• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.4
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• pp.554-568
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• 2021

Forests are the largest carbon (C) sinks in terrestrial ecosystems. Recently, as enhancing forest C sequestration capacity has been proposed as a basic direction of the Republic of Korea's "2050 Carbon Neutral Strategy," accurate estimation of forest C sequestration has been emphasized. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines, sequestration quantity is calculated from changes in C stocks in forest C pools, such as biomass, deadwood, litter and soil layer, and harvested wood products. However, in Korea, only the overstory biomass increase is now considered the amount of sequestration quantity, so there can be a significant difference from the actual forest C sequestration. In this study, we quantified forest C exchange through C flux measurement using an eddy covariance system and an automated soil chamber system in a 57-year-old Korean pine plantation located in Mt. Taehwa, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Then, the net amount of C sequestration was compared with the amount of the overstory biomass increase. We estimated the annual C stock change in the remaining C pools by comparing the net sequestration amount from the C flux measurement with the overstory biomass increase and C stock change in the litter layer. Therefore, the net C sequestration of the Korean pine plantation estimated from the flux measurement was 5.96 MgC ha^-1, which was about 2.2 times greater than 2.77 MgC ha^-1 of the overstory biomass increase. The annual C stock increase in the litter layer was estimated to be 0.75 MgC ha^-1, resulting in a total annual C stock increase of 2.45 MgC ha^-1 in the remaining C pools. Our results indicate that the domestic forest is a larger C sink than the current methods, implying that more accurate calculations of the C sequestration capacity are necessary to quantify C stock changes in C pools along with the C flux measurement.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.55-62
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• 2011

Amidst the raising of climate change in relation to the earth's environment as an international issue, there is a growing interest in forest resources. In particular, Korea faces a period in which we need to control carbon release pursuant to the Convention on Climate Change and the enforcement of the Kyoto Protocol; therefore, the importance of forests is becoming greater. Recently, there has been a focus on light detection and ranging (Lidar) which is a means of acquiring in a short time various necessary pieces of information for forest management as three dimensional geospatial information. In this study, the carbon absorption of a forest was measured by using the Lidar data obtained from the Lidar. Carbon absorption release was calculated on the basis of three criteria involving the minimum height of a tree, the density of the forest, and the minimum area of the forest, which are items proposed by the Forest resources surveyor. Through this study, a method of extracting the carbon absorption of a forest area using the Lidar data quantitatively was confirmed.

• Journal of Korea Foresty Energy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.37-45
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• 2005

This study presents a method how to estimate the change of stand volume, the stand biomass and the carbon removals, using dynamic stand growth model according to whether the practices for forest management are implemented or not. As a result, it shows that the rate of stand change was significantly high if the practices were implemented. Consequently, the change of carbon removals was also high. The carbon removals at the stand where the practices were not implemented, was estimated about 0.27tC/ha. And the carbon removals at the stand where the practices were implemented, was estimated 166.02tC/ha(thinning from above) and 163.75tC/ha(thinning from below). It is confirmed that the thinning activities has a great influence on the change of carbon removals and there was little difference of the carbon removals between thinning types. From this result, it is proved that forest management like thinning activities is prerequisite condition to improve the carbon removals of stand.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.103 no.3
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• pp.439-445
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• 2014

In this study, we developed a dynamic stand yield model to estimate the baseline carbon stock, which is essentially required for a forest carbon offset project based on forest management. For developing the yield model, the data was acquired from the databases of the $5^{th}$ National Forest Inventory. The model was validated by comparing its estimations with field measurements that were conducted from 4 study sites (14 plots with thinning treatments) located in Hong-chun, Hoeng-sung, Yang-yang Daechi and Yang-yang Jungja. The difference between the estimations and the field measurements was less than 5%. Using the dynamic stand yield model, we estimated the changes in stand yield volume and carbon stocks for each species according to the baseline scenarios. As the results, we found that baseline carbon stock was the highest at Quercus acutissima stand (83.01tC/ha), while the lowest at Pinus rigida stand (32.17tC/ha) and Pinus densiflora stand of central region (39.09tC/ha). Hence, a project provider could get more carbon emission credits from an improved forest management project when considering the project with Pinus rigida stand or Pinus densiflora stand (central region). The baseline carbon stock and the dynamic stand yield model developed from this study would be useful for designing carbon offset projects based on improved forest management.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.124-138
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• 2018

This research was conducted to examine the availability of spatial data for assessing absorption rates of $CO_2$ in the forest of Ansan-si and evaluate the validity of methods that analyze $CO_2$ absorption. To statistically assess the $CO_2$ absorption rates per year, the 1:5,000 Digital Forest-Map (Lim5000) and Standard Carbon Removal of Major Forest Species (SCRMF) methods were employed. Furthermore, Land Cover Map (LCM) was also used to verify $CO_2$ absorption rate availability per year. Great variations in $CO_2$ absorption rates occurred before and after the year 2010. This was due to improvement in precision and accuracy of the Forest Basic Statistics (FBS) in 2010, which resulted in rapid increase in growing stock. Thus, calibration of data prior to 2010 is necessary, based on recent FBS standards. Previous studies that employed Lim5000 and FBS (2015, 2010) did not take into account the $CO_2$ absorption rates of different tree species, and the combination of SCRMF and Lim5000 resulted in $CO_2$ absorption of 42,369 ton. In contrast to the combination of SCRMF and Lim5000, LCM and SCRMF resulted in $CO_2$ absorption of 40,696 ton. Homoscedasticity tests for Lim5000 and LCM resulted in p-value <0.01, with a difference in $CO_2$ absorption of 1,673 ton. Given that $CO_2$ absorption in forests is an important factor that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, the findings of this study should provide fundamental information for supporting a wide range of decision-making processes for land use and management.

