• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2013

The study was carried out in two different forest types viz., Banj oak and Chir pine forests to assess the variation in forest species composition and soil properties along altitudinal gradients in the Garhwal Himalayas. The results of the study showed that between the forests soil moisture was higher in Banj oak forest because of closed canopy and dense forest compared to Chir pine forest. The sand particles were reported higher in Banj oak forest which might be due to the addition of organic matter favouring coarse structure of soil, helping in holding maximum water in soils. However in the Chir pine forest low amount of soil organic matter and presence of clayey soil, develops soil compactness which reduces the penetration of water resulting in high soil bulk density. The higher accumulation of litter and presence of moisture in Banj oak forest favours higher nutrient level of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compared to Chir pine forest. The soil organic carbon also reduced with increasing altitude at both gradients. While bulk density has reverse trend with soil organic carbon in both the forests at different peaks of same region. In Banj oak forest, the highest density and total basal cover was reported 1,100 tree $ha^{-1}$ and 58.86 $m^2\;ha^{-1}$ respectively. However, the highest values of density and total basal cover of Chir pine forest was 560 tree$ha^{-1}$ and 56.94 $m^2\;ha^{-1}$ respectively. The total density and basal cover of both the forests reduced with increasing altitude. The study concludes that Banj oak forest has better nutrient cycling ability, well developed foest floor and has a greater protective and productive features compared to the Chir pine forest which is without lower vegetation cover and having only pine litter accumulation which does not allow any other species to grow.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.85-98
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• 2022

Background: Korean white pine (Pinus koraiensis) is a major commercial species, and the importance of the oak trees (Quercus spp.) is increasing due to various factors such as environmental and ecological values. However, more information is required to clearly understand the growth characteristics of these species especially regarding thinning intensity. This study was performed to provide the basic information to develop the silvicultural guideline and field manual by analyzing tree and stand characteristics in line with thinning intensity in the Korean white pine plantation and oak-dominated natural deciduous forest. Results: Diameter at breast height (DBH) and volume changes by the thinning intensity in the Korean white pine plantation were significantly different from those in the oak-dominated deciduous natural forest. In particular, DBH distribution in the pine stand appeared that there were more large diameter trees as the thinning intensity was higher. DBH periodic annual increment (PAI) of the pine stand was higher as the thinning intensity was stronger and the growth period was shorter. This trend was similarly shown in the natural deciduous forest, but the amount of PAI was smaller than in pine stand. The volume PAI after thinning was not decreased over time. In each stand type, the PAI tended to be lower as stand density was higher. The volume PAI in the pine stand was significantly higher than that in the oak-dominated natural deciduous forest. Dead trees occurred the most in the unthinned plots of each stand type, and those were higher in the natural deciduous forest. Ingrowth trees were observed only in the natural deciduous forest, and its distribution was the lowest in unthinned plots; Korean white pine as ingrowth occurred the most frequently among many tree species. Conclusions: Different effects of thinning treatment on DBH and volume PAI, mortality, and ingrowth were observed for each stand. With respect to forest growth, Korean white pine plantation was superior to the oak-dominated natural deciduous forest. The results of this study offer fundamental information for the development of silvicultural guidelines for Korean white pine plantations and oak-dominated natural deciduous forests in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.71 no.1
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• pp.50-54
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• 1985

The effect of relations parameters on the declination gradient of trees was studied in natural forest of Quercus variabilis, Quercus ${\times}$ grosseserrata, Quercus aliens, and Quercus dentata grown at various slope gradient. The declination gradients of trees were effected by the species, slope gradient, and direction of slope, but not effected by density and height in all species. The species shows a superior factor effecting declination gradient of trees compared with other relations parameters, and next effective factor was slope gradient. Especially in all of slope gradient, the declination gradient of Quercus ${\times}$ grossesserrata was highest.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.209-220
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• 2022

