is Mulgun-ri village forest in Samdong-Myeon, Namhe-gun. To investigate suitability of the project, existing land-use, existing vegetation, vegetational structure, and etc. of the subject and whole area are figured out. To suggest adequate research time, based on seasonal sun rise and set time for 3days, repetitive research is performed at hourly intervals. The subject area is connected with a forest and is possible for forest wild birds to flows in and provides various habitats and feeding areas. And also the subject area is a appropriate area for wild birds research and is like a natural forest in that a layer structure development of the forest itself, a distribution of Zelkova serrata and Aphananthe aspera and so on. 105 species which is observed in subject area are categorized and mountain birds are classified. After time-based peak value is selected in each season, hourly species richness, diversity, and index of similarity are analyzed as compared with the appearing number of species and individual bird. As a result, 7~11 hour is the most effective time in spring, and 8~9 hour is the best time. In summer, 6~9 hour is the most appropriate time when whole appearing species are similar to species structure. In fall, 7~11(30~60 minutes after sun rise) when wild birds movements are vigorous is analyzed easy to observe and 8~9 hour is the most appropriate research time because each analysis shows the best values. In winter, 7~12 hour is the most effective time although 10~11 hour is the best time but it is decided that similar results are drawn because hourly deviation is not so big except 1 hour before sun rise. In every four season, it is decided that 30~60 minutes after sun rise is appropriate to research a group of wild birds in the subject area.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.355-366
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• 1994

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of water quality and the patterns of self-purification with season in Gokneung stream. The vegetation in the ecosystem around Gokneung stream was dominated by Quercus species. In the physicochemical analysis based on the contents of DO, BOD, conductivity and total phosphorus, the upstream seemed to have been polluted, but the downstream was self-purified. In biological investigation by bentic macroinvertebrates, the result was similar to that in the physicochemical analysis. The self-purification constant based on BOD of the upstream, 1.013, was the highest. In the self-purification constants with month, that of September was 0.995 and that of January was 0.272. These results indicated that the self purification capacities of spring and autumn were larger than those of winter and summer in Gokneung stream.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.45-72
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• 2005

C. neoformans-associated cryptococcosis is primarily a disease of immunocompromised persons, has a world-wide distribution, and is often spread by pigeons in the urban environment. In contrast, C. gattii causes infection in normal hosts, has only been described in tropical and semi-tropical areas of the world, and has a unique niche in river gum Eucalyptus trees. Cryptococcosis is acquired through inhalation of the yeast propagules from the environment. C. gattii has been identified as the cause of an emerging infectious disease centered on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. No cases of C. gattii-disease were diagnosed prior to 1999; the current incidence rate is 36 cases per million population. A search was initiated in 2001 to find the ecological niche of this basidiomycetous yeast. C. gaftii was found in the environment in treed areas of Vancouver Island. The highest percentage of colonized-tree clusters were found around central Vancouver Island, with decreasing rates of colonization to the north and south. Climate, soil and vegetation cover of this area, called the Coastal Douglas fir biogeoclimatic zone, is unique to British Columbia and Canada. The concentration of airborne C. gattii was highest in the dry summer months, and lowest during late fall, winter, and early spring, months which have heavy rainfall. The study of the emerging colonization of this organism and subsequent cases of environmentally acquired disease will be informative in planning public health management of new routes of exposure to exotic agents in areas impacted by changing climate and land use patterns. Cryptococcosis is an infection associated with an encapsulated, basidiomycetous yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. The route of entry for this organism is through the lungs, with possible systemic spread via the circulatory system to the brain and meninges. There are four cryptococcal serogroups associated with disease in humans and animals, distinguished by capsular polysaccharide antigens. Cryptococcus neoformans: variety grubii (serotype A), variety neoformans (serotype D), and variety gattii (serotypes B and C) (Franzot et at. 1999). C. neoformans variety gattii has recently been elevated to species status, C. gattii. C. neoformans val. grubii and var. neoformans have a world-wide distribution, and are particularly associated with soil and weathered bird droppings. In contrast, C. gattii (CG) is not associated with bird excrement, is primarily found in tropical and subtropical climates, and has a restricted environmental niche associated with specific tree species. (Ellis & Pfiffer 1990) Ellis and Pfeiffer theorize that, as a basidiomycete, CG requires an association with a tree in order to become pathogenic to mammals. In Australia, CG has been found to be associated with five species of Eucalypts, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis, E. blakelyi, E. gomphocephala, and E. rudis. Eucalypts, although originally native to Australia, now have a world-wide distribution. CG has been found associated with imported eucalypts in India, California, Brazil, and Egypt. In addition, in Brazil and Columbia, where eucalypts have been naturalized, native trees have been shown to harbour CG (Callejas et al. 1998; Montenegro et al. 2000). In British Columbia, Canada, since the beginning of 1999, there have been 120 confirmed cases of cryptococcal mycoses associated with CG in humans, including 4 fatalities (data from British Columbia Centre for Disease Control), and over 200 cases in animal pets in BC (data from Central Laboratory for Veterinarians). What is remarkable about the BC outbreak of C. gattii-cryptococcosis is that all of the cases have been residents of, or visitors to, a narrow area along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, BC, from the tip of the island in the south (Victoria) to Courtenay on the north-central island as illustrated in Figure 1. Of the first 38 human cases, 58% were male with a mean age of 59.7 years (range 20 - 82): 36 cases (95%) were Caucasian. Ten cases (26%) presented with meningitis, the remainder presented with respiratory symptoms. Cultures recovered from cases of cryptococcosis associated with the outbreak were typed as serogroup B, which is specific to CG (Bartlett et al. 2003). This was the first reported outbreak of CVG in Canada, or indeed, the world. Where infection with CG is endemic, for example, Australia, the incidence of cryptococcosis ranges from 1.8 - 4.7 per million between the southern and northern states (Sorrell 2001). However, the overall incidence of cryptococcosis in immunocompenent individuals has been estimated at 0.2 per million population per year (Kwon-Chung et al. 1984). The population of Vancouver Island is approximately 720,000,consequently, even if the organism were endemic, one would expect a maximum of 0.15 cases of cryptococcal disease annually.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 1993

