The Ecological Characteristics by Slope of an Abies koreana Forest in Seseok of Jirisan National Park

지리산 세석 구상나무림의 사면별 생태적 특성

This study was carried out to provide basic information on efficient preservation and management of an Abies koreana forest through analyzing the ecological characteristics by slope in Seseok, Mt. Jirisan. Soil moisture content at southern and northern slopes was 29.9% and 21.7%, respectively, and there was no significant difference among soil properties between southern and northern slopes. The importance value of A. koreana in the southern and northern slopes was high for tree and subtree layers, respectively. It is noteworthy that many seedling and saplings of A. koreana were present on the southern slope. The species diversity was 0.413 for the tree layer, 0.632 for the subtree layer, and 0.609 for the shrub layer on the southern slope and 0.396 for the tree layer, 0.783 for the subtree layer, and 1.215 for the shrub layer on the northern slope. Evenness and dominance ranged from 0.371 to 0.609 and 0.629 to 0.391 on the southern slope and from 0.380 to 0.968 and 0.620 to 0.032 on the northern slope, respectively. The mortality of A. koreana was 9.6% on the southern slope and 24.4% on the northern slope, a distinct difference between the slopes. The mortality type at two slopes was the highest proportion of standing dead. Annual mean tree ring growth of A. koreana on the southern slope (1.76 mm/yr) was higher than that on the northern slope (1.64 mm/yr).