• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.145-152
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• 2018

Quantification of Carbon stock has become in the contest of changing climate and mitigation potential of forests. Two different forest types, Dry Shiwalik Sal Forest and Moist Shiwalik Sal Forest in Barkot and Lachchiwala of Doon Valley, Western Himalaya are selected for the study. Volume equations, destructive sampling and laboratory analysis are done to estimate the carbon stock in different carbon pools like trees, shrubs, herbs and soils. Considerable variations are observed in terms of carbon stocks in different forest types. In Dry Shiwalik Sal Forest, carbon stock density varied between 129.81 and $136.00MgCha^{-1}$ while in Moist Shiwalik Sal Forest, carbon stock density ranged from 222.29 to $271.67MgCha^{-1}$. Tree species like Shorea robusta, Syzigium cumini, Miliusa velutina, Acacia catechu, and Mallotus philippensis had significant role in carbon sequestration. Shorea robusta had contributed highest in carbon stock due to highest density. Total of 2,338,280.165 Mg carbon stock was estimated in all the forest types.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.137-142
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• 2016

To achieve large-scale carbon removals, a carbon offset project based on forest management was designed and its carbon stock change was estimated in this study. The project was designed for 874 hectares of forests in the Jin-An Leading Forest Management Zone. For estimating the carbon stock change of the project, the Korean Forest Carbon Standard and VCS (Verified Carbon Standard) methodologies were applied. Three types of management options were considered in the project : extension of rotation age, conversion to productive forests, and conversion to selective harvesting. The estimated carbon removals from the project designed in this study were $259,936tCO_2$ ($8,664tCO_2$ annually), which is 98% of estimated carbon removals from the entire 69 projects currently registered to the Forest Carbon Offset Registry in Korea. The results of this study showed that a large-scale carbon offset project based on forest management could have a huge potential to produce carbon offset credits.

• Atmosphere
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.61-72
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• 2023

Accurate estimation of forest carbon stocks is important in establishing greenhouse gas reduction plans. In this study, we estimate the spatial distribution of forest carbon stocks using machine learning techniques based on high-resolution remote sensing data and detailed field survey data. The high-resolution remote sensing data used in this study are Landsat indices (EVI, NDVI, NDII) for monitoring vegetation vitality and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data for describing topography. We also used the forest growing stock data from the National Forest Inventory (NFI) for estimating forest biomass. Based on these data, we built a model based on machine learning methods and optimized for Korean forest types to calculate the forest carbon stocks per grid unit. With the newly developed estimation model, we created forest carbon stocks maps and estimated the forest carbon stocks in South Korea. As a result, forest carbon stock in South Korea was estimated to be 432,214,520 tC in 2020. Furthermore, we estimated the loss of forest carbon stocks due to the Donghae-Uljin forest fire in 2022 using the forest carbon stock map in this study. The surrounding forest destroyed around the fire area was estimated to be about 24,835 ha and the loss of forest carbon stocks was estimated to be 1,396,457 tC. Our model serves as a tool to estimate spatially distributed local forest carbon stocks and facilitates accounting of real-time changes in the carbon balance as well as managing the LULUCF part of greenhouse gas inventories.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.96 no.2
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• pp.208-213
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• 2007

This study is designed to provide forest managers and landowners with tools to estimate the effect of forest management on carbon storage, investigating living tree biomass, detritus, and harvested wood products as variables. Thinning, selection cutting, and uncutting were applied to the three different forest types in New York, USA. Carbon storage of the original stands was 90, 56, and $101Mg\;ha^{-1}$ at the Allegheny hardwood forest, Northern hardwood forest, and Oak - black cherry forest, respectively. Among treatments, uncutting generally stored the greatest amount carbon. However, the rate of carbon storage was the smallest at the uncut treatment in all the sites. The 50% thinning, 50% selection, and 50% thinning treatments were the highest rate of carbon storage at the Allegheny hardwood forest, Northern hardwood forest, and Oak - cherry forest, respectively. In this study, only short term was applied to simulate carbon sequestration after silvicultural treatment. So, more research is needed to determine whether any silvicultural treatment can store significantly more carbon than no treatment over the long term.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.302-310
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• 2016

The loss and degradation in tropical forest region are some of the current global concern. Hence, these issues elevated the role of rehabilitated forests in providing ecological products and services. The information on the carbon stock is important in relation to global carbon and biomass use, but lacking from the tropical region. This paper reports the assessment of tree and soil carbon stock in a chronosequence rehabilitated tropical forest stands in Malaysia. The study site was at the UPM-Mitsubishi Forest Rehabilitation Project, UPMKB. $20{\times}20m$ plot was established each and assessed in 2009 at 1-, 10- and 19-year-old sites while an adjacent ${\pm}23-year-old$ natural regenerating secondary forest plot was established for comparison. The overall total carbon stock was in the order of 19-year-old>${\pm}23-year-old$>10-year-old>1-year-old. When forest carbon stock is low, the soil component plays an important role in the carbon storage. The forest carbon recovery is crucial to increase soil carbon stock. The variations in the carbon stock showed the different stages of the forest recovery. Species survived after 19-years of planting are potential species for carbon sequestration activities in rehabilitated forest. Human intervention in rehabilitating degraded forest areas through tree planting initiatives is crucial towards recovering the forest ecological role especially in forest carbon stock capacity.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.257-265
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• 2015

