• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2020

Forest fire is a critical disaster that causes massive destruction of forest ecosystem and economic loss. Hence, accurate estimation of the burned area is important for evaluation of the degree of damage and for preparing baseline data for recovery. Since most of the area size damaged by wildfires in Korea is less than 1 ha, it is necessary to use satellite or drone images with a resolution of less than 10m for detecting the damage area. This paper aims to detect wildfire-damaged area from a Kompsat-3 image using the indices such as NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) and FBI (fire burn index) and to examine the classification characteristics according to the methods such as Otsu thresholding and ISODATA(iterative self-organizing data analysis technique). To mitigate the salt-and-pepper phenomenon of the pixel-based classification, a gaussian filter was applied to the images of NDVI and FBI. Otsu thresholding and ISODATA could distinguish the burned forest from normal forest appropriately, and the salt-and-pepper phenomenon at the boundaries of burned forest was reduced by the gaussian filter. The result from ISODATA with gaussian filter using NDVI was closest to the official record of damage area (56.9 ha) published by the Korea Forest Service. Unlike Otsu thresholding for binary classification,since the ISODATA categorizes the images into multiple classes such as(1)severely burned area, (2) moderately burned area, (3) mixture of burned and unburned areas, and (4) unburned area, the characteristics of the boundaries consisting of burned and normal forests can be better expressed. It is expected that our approach can be utilized for the high-resolution images obtained from other satellites and drones.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.735-741
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• 2022

Global warming affects forests and their ecology. Diversity in the forest is a buffer that reduces the damage due to global warming. Mixed forests are ecologically more valuable as versatile habitats and are effective in preventing landslides. In Korea, most forests were created by simple afforestation with trees of evergreen species. Typically, evergreen trees are shallow-rooted, and deciduous trees are deep-rooted. Mixed forest tree roots grip the soil effectively, which reduces the occurrence of landslides. Therefore, improving the distribution of tree types is essential to reduce damage due to global warming. For this improvement, the investigation of tree types of the forest is needed. However, determining the tree type distribution of forests that are spread over wide areas is labor-intensive and time-consuming. This study suggests effective methods for determining the distribution of tree types in a forest that is spread across a relatively wide area. Using normalized difference vegetation index and RGB images from unmanned aerial vehicles, each evergreen and deciduous tree, and grassland area can be distinguished. The distinguished image determines the distribution of tree type. This method is effective compared to directly determining the tree type distribution in the forest by the use of manpower. The data from these methods could be applied to plan a mixed forest or to prepare for future damage due to global warming.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.94 no.3 s.160
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• pp.197-204
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• 2005

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of tsunami which occurred in coastal area of the East Sea in Korea, the function of coastal forest for the reduction of tsunami's speed and energy, and the non-structural measures through the research data of tsunami in Japan. The results showed that tsunami which occurred in the East Sea in 1983 and 1993 reached coastal area of Korea one hour and fifty minutes later from Japan, and caused a loss of lives and property and flooding damage. If 60 m width of coastal forest was formed, the speed was decreased by 30%, the energy by 10%. Therefore, the width of coastal forest must be at least 60 m, of which the stand structure is the multiple-layered forest of mixed-forest, and the wave preventing measures have to be constructed together. In addition, non-structural measures as tsunami warning and survival strategies must be prepared.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.175-183
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• 2015

Extremely strong winds and heavy rainfall caused canopy gaps in a mixed Abies holophylla broadleaf forest and a Quercus mongolica-dominated forest in Odaesan National Park, Korea in October 2006. The impact of the combination of strong winds and torrential rain on the development of forest gaps and canopy structures were investigated. The mean size of newly created gaps were $205m^2$ in the mixed forest and $86m^2$ in the Quercus forest, and were created by 2.8 and 1.4 gapmaker trees, respectively. Among the 73 trees lost in the mixed forest, 59% succumbed because of direct wind damage while 41% were struck by neighboring trees that fell into them. Most of these trees downed by wind were uprooted (74%), while the trees downed by neighboring tree falls snapped (78%). 21 trees in the Quercus forest died from direct wind damage, and 57% of them were uprooted. Although the relative density of Abies nephrolepis and A. holophylla represented only 0.2% and 6.4%, respectively, of all species in the intact mixed forest, they accounted for 27% and 15%, respectively, of all trees affected by wind on that site. In fact, 85% of the total A. nephrolepis and 91% of the total A. holophylla in the mixed forest fell directly due to strong wind. By contrast, only one Abies species, A. nephrolepis, was found in the Quercusdominated forest, and it accounted for 7.3% of the species composition. These findings suggest that A. nephrolepis and A. holophylla are particularly susceptible to high winds because of their great heights and shallow root systems.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.533-536
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• 2007

