• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.33-44
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• 1997

This study was executed to examine the effects of polypropylene fiber length and process variables of the composites made from wood fiber and nonwood fiber mixed formulations. As a nonwood fiber the polypropylene with 3 denier thickness of tow condition was selected and cut into each length of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5cm to mix with wood fiber. And also western hemlock wood fiber for medium density fiberboard was prepared. First, to decide an adequate polypropylene mixing fiber length, the composites of 1.0g/$cm^3$ density were made from 10% polypropylene fiber by each of five lengths and 90% western hemlock fiber mixed formulations. Thereafter as the experiments of process variable, the composites applied with adequate polypropylene fiber length(1.5cm) were made from 4 density levels (0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2g/$cm^3$). 3 mixed formulations of wood fiber to polypropylene fiber(95 : 5, 90 : 10, 85 : 15), and 3 mat moisture contents(5, 10, 20%). According to the results and discussions it was concluded as follows ; The physical and mechanical properties were shown improved tendency. as polypropylene fiber length was increased in the range from 0.5 to 1.5cm, but shown decreasing tendency from 2.0 to 2.5 cm. Accordingly, it was shown that polypropylene fiber length is limited to 1.5cm or less length in mixing wood fiber and polypropylene fiber by turbulent air mixing process. As the densities of wood fiber-polypropylene fiber composites were increased, the physical and mechanical properties were clearly improved. Also they were shown significantly increasement statistically between densities respectively. In the mixed formulations, physical and mechanical properties were shown only slightly improvement, as they changed from 95 : 5 to 85 : 15 in wood fiber to polypropylene fiber. Despite of increasement of mat moisture content, mechanical properties were not improved significantly but physical properties were improved somewhat in wood fiber-polypropylene fiber composites.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.84 no.3
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• pp.394-405
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• 1995

Certain ericaceous understory plants of temperate forests proliferate following forest clearcutting and fire. Rapid vegetative growth of these plants may affect conifer regeneration due to their strong competitive abilities and allelopathic properties. Planted conifers in these shrub-dominated habitats experience "growth check" which may result in a loss of productivity or in extreme cases total failure of forest regeneration. This growth check phenomenon is exemplified in Calluna Sitca spruce Scots pine ecosystems of western Europe, Kalmia black spruce ecosystem of eastern Canada and Gaultheria-cedar/hemlock ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Dynamics of Kalmia black spruce ecosystem following disturbance was used to explain the mechanism of conifer growth inhibition and their regeneration failure. It is argued that in addition to competition for nutrients, Kalmia allelopathy plays a major role in growth inhibition of black spruce. This conclusion is supported by the results of various field, laboratory and greenhouse experiments. Eight phenolic compounds were isolated and identified from the leaves of Kalmia angustifolia, four of which are known to be highly phyotoxic to black spruce. Methods of overcoming the allelopathic effects of Kalmia in order to enhance black spruce regeneration in Kalmia-dominated sites are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.81-90
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• 2012

Improvements in the quality of life have resulted in a heightened awareness of safety and the environment. As a result, timber as an environmentally friendly material, is used for landscape facilities and a wide range of purposes. But there are a large number of defects since there are twists and cracks that can be found in wooden landscape facilities. This has led to the use of imported hardwood instead of the Western Hemlock which has been in widespread use. Hardwood is expensive. However, it is being used without any information or research on how much it reduces the actual defects. Construction contractors are in great need of information on the characteristics and defect rates of different types of timber. This study investigated and analyzed the cracks in four types of timber - namely the Western Hemlock, Burckella, Nyatoh and Malas - in order to provide basic information to construction contractor for them to be able to select and use the appropriate type of timber. The main results of this study are as follows. First, the Western Hemlock had 1.90 $cracks/m^2$, Malas had 0.83 $cracks/m^2$, Burckella had 0.14 $cracks/m^2$, and the Nyatoh had the least number of surface defects at 0.04 $cracks/m^2$. Second, while Malas has the highest degree of strength timber, Nyatoh had the smallest defect rate. This showed that having high timber strength does not necessarily mean it has less defects. Third, the Western Hemlock was the least expensive and Burckella was the most expensive. However, considering the cost of repairing defects, it would be economically advantageous to use Burckella and Nyatoh which have low defect rates. This study aimed to provide basic information to landscape construction contractors for them to be able to select and use the appropriate type of timber when constructing wooden outdoor rest furniture. The results are expected to contribute to quality enhancements and defect reduction in landscape facilities.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.343-351
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• 2012

A large diameter roundwood is an important element of Korean traditional buildings, Hanok, and is hard to be dried without surface cracks. Four different pretreatments, such as pre-cracking, oil heating, kerfing-oil heating and PEG impregnation, were investigated for reducing the surface cracks of large-diameter roundwood specimens during heat treatment. The roundwood specimens of pre-cracking, oil heating and kerfing-oil heating showed surface cracks during pretreatment, but that of PEG impregnation did not. It was confirmed that kerfing reduced the total crack width. Among the four pretreatments and control only the PEG impregnation roundwood specimen had no crack on both outer and inner surfaces after heat treatment. The PEG impregnation specimen shrank only 1.6% in the tangential direction while the pre-cracking did 8.0%.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.2 s.130
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• pp.1-7
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• 2005

