• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.127-139
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• 2017

Measurements of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of $CO_2$ based on the eddy covariance technique provide reasonable carbon balance estimates in response to local environmental conditions. In South Korea, the forest ecosystems cover approximately 64% of the total area, thereby strongly affecting regional carbon balances. Cultivated croplands that cover about 17% of the total area should also be considered when calculating the carbon balance of the country. In this study, our objectives were (a) to quantify the range and seasonal variation of NEE at forest ecosystems, including deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, and agricultural ecosystems, including rice paddies and a potato field, in South Korea and (b) to compare NEE at ten Fluxnet sites that have the same or similar ecosystems as found in South Korea. The results showed that the forest and agricultural ecosystems were carbon sinks. In Korea, NEE at the forest ecosystems varied between -31 and $-362gC/m^2/yr$, and NEE at the croplands ranged from -210 to $-248gC/m^2/growing$ season. At the deciduous forest, NEE reached low values in late spring, early summer, and early autumn, while at the coniferous forest, it reached low values in spring, early summer, and mid autumn. The young mixed forest was a much stronger carbon sink than the old-growth deciduous and coniferous forests. During each crop growing season, beet had the lowest NEE value within six crops, followed by wither wheat, maize, rice, potato, and soybean. These results will be useful for designing and applying management strategies for the reduction of $CO_2$ emissions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.86 no.3
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• pp.279-287
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• 1997

This study was carried out to identify the analysis of vegetation-environment relationships of the coniferous forests in subalpine districts of Mt. Chiri by two-way indicaton species analysis(TWINSPAN) and CCA. The results are summarized as follows; The subalpine coniferous forest in Mt. Chin was classified Abies koreana community group by the TWINSPAN method. The Abies koreana community group was classified Abies koreana-Pinus densiflora, Abies koreana-Quercus mongolicd and Abies koreana-Picea jezoensis. The Abies koreana-Quercus mongolica community classified into two subcommunities, typical and Pinus koraiensis subcommunity. The Abies koreana-Picea jezoensis community classified into three subcommunities such as typical, Taxus cuspidate and Cornus controversa subcommunity. The subalpine conifers commnities in Mt. Chiri could be classified into six vegetation units, which consisted of three vegetation communities and five subcommunities. The relationship between vegetation community and influencing environmental factors was analyzed by using the CCA ordination method. It was found that altitude, concentrations of $Ca^{++}$ and $Mg^{++}$ in soil were, major environmental variables, which influence the distribution of vegetation community in the first axis, and $Ca^{++}$ and altitude in the second axis. In the relations of communities and environmental factors by CCA, the optimal ecological habitats of Abies koreana-Pinus densiflora community could be located at low elevations, in which $Ca^{++}$ and $Mg^{++}$ are rich. Abies koreana-Quercus mongolica community prefers the sites in mid-elevation zone, in which $Ca^{++}$ and $Mg^{++}$ are medium level in soil. The optimum site for Abies koreana-Pinus koraiensis community and Abies koreana-Taxus cuspidata community could be high elevations in which $Ca^{++}$ and $Mg^{++}$ are poor. Abies koreana-Cornus controversa community is found in the site at low elevations where $Ca^{++}$ and $Mg^{++}$ are medium.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 2015

Forest vegetation of Youngbong (1,094 m) in Woraksan National Park is classified into mountain forest vegetation. Mountain forest vegetation is subdivided into deciduous broad-leaved forest, mountain valley forest, coniferous forest, riparian forest, afforestation and other vegetation. Including 84 communities of mountain forest vegetation and 7 communities of other vegetation, the total of 91 communities were researched; mountain forest vegetation classified by physiognomy classification are 39 communities deciduous broad-leaved forest, 26 communities of mountain valley forest, 6 communities of coniferous forests, 2 communities of riparian forests, 11 afforestation and 7 other vegetation. As for the distribution rate for surveyed main communities, Quercus mongolica, Quercus variabilis communities account for 40.879 percent of deciduous broad leaved forest, Fraxinus mandshurica - Cornus controversa community takes up 25.627 percent of mountain valley forest, Pinus densiflora community holds 75.618 percent of mountain coniferous forest holds. In conclusion, minority species consisting of Quercus mongolica, Pinus densiflora, Quercus variabilis, Fraxinus mandshurica, and Quercus serrata are distributed as dominant species of the uppermost part in a forest vegetation region in Woraksan National Park. In addition, because of vegetation succession and climate factors, numerous colonies formed by the two species are expected to be replaced by Quercus mongolica, Quercus variabilis and Fraxinus mandshurica which are climax species in the area.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.4
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• pp.648-657
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• 2021