The LiDAR data structure has the potential for modeling in three dimensions because the LiDAR data can represent voxels with z value under certain defined conditions. Therefore, it is possible to classify the physical damaged degree of vegetation by forest fire as using the LiDAR data because the physical loss of canopy height and width by forest fire can be relative to an amount of points reached to the ground through the canopy of damaged forest. On the other hand, biological damage of vegetation by forest fire can be explained using the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) which show vegetation vitality. In this study, we graded the damaged degree of vegetation by forest fire in Yangyang-Gun of South Korea using the LiDAR data for physical grading and digital aerial photograph including Red, Green, Blue and Near Infra-Red bands for biological grading. The LiDAR data was classified into 2 classes, of which one was Serious Physical Damaged (SPD) and the other was Light Physical Damaged (LPD) area. The NDVI was also classified into 2 classes which are Serious Biological Damaged (SBD) and Light Biological Damaged (LBD) area respectively. With each 2 classes ofthe LiDAR data and NDVI, the damaged area by forest fire was graded into 4 degrees like damaged class 1,2,3 and 4 grade. As a result of this study, 1 graded area was the broadest and next was the 3 grade. With this result, we could know that the burned area by forest fire in Yangyang-Gun was damaged rather biologically because the NDVI in 1 and 3 grade appeared low value whereas the LiDAR data in 1 and 3 grade included light physical damage like the LPD.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.481-489
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• 2018

In this study, the succession and stand dimension attributes related to the disaster prevention function of Pinus thunbergii coastal forests were examined after damage from Diplodia tip blight. In 2015, 101 years after the Taisho eruption, field investigations were performed on the vegetation, soil thickness, and pH of surface soil of P. thunbergii coastal forests in western Sakurajima (Hakamagoshi plot) and Taisho lava flows in southeastern Sakurajima (Seto plot). The Hakamagoshi plot had more woody plant species with larger basal areas than that in the Seto plot. The mean age and height, maximal age and height of plant species, and H/D ratio were all larger in the Hakamagoshi plot than in the Seto plot. These results may be explained by the relatively smaller effect of volcanic ash and gas on forests in the Hakamagoshi plot compared to the Seto plot, resulting in a more suitable environment for many plant species. Although P. thunbergii coastal forests in Sakurajima are currently recovering from damages owing to Diplodia tip blight, there has not yet been a sufficient recovery compared to the results from a 1997 study. Furthermore, the results of assessment based on the H/D ratio and abundance of trees in P. thunbergii forests indicate that both regions are not yet effective in disaster prevention. Thus, it is necessary to establish Pinus trees, which can adjust to harsh environments like coastal areas and are resistant to volcanic ash and gas, to enhance the disaster prevention function of P. thunbergii coastal forests in volcanic regions. It may also be helpful to establish coastal forests with ectotrophic mycorrhizal fungi and organic matter coverage. Additionally, it is necessary to ensure the continuous maintenance of stand density and soil quality, and further develop efforts to prevent Diplodia tip blight and promote forest recovery.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.33-43
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• 2022

This study was conducted to monitor the vegetation recovery in the areas damaged by the forest fires on the east coast that occurred in April 2000. The study site was a forest fire-damaged area in Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do, and 21 monitoring areas (12 natural restoration sites, 9 artificial restoration sites) were selected to analyze the vegetation recovery trend since 1998. The vegetation recovery trend was compared by calculating the values according to the year using the difference Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) based on satellite images (Landsat TM/ETM+ and Sentinel-2A). As the result of this study, all 21 sites, vegetation was recovered, and both groups showed the greatest recovery in summer. In the case of the dNBR, the artificial restored sites showed higher values than the natural restored sites, and in the case of the NDVI, the natural restored sites were higher than the artificially restored sites in summer and autumn. However, the difference between the two groups of natural and artificial restoration sites was not significant. Therefore, the direction of forest restoration after forest fire damage can be effectively restored if properly implemented for the purpose of restoration of the target site.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.35 no.6_2
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• pp.1107-1115
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• 2019

