• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.131-134
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• 2000

Forest vegetation in Korea can be largely divided into warm temperate, cool temperate and frigid forest zone. The cool temperate forest zone of them occupies the largest part of the Korean peninsula and it is generally divided into three subdivisions such as northern, central and southern subzone. The Forestry Research Institute established three long-term ecological research sites at Kwangnung Experiment Forest in the central subzone of the cool temperate forest zone, at the Mt. Kyebangsan Forest in the northern subzone of the cool temperate forest zone. and at the Mt. Keumsan Forest in the warm temperate forest zone. The objectives of long-term ecological research in the Forestry Research Institute, Korea are to study long-term changes of the forest ecosystems in energy fluxes, water and nutrient cycling, forest stand structure, biological diversity, to quantify nutrient budgets and fluxes among forest ecosystem compartments and to integrate ecological data with a GIS - assisted model. To achieve the objectives, forest stand dynamics. environmental changes in soil properties, stream water quality, nutrient cycling, air pollution and biological diversity have been investigated and plant phonology as an indicator of climate change has been monitored in the LTER sites.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.213-222
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• 2019

Climate change has been intensifying and affecting forest ecosystems. Over the years, the intensity and frequency of climate change have increased and the effects of climate change have been aggravating due to cumulative greenhouse gases such as CO₂, which has resulted in several negative consequences, drought being the main threat among all. Drought affects forest ecosystems directly and indirectly. Insufficient soil moisture, due to drought, may affect the growth of plants and soil respiration (SR), and soil temperature may increase because of desiccated soil. In addition, the mortality rate of plants and soil microorganisms increases. As a result, these effects could reduce forest productivity. Thus, in this article, we have presented various research studies on artificial drought using throughfall exclusion, and we have mainly focused on SR, which is significantly related to forest productivity. The research studies done worldwide were sorted as per the main groups of Köppen-Geiger climate classification and intensively reviewed, especially in tropical climates and temperate climates. We briefly reviewed the properties among the exclusion experiments about the temperate climate, which mostly includes Korean forests. Our review is not a proof of concept, but an assumption for adequate investigation of drought effects in the Korean forest.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.99 no.5
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• pp.682-685
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• 2010

Coring has been widely used to measure annual increment in temperate forest ecosystems. This method is attractive because cores can be taken in just one visit. However, the accuracy of this method has not been tested. We expected coring to be less accurate than band dendrometers because of the eccentricity of tree growth. We studied 41 trees at the Long Term Experimental Forest in Mt. Gyebang, which has been monitored with band dendrometers since 1996. We collected two tree cores from the south and north face of each tree, 10 cm below the growth band. Increment cores were measured to 0.01 mm under stereomicroscopy. Annual growth from 1997 to 2006 was 3.2 mm $yr^{-1}$ for Quercus mongolica, 3.5 mm $yr^{-1}$ for Kalopanax septemlobus, and 5.7 mm $yr^{-1}$ for Pinus densiflora. The difference between the two methods was 10% for Q. mongolica, 14% for K. septemlobus, and 4% for P. densiflora. Compaction in the corer and shrinkage during drying decreased diameter increment by 5.6% and 1.0% on P. densiflora, respectively. This study suggests that the two methods for annual increment measurement are very similar, but species specificity should be concerned for direct comparison.

• Proceedings of The Korean Society of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.77-80
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• 2001

In many temperate forest ecosystems, large quantities of pine pollen are deposited over a short period in early summer (Doskey and Ugoagwu 1989). Because pollen grains decompose rapidly and have macronutrient concentrations, the pollen rain may be an important component of nutrient dynamics in natural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Stark 1972).(omitted)

• Proceedings of The Korean Society of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Conference
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• 2005.09a
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• pp.7-10
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• 2005

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.116-124
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• 2013

Differences in rates and patterns of nitrogen cycling have been correlated with nitrogen stable isotope measurements in forest ecosystems of tropical and temperate regions, but limited similar work has been conducted in sub-tropical forests. This study investigated patterns in stable N isotopic composition in a subtropical forest in Taiwan by sampling three soil profiles and overstory and understory foliage. Soil ${\delta}^{15}N$ in the forest floor ranged from -1.8 to -1.8‰. Mineral soils had higher ${\delta}^{15}N$ (4.1 to 6.0‰). Foliage ${\delta}^{15}N$ in overstory trees ranged from -6.6 to -2.0‰, and understory foliage ${\delta}^{15}N$ ranged from -5.0 to -1.2‰. There was a weak correlation between foliar % N and ${\delta}^{15}N$ ($r^2=0.214$). Compared to results from similar surveys in tropical and temperate forests, foliar ${\delta}^{15}N$ values were generally lower. These results help highlight the need for improved knowledge regarding the relationships between patterns in N stable isotopes and processes affecting rates of N cycling, especially as related to wider scale patterns in forest ecosystems within the east-Asia region.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.20-29
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• 2018