Charcoal canker of oak, which has recently increased in southern Iran, could pose a serious threat to the entire forest ecosystem in the near future. In addition, it seems that climate change and its consequences, such as drought in the southern regions of Iran, have exacerbated this phenomenon. Consequently, the objective of this study was to identify the fungal pathogens that could cause charcoal canker disease in the oak forests of South Zagros. It was also sought to find associations between changes in the occurrence/exacerbation of charcoal canker disease under non and intense drought stress in non-inoculated or inoculated Quercus brantii seedlings. In total, 120 isolates were obtained from eight oak forests located in the Zagros Mountains of Southern Iran, Kohgiluyeh & Boyer-Ahmad and Fars provinces, which were classified as Biscogniauxia mediterranea based on morphological assessment. Subsequently, molecular assay confirmed the result by phylogenetic inference of internal transcribed spacer-rDNA regions, α-actin, and β-tubulin genes. The results of the pathogenicity test showed that the response of isolates of B. mediterranea (Iran-G1 and Iran-M70) was varied in different environments for the measured necrotic lesion length. In comparison with the control moisture treatments (non-stress), the necrotic lesion length in inoculated treatments increased under intense drought stress. In general, inoculated oak seedlings' exposure to water-deficient stress by the pathogen of B. mediterranea could affect the spread/severity of the charcoal canker disease.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.227-234
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• 2005

From published data of mature forests worldwide, Raich and Nadelhoffer suggested that total belowground carbon allocation (TBCA) could be estimated from the difference between annual rates of soil respiration and aboveground litterfall. Here we analyze new measurements of IRGA-based soil respiration and litterfall of natural mature oak forests dominated by Quercus mongolica in Korea. Rates of in situ soil respiration and aboveground litter production are highly and positively correlated. Our results disagree with the Raich and Nadelhoffer model far world forests. A regression analysis of the data from Q. mongolica forests produced the following relationship: annual soil respiration : 141 + 2.08 ${\times}$ annual litterfall. The least squares regression line has a more gentle slope (2.08) than the slope (2.92) described by Raich and Nedelhoffer for mature forests worldwide. The regression slope of our study indicates that, on average, soil respiration is about two times the aboveground litterfall-C, which further implies that TBCA is similar with annual aboveground litterfall-C at natural Q. mongolica forests in Korea. The non-zero Y-intercept (141) of the regression indicates that TBCA may be greater than litterfall-C where litterfall rate are relativery low. Over a gradient of litterfall-C ranging from 200-370 g C $m^{-2}yr^{-l}$, TBCA increased from 350-530 g C $m^{-2}yr^{-l}$.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.94 no.5 s.162
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• pp.321-329
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• 2005

Based on the data representing four typical Korean pine forest types, the age structure, DBH distribution, species composition, and forking rule were systemically analyzed for old-growth Korean pine forest in Liangshui Nature Reserve, northeast China. The age structure of Korean pine trees was strongly uneven-aged with one dominated peak following normal distribution, and age of trees varied from 100 to 180 years within a stand. The DBH and height differences in same age class (20 years) varied from 28 cm~64 cm and 5 to 20 m, respectively. Many conifer and hard wood species, such as spruce, fir, costata birch, basswood, oak, and elm, were mixed with dominated trees of Korean pine. The canopy of the old-growth Korean pine forest can be divided into two layers, and differences of mean age and height between Layer I and Layer II were ranged 80~150 years and 7~13 m, respectively. The Weibull function was used to model the diameter distribution and performed well to describe size-class distribution either with a single peak in over-story canopy and inverse J-shape in under-story canopy for old-growth Korean pine stands. The forking height of Korean pine trees ranged from 16m to 24 m (mean 19.4 m) and tree age about 120 to 160 years old. The results will provide a scientific basis to protect and recover the ecosystem of natural old-growth Korean pine and also provide the model in management of Korean pine plantation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.96 no.5
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• pp.572-579
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• 2007

Tree species diversity is an important aspect of forest ecosystem stability. Tree species inventories at defined sites and in minimum diameter classes give a reliable indicator of the diversity level as well as the structural stability level of a study site. This study was conducted to investigate the species composition and the stand structure of the natural forest, timber-harvested forest (logged-over forest) and degraded forest of the Oak-twin Township in the Bago Yoma Region of Myanmar. Natural forest showed the highest family and species richness in all the investigated forests. At the family level, Verbenaceae occupied the highest importance value index (IVI) in all the forest stands while teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.) occupied the highest IVI at the species level. However, the small diameter classes of T. grandis and other commercial species were less than those of big diameter classes in all the investigated forests. This abnormal pattern of diameter distribution could be a problem for the sustainable production of commercial timber species in the near future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.102 no.3
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• pp.446-454
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• 2013