For estimating a net removal of carbon dioxides from a forest carbon offset project, it is necessary to consider secondary emissions occurred from the use of machineries or vehicles. According to the forest carbon standard in Korea, a default rate (5%) could be applied for estimating secondary emissions of small projects, which provide annual net removals less than or equal to $600tCO_2$, while secondary emissions should be estimated for larger projects with field survey. In this study, we intended to develop a methodology for estimating the secondary emission of a forest carbon project. For this purpose, we analyzed the working process and the carbon emissions of the forest management activities for major tree species in Korea. Based on the developed methodology, we estimated the secondary carbon emission of a reforestation project. The result showed that the secondary carbon emission of a reforestation project was estimated between 0.42% and 1.19 % compared to net removals, that is to say that the current default rate in the forest carbon standard could give an overestimated secondary emission.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.425-436
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• 2015

The carbon cycle came into the spotlight due to the climate change and forests are well-known for their capacity to store carbon amongst other terrestrial ecosystems. The annual organic carbon of litter production, forest floor litter layer, soil, aboveground and belowground part of plant, standing biomass, net primary production, uptake of organic carbon, soil respiration, etc. were measured in Mt. Worak in order to understand the production and carbon budget of Quercus serrata forest that are widely spread in the central and southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The total amount of organic carbon of Q. serrata forest during the study period (2010-2013) was 130.745 ton C ha^-1. The aboveground part of plant, belowground part of plant, forest floor litter layer, and organic carbon in soil was 50.041, 12.510, 4.075, and 64.119 ton C ha^-1, respectively. The total average of carbon fixation in plants from photosynthesis was 4.935 ton C ha^-1 yr^-1 and organic carbon released from soil respiration to microbial respiration was 3.972 ton C ha^-1 yr^-1. As a result, the net ecosystem production of Q. serrata forest estimated from carbon fixation and soil respiration was 0.963 ton C ha^-1 yr^-1. Therefore, it seems that Q. serrata forest can act as a sink that absorbs carbon from the atmosphere. The carbon uptake of Q. serrata forest was highest in stem of the plant and the research site had young forest which had many trees with small diameter at breast height (DBH). Consequentially, it seems that active matter production and vigorous carbon dioxide assimilation occurred in Q. serrata forest and these results have proven to be effective for Q. serrata forest to play a role as carbon storage and NEP.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.103 no.1
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• pp.137-146
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• 2014

We have developed the Forest Carbon Sink Index on afforestation and reforestation activities, a regulation stated in article 26 of the 'Law on the maintenance and enhancement of carbon sink (Carbon Sink Law)', which took effect on March, 2013. According to the legal purpose to evaluate the performance of individual forest carbon offset projects and to compare each other at a certain point, values of the forest carbon sink index were calculated by the scoring method. Three criteria were established based on the Carbon Sink Law: 'Carbon' (real greenhouse gas reduction), 'Human' (socio-economic effect) and 'Nature' (environmental effect). Continuously, 9 indicators from the three criteria were selected by top-down approach; the adequacy of each criteria and indicators were reviewed through on-line Delphi survey; and finally weighted value of each criteria and indicators were assigned. To reflect the characteristics of the domestic forest carbon offset projects, which focus on corporate social responsibility-typed projects, we applied the score weighting method to minimize gaps among criteria and ones among indicators. After applying our newly developed forest carbon sink index to five domestic forest carbon offset projects, we could confirm that the criteria of 'Human' and 'Nature', which criteria are in relatively low weight, can play a role as an actual incentive to reduce negative socio-economic and environmental impacts. Based on performance evaluation of the five forest carbon offset project by the forest carbon sink index, the best or good performance project developers could be rewarded, and further the performance evaluation would work as an incentive to stimulate the involvement of domestic project developers in the field of forest carbon offset project.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.390-399
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• 2019

Background: The Northern Hemisphere forest ecosystem is a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide, and the subalpine zone stores large amounts of carbon; however, their magnitude and distribution of stored carbon are still unclear. Results: To clarify the carbon distribution and carbon budget in the subalpine zone at volcanic Jeju Island, Korea, we report the C stock and changes therein owing to vegetation form, litter production, forest floor, and soil, and soil respiration between 2014 and 2016, for three subalpine forest ecosystems, namely, Abies koreana forest, Taxus cuspidata forest, and Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii forest. Organic carbon distribution of vegetation and NPP were bigger in the A. koreana forest than in the other two forests. However, the amount of soil organic carbon distribution was the highest in the J. chinensis var. sargentii forest. Compared to the amount of organic carbon distribution (AOCD) of aboveground vegetation (57.15 t C ha^-1) on the subalpine-alpine forest in India, AOCD of vegetation in the subalpine forest in Mt. Halla was below 50%, but AOCD of soil in Mt. Halla was higher. We also compared our results of organic carbon budget in subalpine forest at volcanic island with data synthesized from subalpine forests in various countries. Conclusions: The subalpine forest is a carbon reservoir that stores a large amount of organic carbon in the forest soils and is expected to provide a high level of ecosystem services.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.27-33
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• 2015

Forest ecosystem is considered as an important stepping stone to minimize the impact of climate change. However, the rapid urbanization has caused fragmentation of forest ecosystem. The fragmentation of forest patch results in edge effect which brings about adverse impacts on forest function and structure. Degradation of forest ecosystem decreases carbon sequestration because edge effect reduces productivity. Therefore, we analyzed the impact of forest edge effect on forest ecosystem carbon stock change in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. We used connectivity analysis to determine forest edge and core area. The field study sites were selected with considering forest age, density, class and soil type. Secondly, forest carbon stock was calculated with allometric equation. The soil carbon stock was derived from Walkely-Black method. Lastly, Mann-Whitney test was conducted to validate differences between carbon stock in edge and core area. As a result of study, the connectivity analysis was effective to determine forest edge and core. The core and edge of forest patch showed different composition of tree species and soil properties. Carbon stock per tree in the edge area was lower than that in the core area. However, the difference of soil organic carbon content between the edge and core were relatively small. This assessment can be applied for the conservation of forest patch as well as quantitative assessment on the forest carbon stock change caused by fragmentation.