• Journal of Korea Foresty Energy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2001

An approach method for the greenhouse gas inventory in land-use change and forestry in Korea based on the 1996 revised IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) guideline was developed and carbon budget of the year 1998 in this sector was estimated using the developed method as follow. For the category of changes in forests and other woody biomass stocks, carbon removal from the atmosphere by growth was 11,911 thousands TC(tons of carbon), carbon emissions to the atmosphere by harvests was 824 thousands TC, and net carbon removals was, therefore, 11,087 thousands TC, Emissions from decay of biomass remained after conversion of forest land to other land uses was estimated to 82 thousands TC For the category of land-use change and management, carbon emissions in mineral soils from land-use change was 1,025 thousands TC, that from liming of agricultural soils was 32 thousands TC, and total emissions was, therefore, 1,057 thousands TC. In summary, the carbon budget of land-use change and forestry of the year 1988 was as follows; the removal of 11,911 thousands TC, the emissions of 1,963 thousands TC, and the net removal of 9,948 thousands TC which was 9.6% of the emissions of 103,601 thousands TC from energy sector of the same year.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.127-139
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• 2017

Measurements of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of $CO_2$ based on the eddy covariance technique provide reasonable carbon balance estimates in response to local environmental conditions. In South Korea, the forest ecosystems cover approximately 64% of the total area, thereby strongly affecting regional carbon balances. Cultivated croplands that cover about 17% of the total area should also be considered when calculating the carbon balance of the country. In this study, our objectives were (a) to quantify the range and seasonal variation of NEE at forest ecosystems, including deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, and agricultural ecosystems, including rice paddies and a potato field, in South Korea and (b) to compare NEE at ten Fluxnet sites that have the same or similar ecosystems as found in South Korea. The results showed that the forest and agricultural ecosystems were carbon sinks. In Korea, NEE at the forest ecosystems varied between -31 and $-362gC/m^2/yr$, and NEE at the croplands ranged from -210 to $-248gC/m^2/growing$ season. At the deciduous forest, NEE reached low values in late spring, early summer, and early autumn, while at the coniferous forest, it reached low values in spring, early summer, and mid autumn. The young mixed forest was a much stronger carbon sink than the old-growth deciduous and coniferous forests. During each crop growing season, beet had the lowest NEE value within six crops, followed by wither wheat, maize, rice, potato, and soybean. These results will be useful for designing and applying management strategies for the reduction of $CO_2$ emissions.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.591-600
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• 2010

We estimated and compared C storages and annual $CO_2$ uptakes by 9 dominant tree species planted along the streets. DBH and age by tree species were measured in the sites selected considering the planting status and distributions of tree species, and biomass, C storage, growth rate, and annual $CO_2$ uptake were estimated for each species. As a result, L. tulipifera, M. glyptostroboides, P. occidentalis were classified into fast-growing group, P. serrulata, G. biloba, Z. serrata, S. japonica, A. palmatum showed intermediate growth rates, and P. densiflora was slow-growing. Average C storage per tree was 205kgC/tree and ranged from 518kgC/tree(L. tulipifera) to 41kgC/tree(P. densiflora). Average annual $CO_2$ uptake by urban street trees over their lifespan ranged from $7.6kgCO_2$/tree/y to $99.1kgCO_2$/tree/y and L. tulipifera was the greatest, followed by glyptostroboides and P. occidentalis, and P. densiflora was the lowest. Total annual $CO_2$ uptake by all street trees in Gyeonggi-do, estimated based on the annual $CO_2$ uptake by each species, was as small as approximately 0.67% of that by forest in Gyeonggi-do. However, urban trees are still important because forest area continues to decrease and urbanization occurs annually in Gyeonggi-do, and should be managed considering their multi-functional aspects, including mitigation of heat island effect and building energy saving(indirect $CO_2$ uptake).

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.97-107
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• 2010

A forest project for the sequestration of carbon dioxide helps to reduce the concerntration of greenhouse gas in atmosphere and provides various co-benefits. A lot of forestry-based carbon offset programs have been developing for the purpose of CSR(Corporate Social Responsibility), voluntary GHG emission reduction, and regulatory context etc. in worldwide. We studied major characteristics - project type and criteria, additionality, credits, permanence, carbon accounting and monitoring, co-benefit - of advanced forest carbon offset programs. Also, we tried to comprehend the direction and basic elements to design a domestic program.

• Journal of Korean Society for Geospatial Information Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.81-89
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• 2011

Low-carbon Green Growth is highlighted as the main issue from in and outof Korea. Recently Korean government and local goverment constructed a master plan and related database. Considering this as a starting point the carbon gross emission has become an important factor in the city planning and management of local goverment unit. This research was focused on the analysis of carbon gross emission and the environment of carbon occurrence using statistics and digital forest map for the Gyeonggi-do. Further research need to analysis the carbon absorption using satellite image for periodic database. These database will be available basic data for the policy making.