• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.247-254
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• 2015

Changes in land-use type can affect soil and water properties in stream ecosystems. This study examined the effects of different land-use types on biogeochemical properties and microbial activities of a stream. We collected water and sediment samples in a stream at three different sites surrounded by varying land-use types; a forest, a radish field and a rice paddy. Nitrogen contents, such as nitrate, nitrite and total nitrogen in the stream water body, showed significant differences among the sampling sites. The highest nitrogen values were recorded at the site surrounded by cropland, as fertilizer runoff impacted the stream. Soil organic matter content in the sediment showed significant differences among sites, with the highest content exhibited at the forest mouth site. These differences might be due to the organic matter in surrounding terrestrial ecosystems. Microbial activities determined by extracellular enzyme activities showed similar values throughout all sites in the water body; however, the activities in the sediments exhibited the highest values near the forest site and mirrored the soil organic matter content values. From these results, we conclude that different land-use types are important factors affecting water and sediment properties in stream ecosystems.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.371-380
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• 2019

Termites are pests that cause serious economic and cultural damage by digesting wood cellulose. Termites are arthropods and have an epidermis surrounded by a chitin layer. To maintain a healthy epidermis, termites have chitinase (${\beta}$-1,4-poly-N-acetyl glucosamidinase, EC 3.2.1.14), an enzyme that hydrolyzes the ${\beta}$-1,4 bond of chitin. In this study, the amino acid sequence of the gene, which is presumed to be termite chitinolytic enzyme (NCBI accession no. KC477099), was obtained from a transcriptomic analysis of Reticulitermes speratus KMT001 in Bukhan Mountain, Korea. An NCBI protein BLAST search confirmed that the protein is a glycoside hydrolase family 18 (GH18). The highest homology value found was 47%, with a chitinase from Araneus ventricosus. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the KC477099 protein has the same origins as those of arthropods but has a very low similarity with other arthropod chitinases, resulting in separation at an early stage of evolution. The KC477099 protein contains two conserved motifs, which encode the general enzymatic characteristics of the GH18 group. The amino acid sequences $Asp^{156}-Trp^{157}-Glu^{158}$, which play an important role in the enzymatic activity of the GH18 group, were also present. This study suggests that the termite KC477099 protein is a new type of chitinase, which is evolutionarily distant from other insect chitinases.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.96 no.5
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• pp.543-550
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• 2007

Arguments against charging fees for use of recreational forests and parks generally rest on the assumption that the public sector has the responsibility to provide as many recreational opportunities as it can to all visitors in Korea. The entrance fee in recreational forests allowed some governmental resource management agencies to keep a portion of user fees generated on-site, instead of returning all revenue to the general treasury. Funded primarily through entrance, activity, parking, and mountain villa-use fees, this legislation has been successful in reducing the maintenance backlog for participating agencies. However, it is unclear what effect user fees might have on visitors attending interpretive programs and the benefits that agencies might receive from implementing this policy. From this point of view, this study is a similar case at the Visitor Center and Species Restoration Center at Jirisan in terms of fee-based field trips to the places. In this research, two hundred twenty-three visitors at the Visitor Center and Species Restoration Center at Jirisan National Park answered questions about their trips from 2005 to 2006. Results indicted that the ecoguide not only increased visitor's appreciation of the resource, but also enhanced their perceptions of the Korean National Park Service (KNPS) fee policies.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.670-680
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• 2018

Acanthophysium sp. KMF001, a wood rotting fungus, produces a strong crude enzyme complex that efficiently produces simple sugars from wood. The transcriptomic analysis of Acanthophysium sp. KMF001 identified 14 genes for putative glycoside hydrolases. Among them, isotig01043 was expressed heterogeneously in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and the expressed protein exhibited an endo-${\beta}$-1,4-xylanase activity which showed the optimum reaction at pH 5.0 and $30^{\circ}C$. The enzyme kinetic values of $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ were 25.92 mg/ml and $0.628{\mu}mole/mg/ml$, respectively. The enzymatic characteristics of the expressed xylanase showed a typical fungal xylanase. However, the bioinformatics analysis suggested that the protein encoded by isotig01043 was a novel xylanase based on a low identity when it was compared with the closest protein in the NCBI database and a similar protein domain with GH16_fungal_Lam16A_glucanase, which had not been earlier suggested as a xylanase.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.760-764
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• 2009

In this study, we investigated the antifungal activity of three different forms of silver nanoparticles against the unidentified ambrosia fungus Raffaelea sp., which has been responsible for the mortality of a large number of oak trees in Korea. Growth of fungi in the presence of silver nanoparticles was significantly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. We also assessed the effectiveness of combining the different forms of nanoparticles. Microscopic observation revealed that silver nanoparticles caused detrimental effects not only on fungal hyphae but also on conidial germination.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.100-108
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• 2007