Satellite data play a major role in supporting knowledge about forest fire by delivering rapid information to map areas damaged. This study, we used 7 Sentinel-2A images to detect change area in forests of Sokcho on April 4, 2019. The process of classify forest fire severity used 7 levels from Sentinel-2A dNBR(differenced Normalized Burn Ratio). In the process of classifying forest fire damage areas, the study selected three areas with high regrowth of vegetation level and conducted a detailed spatial analysis of the areas concerned. The results of dNBR analysis, regrowth of coniferous forest was greater than broad-leaf forest, but NDVI showed the lowest level of vegetation. This is the error of dNBR classification of dNBR. The results of dNBR time series, an area of forest fire damage decreased to a large extent between April 20th and May 3rd. This is an example of the regrowth by developing rare-plants and recovering broad-leaf plants vegetation. The results showed that change area was detected through the change detection of danage area by forest category and the classification errors of the coniferous forest were reached through the comparison of NDVI and dNBR. Therefore, the need to improve the precision Korean forest fire damage rating table accompanied by field investigations was suggested during the image classification process through dNBR.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.347-357
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• 2013

Abstract The objective of this study is to investigate and analyze understanding of residents living in landslide disaster impact areas to landslide mitigation and recovery projects with respect to develop socio-economic damage level standards of landslide disasters. South Korea is one of the representative mountain-side urbanized countries that cities have been developed through mountain-side urbanization due to high population density because mountain areas occupy 64 percent of the total land proportion. South Korea were recently suffered from the massive landslide disasters with significant causality that overcomes the annual drowned causality of flood disasters. Consequently, the total death toll of South Korea landslide disasters including unexpected Mt. Woo-Myun disaster and Chuncheon disaster in 2011 became forty-three persons. The hugh amount of disaster management budget was spent in landslide mitigation and recovery projects of the affected areas. This research performed facility field research and resident surveys for landslide damage conditions and damage factors for Mt. Woo-Myun, Chuncheon, Pusan, and Dongdoochon that were major effect cities of 2011 landslide disasters.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2007

Recently, the tropospheric ozone has gained a global attention for its adverse effect on vegetation as well as its contribution to the global warming. Although a number of studies have been carried out for the urban ozone, the effect of ozone on vegetation is still largely unknown in Korea. The present work aimed at performing the first evaluation of forest damage by ozone using the national air monitoring data from the year 2000 to the year 2005. Moreover, it also explored the relevance of adverse effect of ozone to the recent events on leaf chlorosis of black locust, Robinia pseudo-acacia, leading to early foliage widely observed in Korea since 2001. In the nineties, forest damages caused by ozone such as leaf chlorosis occurred in Europe and North America and led to invoke comprehensive field and laboratory studies. As a result, AOT40, implying the accumulated dose over a threshold 40 ppb, was developed to assess the forest damage by ozone. 19 air monitoring stations were selected across Korea to calculate AOT40 from the year 2000 to the year 2005. The calculated AOT40 generally increased during April and May and reached the maximum after May. The increase of AOT40 diminished substantially from the mid-June as the rainy season started. The calculated AOT40 in the nine rural sites from the year 2002 to th ε year 2005 ranged from 6.8 to 29.4 ppm-hr. And all the AOT40 at th ε year 2005 exceeded the critical value of 10 ppm-hr for forest damage. Morevoer the calculated AOT40 of Korea appeared higher than the AOT40 of Europe in the year 2004/2005 and comparable to the AOT40 of China in the year 2000. Despite the high levels of the calculated AOT40 since the year 2001 and the consistency of time of seasons between high AOT40 values and occurrence of chlorosis of black locust, further studies are required to conclude that the chlorosis of black locust occurred from the year 2001 to the year 2005 were resulted from a damage by ozone.