This research aims to investigate some respects of chemical weathering processes, espcially the amount of solute leaching, formation of clay minerals, and the chemical weathering rate of granite rocks under present climatic conditions. For this purpose, I investigated geochemical mass balance in a small catchment and the mineralogical composition of weathered bedrocks including clay mineral assemblages at four res-pective sites along one slope. The geochemical mass blance for major elements of rock forming minerals was calculated from precipitation and streamwater data which are measured every week for one year. The study area is a climatically and litholo-gically homogeneous small catchment($3.62Km^2$)in Anyang-shi, Kyounggi-do, Korea. The be-drock of this area id Anyang Granite which is composed of coarse-giained, pink-colored miner-als. Main rock forming minerals are quartz, K-Feldspar, albite, and muscovite. One of the chracteristics of this granite rock is that its amount of Ca and Mg is much lower than other granite rock. The leaching pattern in the weathering profiles is in close reltion to the geochemical mass balance. Therefore the removal or accumulation of dissolved materials shows weathering patterns of granite in the Korean peninsula. Oversupplied ions into the drainage basin were $H^+$, $K^+$, Fe, and Mn, whereas $Na^2+$, $Mg^2+$, $Ca^2+$, Si, Al and $HCO-3^{-}$ were removed from the basin by the stream. The consumption of hydrogen ion in the catchment implies the hydrolysis of minerals. The surplus of $K^+$ reflects that vegetation is in the aggravation stage, and the nutrient cycle of the forest in study area did not reach a stable state. And it can be also presumed that the accumulation of $K^+$ in the top soil is related to the surplus of $K^+$. Oversupplied Fe and Mn were presumed to accumulate in soil by forming metallic oxide and hydroxide. In the opposite, the removal of $Na^+$, Si, Al resulted from the chemical weathering of albite and biotite, and the amount of removal of $Na^+$, Si, Al reflected the weathering rate of the bedrock. But $Ca^2+$ and $Mg^2+$ in stream water were contaminated by the scattered calcareous structures over the surface. Kaolinite is a stable clay mineral under the present environment by the thermodynamical analysis of the hydrogeochemical data and Tardy's Re value. But this result was quite different from the real assemblage of clay miner-als in soil and weathered bedrock. This differ-ence can be explained by the microenvironment in the weathering profile and the seasonal variation of climatic factors. There are different clay forming environments in the stydy area and these differences originate from the seasonal variation of climate, especially the flushing rate in the weathering profile. As it can be known from the results of the analysis of thermodynamic stability and characteristics of geochemical mas balance, the climate during winter and fall, when it is characterized by the low flushing rate and high solute influx, shows the environmental characteristics to from 2:1 clay minerals, such as illite, smectite, vermiculite and mixed layer clay minerals which are formed by neoformation or transformation from the primary or secondary minerals. During the summer and spring periods, kaoli-nite is a stable forming mineral. However it should consider that the other clay minerals can transformed into kaolinite or other clay minerals, because these periods have a high flushing rte and temperature. Materials which are directly regulated by chemical weathering in the weathered bedrock are $Na^+$, Si, and Al. The leaching of Al is, however, highly restricted and used to form a clay mineral, and that of Si falls under the same category. $Na^+$ is not taked up by growing veget ation, and fixed in the weathering profile by forming secondary minerals. Therefore the budget of $Na^+$ is a good indicator for the chemical weathering rate in the study area. The amount of chemical weathering of granite rocks was about 31.31g/$m^2+$/year based on $Na^+$ estimation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.174-181
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• 1998