$\beta$-Glucosidase from Laetiporus sulphureus among the enzymes related to lignocellulosic biomass degradation to sugars for using alternative bioethanol production was characterized. The highest activity of $\beta$-glucosidase was obtained on cellobiose at shaking culture. For the characterization and purification of $\beta$-glucosidase culture solution was concentrated and then purified by FPLC using ion exchange and size exclusion column. According to the results of SDS-PAGE, native PAGE and microfluidic system of purified enzyme, protein band was observed at about 132 kDa. Optimal pH and temperature of purified $\beta$-glucosi-dase were 5.0 and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively. In the kinetic properties of $\beta$-glucosidase on various substrates such as sophorose, gentiobiose and cellobiose, $K_m$ was 0.81, 1.07 and 1.70 mM, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.107 no.4
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• pp.412-421
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• 2018

The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of forest management activities on canopy fuel characteristics for Pinus densiflora stands in South Korea. We used 1,085 managed stands data and 349 unmanaged stands data of the National Forest Inventory for this study, and it was estimated by using the Weibull function for the growth of stand and canopy fuel characteristics. Comparing the canopy fuel characteristics for the managed stands and unmanaged stands shows that the average canopy fuel load is about 14% higher than that of managed stands, and the canopy bulk density is also approximately 16% higher. The results of comparing growth projections for 40 years, 50 years and 60 years with the Weibull function are as follows: Over time, managed stands was predicted the maximum number of medium and large class diameter, while unmanaged stands was predicted maximum number of small and medium class diameter. From a fire fuel perspective, unmanaged stands are predicted to be of the type small class diameter and high density, which is a good condition for crown fire. In addition, Canopy fuel load, Canopy bulk density is relatively higher than managed stands, indicating that the possibility of high crown fire hazard.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.481-495
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• 2022

This study was designed to identify the actual state of naturalized plants and invasive alien species that cause disturbances to the ecosystem, plants which are introduced after forest restoration, and explore the implications resulting from the project. Onsite examination included 29 sites which have been subjected to forest restoration by the Korea Forest Service. Once these were chosen, activity took place twice a year in the spring (May-June) and in the summer (August-September) in 2020 and 2021. Areas not relevant to the project sites were excluded from this activity so that we could identify the plants that could be understood to have been introduced or brought into the site after the actual forest restoration. And the correlation was analyzed, between the naturalized flora within the project sites and the working types applied to the site through confirmation of completion of the restoration project. The naturalized plants appearing on the entire site cover a total of 109 taxa, which includes 29 families, 80 genera, 108 species and 1 subspecies, while invasive plants included 3 families, 7 genera and 8 species. The number of classifications and the naturalization rate gradually decreased over time, after the project. While there was no significant difference between the number of classification groups and the naturalization rate for naturalized plants between project sites, given the number of taxa of naturalized plants, organized by type of damage, there were relatively more naturalized plants that appeared in the severed section of the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range, as well as at quarry and facility sites. Seeding apparently results in naturalization rates as high as 15.545%, on average, based on comparisons of naturalization rates by sowing, seeding, planting, herb planting, and sod pitching channels, all of these being methods of vegetation for planting/greening of bareland and slopes within the project areas. With no seeding, it was 9.167%, higher than the average. As for other vegetation, there was no significant difference depending on application of the working type. This means that unlike the plants subjected to planting, the working type of seed planting which makes it difficult to identify whether a certain plant is a naturalized plant greatly affects the introduction of naturalized plants to the restoration sites, even when using herb planting and sod pitching to control plants and results. Therefore the study suggests that there be inspection by experts of seeds when sowing within restoration sites. The results of this study suggest good practices that will help to direct effective vegetation restoration and follow-up management.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.185-194
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of short-term foresters on brain waves and pulse waves. For this purpose, 484 foresters who visited the natural recreation forest located in Cheongpyeong city, Gyeonggi province, measured the before and after experiences of EEG and pulse waves, and the following results were obtained. First, foresters have been shown to be effective on concentration, brain activity, and brain stress. Second, foresters had positive effects on cardiac health and autonomic health. In other words, when various substances released from the forest come into the body through the respiratory system, it firstly affects the heart activity positively, and it seems to be able to expect various improvements by acting on the emotional side of the brain. Therefore, based on the scientific basis of the forest experience, it is expected that the experience of forests will be widely used as a guide for healthy life by creating conditions for participation by many people. In addition, the mechanism of respiration, heartbeat, and brain interaction is also possible, and various experimental studies on the forest experience in the future are important.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2001

The structures of six flavonoids isolated from heartwood of Prunus sargentii(Rosaceae) were analyzed by Mass and NMR spectrometry. These flavonoids were grouped into dihydroflavonol, flavanone, and flavanone glycoside, and identified as follows : 3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavanone(taxifolin) as a dihydroflavonol, 5-hydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone(pinostrobin), 4',5,7-trihydroxyflavanone(naringenin), 3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavanone(eriodictyol), 5,7-dihydroxyflavanone(pinoccmbrin) as a flavanone and 7-hydroxyflavanone 5-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside(verecundin) as a flavanone glycoside.