• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.267-278
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• 2011

This study was conducted to estimate the effects of fire intensity and recovery methods on coleopteran communities in three burned forests, Goseong, Gangneung, and Samcheok in Gangwon province, Korea. Four sampling sites were selected in each study area according to disturbance degree (DD) caused by fire intensity and recovery methods. DD in the study sites were categorized as 0 (no fire), 1 (weak fire), 2 (strong fire), and 3 (strong fire followed by human disturbance). Beetles collected by pitfall traps were classified into 3 functional guilds: detritivore, herbivore, and carnivore. Diversity and abundance were slightly higher in the burned sites (DD = 1-3) than in the unburned sites (DD = 0), although there was no statistical significance. Coleopteran communities differed according to fire intensity and recovery method. This suggests that recovery of burned forests using both natural recovery and reforestation may increase the diversity of coleopteran communities.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2013

This study investigated the impact of the fire disturbance and the pattern of recovery of soil dwelling oribatid mite communities with respect to the resilience from the fire disturbance. Oribatid mites are important decomposer animals of plant debris in soil with the feeding habits of saprophagy and mycophagy. Massive wild fire reduced soil oribatid mite abundance and diversity. The impact varied relative to the intensity of the disturbance. The proportion of the species common to the non-disturbed natural site increased as the time after the disturbance elapsed, which implying some degree of naturalness occurring in reorganization phase of the oribatid mite community. From the sites with different degree of fire impact, we found higher diversity in intermediately disturbed sites than in severely disturbed or non-disturbed site, supporting the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. Also this study showed that with differential degree of disturbance plots, resilience pattern after the disturbance can be explored even with shorter period research relative to the ecological succession of community.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.152-164
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• 2017

Background: Natural regeneration of seedlings as well as saplings of Korean fir has been significantly impacted by the browsing from the early stages of their development, potentially, by roe deer for the last two to three decades at the study site since late 1980s. This study was carried out to investigate current status of the disturbance in the seedling development of Korean fir (Abies koreana) on Mt. Hallasan, Jeju Island, Korea. Methods: Field survey was carried out during June and August in 2016 to measure the characteristics of study site and understory vegetation by applying systematic sampling to 125 plots of $5m{\times}5m$ quadrat located on eastern slope of the mountain. Correlation and regression analyses were applied to the variables quantified from the data sets using the SAS software. Results: No saplings with their diameters at breast heights smaller than 5.0 cm were found at the study site indicating the serious disturbance in the natural regeneration of Korean fir at the study site. No seedlings with their heights taller than 36.0 cm were found at the study site indicating even more serious disturbance during earlier stage of the natural regeneration of Korean fir at the study site. A total of 616 individuals of the seedlings of Korean fir were found at 54 out of 125 sampling plots. One hundred thirty-eight seedlings (22.4%) out of 616 individual seedlings have the vestiges for being grazed, potentially, by roe deer. Conclusions: Due considerations should be given to the effects of browsing of the seedlings by roe deer to promote the natural regeneration of Korean fir, ultimately to restore Korean fir. It is needed for the managers of the forest to install fences around the forest area. Exclosure experiments as well as enclosure experiments of different densities of browsing should be carried out. In addition, treatment with different densities of Jeju dwarf bamboo should also be included in the experiment on Mt. Hallasan National Park, Jeju Island, Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.106 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

Forest harvest as large scale artificial disturbance makes edge environment in both clear-cutted and forested habitat. To clarify the development and recovery process of forest edge after disturbances is essential to understand vegetation responses and landscape level consequences such as edge-distance. In Korea, after clear-cutting, edge-related changes of environment and vegetation was not clarified yet. In Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) forest, by applying space-for-time approach (sites with undisturbed and 1, 3, 10, 16 yr after cutting), the edge-related change of plant abundance and abiotic factors were determined for 20 line-transect (60 m) and 340 ($1m{\times}5m$) quadrats, and clarified depth and duration of the disturbance. Immediately after edge formation, within 15m form the edge, biotic and abiotic factors such as cover, richness, canopy openness, temperature and moisture content exhibited larger changes compared to forest interior. Plant abundance and abiotic variables were stabilized at the level of forest inside within 16 yr and 10 yr after edge creation, respectively. Woody (tree and shrub) species generally was showed larger increment with proximity to edge than did herb or graminoid species. In addition, negative interactions between woody and herbaceous species were detected during the period of forest edge closure. Our results suggested that depth of forest edge formed by clear-cutting of Korean red pine forest was at least from 15 m to 20 m and edge effect were likely sustained more than 16 years. As the first empirical study on edge-distance between two contrast habitats of clear-cutted and adjacent forest in South Korea, the analytical reality on landscape structure and habitat patches can be improved.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.123-130
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• 2009