This study was conducted to estimate the volume growth by forest type and major species using the national forest resource inventory and to predict the final age of maturity by deriving the mean annual increment (MAI) and the current annual increment (CAI). We estimated the volume growth using the Chapman-Richards model. In the volume estimation equations by forest type, coniferous forests exhibited the highest growth. According to the estimation formula for each major species, Larix kaempferi will grow the highest among coniferous tree species and Quercus mongolica among broad-leaved tree species. And these estimation formulas showed that the fitness index was generally low, such as 0.32 for L. kaempferi and 0.21 for Quercus variabilis. In the analysis of residual amount, which indicates the applicability of the volume estimation formula, the estimates of the estimation formula tended to be underestimated in about 30 years or more, but most of the residuals were evenly distributed around zero. Therefore, these estimation formulas have no difficulty estimating the volume of actual forest species in Korea. The maximum age attained by calculating MAI was 34 years for P. densiflora, 35 years for L. kaempferi, and 31 years for P. rigida among coniferous tree species. In broad-leaved tree species, we discovered that the maximum age was 32 years for Q. variabilis, 30 years for Q. acutissima, and 29 years for Q. mongolica. We calculated MAI and CAI to detect the point at which these two curves intersected. This point was defined by the maximum volume harvesting age. These results revealed no significant difference between the current standard cutting age in public and private forests recommended by the Korea Forest Service, supporting the reliability of forestry policy data.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.139-149
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• 2013

Anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gas concentrations, primarily through radiative forcing from carbon dioxide, continue to challenge earth's climate. This study quantified $CO_2$ storage and uptake by dominant forest types and age classes in the middle region of Korea. In addition, the role of forest landscapes in reducing atmospheric $CO_2$ against $CO_2$ emissions based on energy consumption was evaluated. Mean $CO_2$ storage and uptake per unit area by woody plants for three forest types and four age classes were estimated applying regression equations derived to quantify $CO_2$ storage and uptake per tree; and computations per soil unit area were also performed. Total $CO_2$ storage and uptake by forest landscapes were estimated by extrapolating $CO_2$ storage and uptake per unit area. Results indicated mean $CO_2$ storage per unit area by woody plants and soils was higher in older age classes for the same forest types, and higher in broadleaved than coniferous forests for the same age classes, with the exception of age class II (11-20 years). $CO_2$ storage by broadleaved forests of age class V (41-50 years) averaged 662.0 t/ha (US$331.0 hundred/ha), highest for all forest types and age classes evaluated. Overall, an increased mean $CO_2$ uptake per unit area by woody plants was evident for older age classes for the same forest types. However, decreased $CO_2$ uptake by broadleaved forests at age class V was observed, compared to classes III and IV with an average of 27.9 t/ha/yr (US$14.0 hundred/ha/yr). Total $CO_2$ storage by woody plants and soils in the study area was equivalent to 3.4 times the annual $CO_2$ emissions, and woody plants annually offset the $CO_2$ emissions by 17.7%. The important roles of plants and soils were associated with 39.1% of total forest area in South Korea, and $CO_2$ emissions comprised 62.2% of the total population. Therefore, development of forest lands may change $CO_2$ sinks into sources. Forest landscape management strategies were explored to maintain or improve forest roles in reducing atmospheric $CO_2$ levels.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.56-68
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• 2011

Wet canopy evaporation ($E_{WC}$) has been recognized as a significant component of total evapotranspiration, especially in forests and therefore it is critical to accurately assess $E_{WC}$ to understand forest hydrological cycle. In this review, I focused on the measurement methods and evaluating the magnitudes of $E_{WC}$ at diverse forest types (e.g., deciduous, coniferous, mixed, and rain forests). I also present the general issues to be considered for $E_{WC}$ measurements. The commonly used measurement methods for $E_{WC}$ include the water balance, energy balance, and the Penman-Monteith (PM) methods. The magnitudes of $E_{WC}$ ranged from 5 to 54% of precipitation based on the literature review, showing a large variation even for a similar forest type possibly related to canopy structure, rainfall intensity, and other meteorological conditions. Therefore, it is difficult to draw a general conclusion on the contribution of $E_{WC}$ to evapotranspiration from a particular forest type. Errors can arise from the measurements of precipitation (due to varying wind effect) and throughfall (due to spatial variability caused by canopy structure) for water balance method, the measurements of sensible heat flux and heat storage for energy balance method, and the estimation of aerodynamic conductance and unaccounted sensible heat advection for the PM method. For a reliable estimation of $E_{WC}$, the combination of ecohydrological and micrometeorological methods is recommended.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.206-216
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• 2014