The present study investigated the biological agents and environmental conditions of the habitats of the Kirengeshoma koreana, a class 2 endangered species class according to the South Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE), elucidated the structural characteristics of the forest stands in the habitats with the importance value and the diversity index, conducted comparative analysis of the factors, and explored their relationship with environmental factors. According to the results of direction analysis of natural habitats of the Kirengeshoma koreana, the direction was distributed to the north or the northeast, and the slope amounted to $15-40^{\circ}$, thus demonstrating that the slope has little effect. In addition, the results showed that the distribution of Kirengeshoma koreana populations dramatically increased starting in areas at least 600 m above the sea level and that the relative light intensity was 3.79% on an average. Most populations were native to gorges and crevices between rocks so that they mainly tended to inhabit areas that could see soil loss in times of precipitation. In addition, a considerable number of the populations were close to hiking trails as well, thus leading to concerns about their artificial destruction. The soil of layer a in the main growth space of the Kirengeshoma koreana was analyzed and turned out to be strongly acidic, measuring pH 4.45-4.89 (average: 4.68). All investigation sections were typical natural broad-leaved tree areas, and, judging from the fact that the Kirengeshoma koreana was most likely to appear in colonies of the Mongolian oak tree (Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb.), the Mongolian oak tree seems to be the species of tree that has the greatest effect on the inhabitation of the Kirengeshoma koreana.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.356-361
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• 2009

This study has targeted Quercus acutissima forests in Korea and has classified the association between Quercus acutissima forests by using the phytosociological method. In addition, the correlation between each association, distribution, potential natural vegetation, and aspect of Quercus acutissima forest according to location have been analyzed to examine the characteristics of the Korean Quercus acutissima forests. Through factor analysis of DECORANA, it was revealed that Quercetum serrato-acutissimae forms in the basal zones of mountains, Quercetum mongolico-acutissimae is formed in the highlands, in the relatively high mountain area, and Carpino-Quercetum acutissimae is mainly distributed in valleys. However, this phenomenon is not very obvious, as each association structure is often mixed up. This result is caused by inhomogeneity of the Quercus acutissima forests, and most of it is distributed in basal zones or around farmlands where there are severe disturbance factors. The proposed potential natural vegetation of the Quercus acutissima forests in Korea is as follows; Quercetum serrato-acutissimae$\rightarrow$Quercus aliena-Quercus serrata community$\rightarrow$Quercus serrata community, Quercetum mongolico-acutissimae$\rightarrow$Quercus aliena-Quercus mongolica community$\rightarrow$Quercus mongolica community, Carpino-Quercetum acutissimae$\rightarrow$Quercus aliena-Carpinus laxiflora community$\rightarrow$Carpinus laxiflora community.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.6
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• pp.772-779
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• 2009

This study was conducted to estimate the carbon (C) contents in pure and mixed stands of pine (Pinus densiflora) and oak (Quercus spp.) trees for establishing the C inventory of forest ecosystems. A total of fifteen 20 m${\times}$20 m pure and mixed stands of pine and oak trees were chosen in natural forests in Hoengseong, Kangwon based on the basal area of all trees ${\geq}$ 5 cm DBH: three of 95% of pine and 5% oak trees [pine stand], three of 100% of oak trees [oak stand], and nine of 20 to 70% of pine and 80 to 30% of oak trees [mixed stand]. To estimate C contents in the study stands, biomass in vegetation, forest floor and coarse woody debris (CWD) were calculated and C concentrations in vegetation, forest floor, CWD and soil (0-30 cm) were analyzed. There was no significant difference in vegetation C contents among the stands; 147.6 Mg C/ha for the oak stand, 141.4 Mg C/ha for the pine stand and 115.8 Mg C/ha for the mixed stand. Forest floor C contents were significantly different among the stands (p<0.05); 12.7 Mg/ha for the pine stand, 9.9 Mg/ha for the oak stand, and 8.4 Mg/ha for the mixed stand. However, CWD C contents were not significantly different among the stands (p>0.05); 2.2 Mg/ha for the mixed stand, 1.7 Mg/ha for the oak stand, and 1.1 Mg/ha for the pine stand. Soil C contents up to 30 cm depth were not significantly different among the study stands; 44.4 Mg C/ha for the pine stand, 41.6 Mg C/ha for the mixed stand, and 33.3 Mg C/ha for the oak stand. Total ecosystem C contents were lower in the mixed stand than those in the pure stands, because vegetation C contents which occupied almost total ecosystem C contents were lower in the mixed stand than those in the pure stands; 199.6 Mg C/ha for the pine stand, 192.5 Mg C/ha for the oak stand and 169.1 Mg C/ha for the mixed stand. Lower vegetation C contents in the mixed stand might be influenced by interspecific competition between pine and oak trees and intraspecific competition among the oak trees resulted from high stand density. We suggest that forest management such as thinning to enhance C storage is indispensible for minimizing the competition in forest ecosystems.