In four citrus grow of Satsuma mandarin (rootstock of trifoliate orange) including two grove of organical management and two groves of conventional management, spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) fungi were identified and seasonal changes in spore density in soils and AM colonization of citrus roots were investigated. AM colonization in weeds found in the groves were also examined. Three species of Glomus (G.deserticola, G. vesiculiferum, G. rubiforme ) and one unknown species of Acaulospora were observed in all of the groves. Annual mean density of AM fungal spores were in the range of 10,000${\sim}$40,000 per 100g soil with more spores in the organically-managed groves. The least spores were observed in December in all groves, and the most spores in April in the organically-managed groves while in February or April in the conventionally- managed. Annual mean AM colonization more 27% of citrus root were observed in the organically-managed with the high peaks in April and October and the minimum in August, while mean colonization less than 15% in the conventionally-managed with the peak in February and the minimum in different times depending on groves and years. AM colonization corresponded to a sigmoidal curve consisting of a laf phase during winter and a subsequent increase in spring, then succeeded by a maximum, and then a decrease at the end of vegetation. Fungal spore density and AM colonization showed a parallel pattern during the sample period. The seasonality appeared to be related more to the phenology of the plant than to the soil factors. Generally more spore density and AM colonization were found in organically managed groves. AM colonization was not correlated with available P and organic matter content in soil in this field investigation. Among sixteen weed species found in the groves, Astrogalus sinicus of Leguminosae, Portulaca oleracea of Portulacaceae showed high colonization in all groves and they can be considered as a source of inoculumn and host plants for propagation of AM fungi.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.237-251
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• 2011

This study presents a review on the recent climate change over the Korean peninsula, which has experienced a significant change due to the human-induced global warming more strongly than other regions. The recent measurement of carbon dioxide concentrations over the Korean peninsula shows a faster rise than the global average, and the increasing trend in surface temperature over this region is much larger than the global mean trend. Recent observational studies reporting the weakened cold extremes and intensified warm extremes over the region support consistently the increase of mean temperature. Surface vegetation greenness in spring has also progressed relatively more quickly. Summer precipitation over the Korean peninsula has increased by about 15% since 1990 compared to the previous period. This was mainly due to an increase in August. On the other hand, a slight decrease in the precipitation (about 5%) during Changma period (rainy season of the East Asian summer monsoon), was observed. The heavy rainfall amounts exhibit an increasing trend particularly since the late 1970s, and a consecutive dry-day has also increased primarily over the southern area. This indicates that the duration of precipitation events has shortened, while their intensity became stronger. During the past decades, there have been more stronger typhoons affecting the Korean peninsula with landing more preferentially over the southeastern area. Meanwhile, the urbanization effect is likely to contribute to the rapid warming, explaining about 28% of total temperature increase during the past 55 years. The impact of El Nino on seasonal climate over the Korean peninsula has been well established - winter [summer] temperatures was generally higher [lower] than normal, and summer rainfall tends to increase during El-Nino years. It is suggested that more frequent occurrence of the 'central-Pacific El-Nino' during recent decades may have induced warmer summer and fall over the Korean peninsula. In short, detection and attribution studies provided fundamental information that needed to construct more reliable projections of future climate changes, and therefore more comprehensive researches are required for better understanding of past climate variations.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.503-514
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• 2020

Climate change leads to changes in phenological response and movement of plant habitats. Korea's evergreen broad-leaved forest has widened its distribution area compared for the past 20 years, and the range of its native habitats is moving northward. We analyzed climate indices such as the warmth index, the cold index, the lowest temperature in the coldest month, and the annual average temperature, which are closely related to vegetation distribution, to predict the change in the native habitat of Lauraceae evergreen broad-leaved trees. We also analyzed the change and spatial distribution to identify the habitat climate characteristics of 8 species of Lauraceae evergreen broad-leaved trees distributed in the warm temperate zone in Korea. Moreover, we predicted the natural habitat change in the 21st century according to the climate change scenario (RCP 4.5/8.5), applying the MaxEnt species distribution model. The monthly average climate index of the 8 species of Lauraceae evergreen broad-leaved trees was 116.9±10.8℃ for the temperate index, the cold index 3.9±3.8℃, 1495.7±455.4mm for the annual precipitation, 11.7±3.5 for the humidity index, 14.4±1.1℃ for the annual average temperature, and 1.0±2.1℃ for the lowest temperature of winter. Based on the climate change scenario RCP 4.5, the distribution of the Lauraceae evergreen broad-leaved trees was analyzed to expand to islands of Jeollanam-do and Gyeongsangnam-do, adjacent areas of the west and south coasts, and Goseong, Gangwon-do on the east coast. In the case of the distribution based on the climate change scenario RCP 8.5, it was analyzed that the distribution would expand to all of Jeollanam-do and Gyeongsangnam-do, and most regions except for some parts of Jeollabuk-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and the capital region. For the conservation of Lauraceae evergreen broad-leaved trees to prepare for climate change, it is necessary to establish standards for conservation plans such as in-situ and ex-situ conservation and analyze various physical and chemical characteristics of native habitats. Moreover, it is necessary to preemptively detect changes such as distribution, migration, and decline of Lauraceae evergreen broad-leaved trees following climate change based on phenological response data based on climate indicators and establish conservation management plans.