Background: For various reasons such as agricultural and economical purposes, land-use changes are rapidly increasing not only in Korea but also in the world, leading to shifts in the characteristics of local carbon cycle. Therefore, in order to understand the large-scale ecosystem carbon cycle, it is necessary first to understand vegetation on this local scale. As a result, it is essential to comprehend change of the carbon balance attributed by the land-use changes. In this study, we attempt to understand accumulated soil carbon (ASC) and soil respiration (Rs) related to carbon cycle in two ecosystems, artificially turned forest into pastureland from forest and a native deciduous temperate forest, resulted from different land-use in the same area. Results: Rs were shown typical seasonal changes in the alpine pastureland (AP) and temperate deciduous forest (TDF). The annual average Rs was $160.5mg\;CO_2\;m^{-2}h^{-1}$ in the AP, but it was $405.1mg\;CO_2\;m^{-2}h^{-1}$ in the TDF, indicating that the Rs in the AP was lower about 54% than that in the TDF. Also, ASC in the AP was $124.49Mg\;C\;ha^{-1}$ from litter layer to 30-cm soil depth. The ASC was about $88.9Mg\;C\;ha^{-1}$, and it was 71.5% of that of the AP. The temperature factors in the AP was high about $4^{\circ}C$ on average compared to the TDF. In AP, it was observed high amount of sunlight entering near the soil surface which is related to high soil temperature is due to low canopy structure. This tendency is due to the smaller emission of organic carbon that is accumulated in the soil, which means a higher ASC in the AP compared to the TDF. Conclusions: The artificial transformation of natural ecosystems into different ecosystems is proceeding widely in the world as well as Korea. The change in land-use type is caused to make the different characteristics of carbon cycle and storage in same region. For evaluating and predicting the carbon cycle in the vegetation modified by the human activity, it is necessary to understand the carbon cycle and storage characteristics of natural ecosystems and converted ecosystems. In this study, we studied the characteristics of ecosystem carbon cycle using different forms in the same region. The land-use changes from a TDF to AP leads to changes in dominant vegetation. Removal of canopy increased light and temperature conditions and slightly decreased SMC during the growing season. Also, land-use change led to an increase of ASC and decrease of Rs in AP. In terms of ecosystem carbon sequestration, AP showed a greater amount of carbon stored in the soil due to sustained supply of above-ground liters and lower degradation rate (soil respiration) than TDF in the high mountains. This shows that TDF and AP do not have much difference in terms of storage and circulation of carbon because the amount of carbon in the forest biomass is stored in the soil in the AP.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.1
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• pp.66-72
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• 2024

Determining the nutrient stoichiometry in plant organs is critical for understanding nutrient uptake and cycling in forest ecosystems. This study evaluated nutrient concentrations and stoichiometry in various plant organs (stem, bark, branches, and foliage) of species found in four warm-temperate forests in southern Korea. Cryptomeria japonica D. Don (CJ), Quercus serrata Thunb. (QS), evergreen broadleaved tree species (EB), and bamboo spp. (BB) were destructively sampled to measure nutrient (C, N, and P) concentrations in the plant organs. The mean C concentration in the stem was significantly higher in CJ than in QS, BB, or EB, whereas the C concentration in the foliage was the lowest in BB. The mean foliar N and P concentrations were higher in BB than in EB or CJ. The mean stem C:N and C:P ratios were highest in CJ but were lowest in the foliage of BB. Overall, stems of all species showed a strong positive correlation between C concentration and dry weight, but a negative correlation between N and dry weight. The N and P concentrations of foliage and bark were strongly correlated, whereas those of the stem and branches were poorly correlated. Positive correlations were detected between the C:N and C:P ratios in bark and foliage. These results indicate the existence of intraspecific differences in nutrient requirements in warm-temperate forest species and add to the understanding of nutrient uptake and storage patterns in the organs of species growing in warm-temperate forests.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.24-34
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• 2019

Soil moisture regulates the fate of methane ($CH_4$) in forest soil via biological and chemical processes. The instant effect of variable precipitation on $CH_4$ uptake is, however, unclear in the forest ecosystems. Here, we measured $CH_4$ flux in a temperate forest soil immediately after variable volume of water applications equivalent to 10, 20 40, and $80mm\;m^{-2}day^{-1}$ precipitation. $CH_4$ uptake was significantly higher when the water was not applied. The $CH_4$ uptake decreased significantly with increasing water application. $CH_4$ uptake was linked with air filled porosity and water filled porosity. $CH_4$ uptake response to actual precipitation intensity was in agreement with $CH_4$ uptake results in this study. $CH_4$ uptake decreased 55% at highest precipitation intensity. Since annual $CH_4$ flux is calculated with interpolation of weekly or biweekly field observations, instant effect of precipitation can mislead the interpolated annual results.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.96 no.2
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• pp.214-221
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• 2007

The effect of nutrient availability and forest type on the nutrient turnover of fine roots is important in terrestrial nutrient cycling, but it is poorly understood. I measured nutrient turnover of hardwoods and softwoods at three well studied sites in the northeastern US: Sleepers River, VT; Hubbard Brook, NH; Cone Pond, NH. Significant differences in nutrient turnover by fine roots were observed among sites, but not between forest types. The magnitude of differences for each element ranged from 3 times for P and N to 8 times for Ca and Mg between sites. Smaller differences of 0.2 to 0.8 times were observed between forest types. In hardwoods, the Sleepers River 'new' site had $23kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$ Ca, $7kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$ Mg, and $16kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$ K turnover, owing to high root nutrient contents and turnover. Cone Pond had the highest turnover for Mn ($0.8kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$) and Al ($16kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$), owing to high nutrient contents. The Hubbard Brook hardwood site exhibited the lowest turnover of these elements. In softwoods, the variation in turnover of Ca, Mg, and K was lower than in hardwoods. The Hubbard Brook had the highest turnover for P ($1.6kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$), N ($31kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$), Mn ($0.4kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$), Al ($10kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$), Fe ($6.4kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$), Zn ($0.3kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$), Cu ($34g\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$), and C ($1.1Mg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$). Root Ca turnover exponentially increased as soil percentage Ca saturation increased because of greater root nutrient contents and more rapid turnover at the higher Ca sites. These results imply that nutrient inputs by root turnover significantly increase as soil Ca availability improves in temperate forest ecosystems.