Fragmentation due to land developments causes disturbances and changes of composition in forest vegetation. The purpose of the study was to develop the impact assessment model for quantitative distance or degree of disturbance by land developments. This study conducted a survey about structure and composition of forest vegetation to determine degree of impact from land developments. The results of field survey, there was a difference in structure and composition of forest vegetation such as tree canopy, herbaceous cover, and number of vine and alien species the distances from edge to interior area such as 0m, 10m, 20m, 40m, and over 60m. To assess the disturbance of forest vegetation, the factors selected were the rate of vine's cover and appearance of alien species. The impact assessment model about vine species explained by a distance, forest patch size, type of forest fragmentation, and type of vegetation ($R^2$=0.44, p<0.001). The other model about alien species explained by a distance, type of forest fragmentation, type of vegetation, and width of road (85.9%, p<0.005). The models applied to Samsong housing development in Goyang-si, Gyunggi-do. The vines and alien species in the study area have had a substantial impact on forest vegetation from edge to 20 or 40m. The impact assessment models were high reliability for estimating impacts to land developments. The impact of forest vegetation by development activities could be minimized thorough the adoption of the models introduced at the stage of EIA.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.38-51
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to analyze of biotope types and to develop assessment for forest ecosystem evaluation method. Vegetation types divided into 27 types. Considering the vegetation types, vegetation structures, DBH, potentials, and disturbance, it was decided to apply 58 biotope types and survey site's biotopes were divided into 24 biotope types. Assessment indicators were naturaliness, diversity, rarity, stability, potential, and disturbance. The areas given the first grade in ecological value included 9.2% of the site's total land. Areas with the second grade accounted for 43.0% of the total land. Areas with the third grade made up 47.8% of the site and mostly they were areas with dominance of fired area and artificial forest. To plan to build naturally-development for Site, there should be plans to conserve areas with the first grades. For the areas with the second, and third grades, plans for ecological land use based on conservation and restoration in terms of securing biodiversity are needed.

• Mycobiology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.77-81
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• 2013

This study aimed to investigate differences in ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities between disturbed sites and undisturbed old forest sites. ECM root tips of Pinus densiflora were collected from 4 sites disturbed by human activities and 3 undisturbed old forest sites adjacent to the disturbed sites. Results in this study showed that the number of ECM root tips, species diversity, and number of species were significantly higher in the disturbed sites than in the undisturbed sites, suggesting that the ECM fungal community structure was affected by the degree of disturbance.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.94 no.6
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• pp.420-430
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• 2005

As the pine wilt disease spread rapidly over Korea in recent, aerial pesticide spraying to the infected pine stands increased abruptly. The increasing aerial pesticide application for control of the disease would result in disturbance of soil ecosystem in pine stands. This study was conducted to assess the disturbance, using field experiment in pine stands of Hongleong experimental forests in Seoul with BACI experimental design with three sprayed plots and three unsprayed plots of $25m^2$. We sprayed fenitrothion of 0.0335 kg a.i./ha over each of the sprayed plots, being the same as the pesticide residues of litters after aerial spraying. The pesticide had been applied on 4 June, 11 June, and 29 June in 2002, comparable with the dates of the aerial spraying in the previous year in Busan. We monitored population of soil organisms including arthropods, fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes at two sampling days before pesticide application, at two sampling days during the application season, and at three sampling days after last application for two months since late May in 2002. The pesticide applications did not make any significant effect on the population of arthropods, fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes in soils and on the structure of soil organism community, showing low probability of significant effects of the aerial pesticide application on soil organisms in pine stands.

• Proceedings of The Korean Society of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Conference
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.199-204
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• 2014

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.43-60
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• 2019

Background: Tropical montane forests played an important role in the provision of ecosystem services. The intense degradation and deforestation for the need of agricultural land expansion result in a significant decline of forest cover. However, the expansion of agricultural land did not completely destruct natural forests. There remain forests inaccessible for agricultural and grazing purpose. Studies on these forests remained scant, motivating to investigate biomass and soil carbon stocks. Data of biomass and soils were collected in 80 quadrats ($400m^2$) systematically in 5 forests. Biomass and disturbance gradients were determined using allometric equation and disturbance index, respectively. The regression modeling is employed to explore the spatial distribution of carbon stock along disturbance and environmental gradients. Correlation analysis is also employed to identify the relation between site factors and carbon stocks. Results: The result revealed that a total of 1655 individuals with a diameter of ${\geq}5cm$, representing 38 species, were measured in 5 forests. The mean aboveground biomass carbon stocks (AGB CS) and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at 5 forests were $191.6{\pm}19.7$ and $149.32{\pm}6.8Mg\;C\;ha^{-1}$, respectively. The AGB CS exhibited significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation with SOC and total nitrogen (TN) stocks, reflecting that biomass seems to be a general predictor of SOCs. AGB CS between highly and least-disturbed forests was significantly different (P < 0.05). This disturbance level equates to a decrease in AGB CS of 36.8% in the highly disturbed compared with the least-disturbed forest. In all forests, dominant species sequestrated more than 58% of carbon. The AGB CS in response to elevation and disturbance index and SOC stocks in response to soil pH attained unimodal pattern. The stand structures, such as canopy cover and basal area, had significant positive relation with AGB CS. Conclusions: Study results confirmed that carbon stocks of studied forests were comparable to carbon stocks of protected forests. The biotic, edaphic, topographic, and disturbance factors played a significant variation in carbon stocks of forests. Further study should be conducted to quantify carbon stocks of herbaceous, litter, and soil microbes to account the role of the whole forest ecosystem.