Tree species of wooden structural members of the Beomeo Temple were identified based on light and scanning electron microscopic characters in the present study. Of 10 structural members, 9 softwoods and 1 hardwood were identified. Among softwood members, 7 belonged to hard pine of the Sylvestris section, and the remaining 2 to hard pine of other than the Sylvestris section and hemlock of the genus Tsuga, respectively. A single hardwood member was identified as white oak of the Prinus section under the subgenus Lepidobalanus.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.335-342
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• 2012

To prepare the eco-friendly fire retardant wood, Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora), Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and Radiata pine (Pinus radiata) were treated with inorganic chemicals, such as sodium silicate, boric acid, ammonium phosphate, and ammonium borate. Different combination and concentration of those chemicals were impregnated by vacuum/pressure treatment methods. The electron-beam treatment was used to increase the chemical penetration into the wood. The fire performance of the fire retardant treated wood was investigated. The penetration of chemicals into the wood was enhanced after electron beam treatment. Ignition time of the treated wood was the most effectively retarded by sodium silicate, ammonium phosphate, and ammonium borate. The most effective chemical combination was found at 50% sodium silicate and 3% ammonium borate, which satisfied flammability criteria for a fire retardant material in the KS F ISO 5660-1 standards.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2008

Clearcutting has been the dominant harvesting method in British Columbia (representing 95% of the total area harvested annually). However forest managers are increasingly recommending the use of alternative silvicultural systems and harvest methods, including various types of partial cutting, to meet ecological and social objectives. In this study we compared harvesting productivity and harvesting costs between treatments through detailed and shift level time studies in 300-350 year-old Interior Cedar-Hemlock stands in British Columbia, Canada. Recommendations for improving operational planning/layout and the implementation of clearcut and partial cutting silvicultural systems were made. Harvesting costs varied in the ground-based clearcut treatments from $10.95/$m^3$ - $15.96/$m^3$ and $16.09/$m^3$ - $16.93/$m^3$ in the group selection treatments. The ground-based group retention treatment had a cost of $13.39/$m^3$, while the cable clearcut had a cost of $15.70/$m^3$. An understanding of the traditional and alternative wood products that could be derived from the harvested timber was imperative to increasing the amount of merchantable volume and reducing the corresponding harvesting costs. Stand damage was greatest in the group selection treatments; however, mechanized felling showed an increase in stand damage over manual felling while grapple skidding showed a decrease in skidding damage compared to line skidding.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.19-29
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• 2013

Cicuta virosa is an endangered species in Korea, which is a southern marginal area. To conserve and restore habitats of this plant, we investigated water and soil environmental characteristics and vegetation at four habitats during the growing season. The C. virosa habitats differed in community structure, water and substrate properties, and water regime. Although the total distribution ranges of the water and soil environments for C. virosa were wide and overlapped with the optimal environmental range of distribution of accompanying species, the optimal water level range for C. virosa was defined as $7{\pm}3.5$ cm. Water level was adjusted by substrate structure such as a mound of P. japonica and a floating mat comprised of accompanying species. A floating mat was an aid to maintain an optimal and stable water level in deep or fluctuating water and to prevent strong competition with prolific macrophytes. The GS sampling site, which had floating mats, could be a good model for C. virosa conservation in a warm temperate region, whereas the PC sampling sites, which experienced a water shortage in spring, provided a clue about the decline in C. virosa population size.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.339-348
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• 2007

A laboratory experiment was conducted to study the characteristics of leaching of Cr, Cu, and As from chromated topper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood. The wood species tested was hemlock spruce ($10\;cm\;{\times}\;10\;cm\;{\times}\;10\;cm\;tube$). The leaching experiment was conducted over 60 days using I L of leachants whose pHs were adjusted to 2.0, 3.7, and 1.6, respectively with nitric acid, and also using lake water, according to the OECD guideline. Each leachate was analyzed for Cr and Cu using flame-AAS, and for As using vapor generation-AAS. Three metals were loathed at the highest levels at pH 2.0 but almost at similar levels at the other conditions. Cumulative quantifies over 60 days of a leaching period were in order of As>Cu>Cr. As was predicted to leach with an increase in flux over a 10 year period, while Cr and Cu fluxes were predicted to decrease with time. This result suggest that arsenic can pose a health risk to humans over a long period of time, when CCA-treated wood is used for building facilities (e.g., playgrounds, residential purposes, etc.) with which humans frequently contact.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.205-210
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• 2013

Cicuta virosa L. (Apiaceae) is a perennial emergent plant designated as an endangered species in South Korea. According to the former records, only four natural habitats remain in South Korea. A former study suggested that three of four populations (Pyeongchang: PC, Hoengseong: HS, Gunsan: GS) would be classified as different ecotypes based on their different morphological characteristics and life cycle under different environmental conditions. To evaluate this suggestion, we estimated genetic diversity in each population and distance among three populations by random amplification of polymorphic DNA. Seven random primers generated a total of 61 different banding positions, 36 (59%) of them were polymorphic. Nei's gene diversity and the Shannon diversity index increased in the order of PC < HS < GS, which is the same order of population size. In the two-dimensional (2D) plot of first two principal components in principal component analysis with the presence of 61 loci, individuals could be grouped as three populations easily (proportion of variance = 0.6125). Nei's genetic distance for the three populations showed the same tendency with the geographical distance within three populations. And it is also similar to the result of discriminant analysis with the morphological or life-cycle factors from the previous study. From the results, we concluded that three different populations of C. virosa should be classified as ecotypes based on not only morphology and phenology but genetic differences in terms of diversity and distance as well.