In this study, forest types in Chungheongnam-do were analyzed using Landsat satellite images and digital forest type map as a means to estimate forest carbon stocks. NDVI and Tasseled Cap, ISODATA, and supervised classification among others were used to analyze the forest types. The forest carbon stocks of Chungcheongnam-do were estimated utilizing forest statistical data derived from the classified results. The results indicate that the analysis of forest types through supervised classification yielded the highest overall accuracy in analyzing forest types using satellite images. Coniferous forests(49.3%) accounted for the highest proportion in all the forest types of Chungcheongnam-do, followed by deciduous forests(28.0%) and mixed forests(22.7%). The results of a comparative analysis between forest carbon stocks estimates made using the modified digital forest type map and other estimation methods showed that the method using Tasseled Cap and unsupervised classification yielded the most similar forest carbon stock estimates. The most significant difference, though, was made when only the digital forest type map was used. It is expected that if carbon stocks are estimated by integrating satellite images and digital forest type maps in the future, more accurate results can be derived in estimating forest carbon stocks at a national level.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2001

This study was carried out to examine the recovery of forest ecosystem by changes of soil chemical properties and soil microorganism at the burned areas of coniferous (Mt. Chocdae) and broad leaved forest (Samsinbong in Mt. Chiri). In the soil chemical properties of the burned area of Samsinbong, pH was 5.8, and contents of organic matter, total nitrogen, available P₂O/sub 5/, exchangeable K/sup ＋/, exchangeable Ca/sup ＋＋/ and exchangeable Mg/sup ＋＋/ were 7.42%, 0.73%, 28.5 ㎎/㎏, 1.3 me/100g, 13.3 me/100g and 2.2 me/100g, respectively. But they showed a tendency to decrease with time. In the soil chemical properties of the burned area of Mt. Chocdae, pH was 5.3, and contents of organic matter, total nitrogen, available P2O5, exchangeable K/sup ＋/, exchangeabe Ca/sup ＋＋/ and Exchangeable Mg/sup ＋＋/ were 6.42%, 0.25%, 24.4 ㎎/㎏, 0.7 me/100g, 3.7 me/100g and 2.1 me/100g, respectively, and they also showed a tendency to decrease with time. In contrast, they were not changed with time at the unburned areas. At the burned area of Samsinbong, soil microorganism showed to order of fungi (69×10⁴ CFU), actinomycetes (523×10⁴ CFU) and aerobic bacteria (291×10⁴ CFU), and at the unburned area, showed to order of actinomycetes (745×10⁴ CFU), fungi (594×10⁴ CFUU), and aerobic bacteria (160×10/sup 4/ CFU). At the burned area of Mt. Chocdae, soil microorganism showed to order of fungi (676×10⁴ CFU), actinomycetes (434×10⁴ CFU) and aerobic bacteria (350×10⁴ CFU), and at the unburned area, showed to order of fungi (461 ×10⁴ CFU), aerobic bacteria (328×10⁴ CFU) and actinomycetes (319×10⁴ CFU). Soil microorganisms of the aerobic bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi appeared at the burned areas were much more abundant than unburned areas. The aerobic bacteria appeared at the coniferous forest were also much more than the broad-leaved forest. The actinomycetes and fungi appeared at the broad-leaved forest were much more abundant than the coniferous forest.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.119-129
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• 2013

This study was conducted to predict the changes in forest biomass in different ecoprovinces and forest types under climate change scenario based on cumulative data (i.e., digital forest site and climate maps, National Forest Inventory data) and various prediction models. The results from this study showed that predicted changes over time in biomass varied according to ecoprovince and forest type in Korea. A reduction in biomass was predicted for all forest types associated with the mountain, southeastern hilly, and southwestern hilly ecoprovinces. On the other hand, the biomass was predicted to increase for the coniferous forest and mixed-forest types in the central hilly ecoprovince. Furthermore, increases in biomass are predicted for all forest types, except coniferous forests, in the coastal ecoprovince. The results from this study provide a basis for developing technology to predict forest impacts due to climate change by predicting changes in forest biomass based on the estimation of site index.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.95 no.4
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• pp.501-506
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• 2006

To study the regeneration process of tree species after clear cutting, we investigated the density of seedling occurred after 1 year in the coniferous forest of Sikotuko Hokkaido, northern Japan that was clearcut after windthrow damage due to typhoon. As the results, 25 species of tree seedlings were growing and the density of seedlings and sprouts was $9.8trees/m^2$ ($1.25tres/m^2{\sim}54.44trees/m^2$) in the area of clear cutting. The 87% ($8.6/m^2$) of all seedlings was current seedlings and non-animal dispersal seedlings (average density $7.2tree/m^2$) were about 5 times more than animal-dispersal seedlings ($1.4tree/m^2$). The seedling density was beyond $6tree/m^2$ within 10m and $2{\sim}9tree/m^2$ in 150~250m from a natural forest. Number of non-animal dispersal seedlings were decreased along the distance from a natural forest but there was not such a tendency in animal dispersal seedlings. The variation in seedling density was higher in non-animal dispersal seedling than in animal dispersal seedling. In natural regeneration of tree species after clear-cutting, the possibility that pioneer species like Betula spp. etc. will be composed of the major species is high. Therefore, in order to maintain the species diversity, the nurture work for reducing competition among the individuals is necessary.