• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.264-274
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• 2020

Background: Climate change has altered the various ecosystem processes including forest ecosystem in Himalayan region. Although the high mountain natural forests including treelines in the Himalayan region are mainly reported to be temperature sensitive, the temperature-related water stress in an important growth-limiting factor for middle elevation mountains. And there are very few evidences on growth performance of planted forest in changing climate in the Himalayan region. A dendrochronological study was carried out to verify and record the impact of warming temperature tree growth by using the tree cores of Pinus roxburghii from Batase village of Dhulikhel in Central Nepal with sub-tropical climatic zone. For this total, 29 tree cores from 25 trees of P. roxburghii were measured and analyzed. Result: A 44-year long tree ring width chronology was constructed from the cores. The result showed that the radial growth of P. roxburghii was positively correlated with pre-monsoon (April) rainfall, although the correlation was not significant and negatively correlated with summer rainfall. The strongest negative correlation was found between radial growth and rainfall of June followed by the rainfall of January. Also, the radial growth showed significant positive correlation with that previous year August mean temperature and maximum temperature, and significant negative correlation between radial growth and maximum temperature (Tmax) of May and of spring season (March-May), indicating moisture as the key factor for radial growth. Despite the overall positive trend in the basal area increment (BAI), we have found the abrupt decline between 1995 and 2005 AD. Conclusion: The results indicated that chir pine planted population was moisture sensitive, and the negative impact of higher temperature during early growth season (March-May) was clearly seen on the radial growth. We emphasize that the forest would experience further moisture stress if the trend of warming temperatures continues. The unusual decreasing BAI trend might be associated with forest management processes including resin collection and other disturbances. Our results showed that the planted pine forest stand is sub-healthy due to major human intervention at times. Further exploration of growth climate response from different climatic zones and management regimes is important to improve our understanding on the growth performance of mid-hill pine forests in Nepal.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.281-288
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• 2001

The relationships between the growths of Abies koreana W. and climatic factors were analyzed by the use of tree-ring analysis at the subalpine belt of Mt. Halla National Park. The four cores were extracted from each 21 trees at north-facing slope (1,900m a.s.1.). The site chronology was established on the periods from 1912 to 1999. The growth of A. koreana was very poor, in particular in the years of 1982, 1988 and 1996. Simple correlation was employed to analyze the relationship between the growth of A. koreana and climatic factors. The result of simple correlation indicates that the growth of A. koreana represent positive correlations both with the mean temperatures of April and previous November, and the precipitation of previous December and January. The presence of large number of frost-damaged scars in the individual trees of A. koreana implies that local freezing temperature conditions at Mt. Halla have occurred in 1964, 1965 and 1966. The correlations between the fir chronology SOI(Southern Oscillation Index) of previous January, February and November were significantly positive. The growth ratio of A. koreana demonstrates that this species is sensitive to seasonal variations. As the winter temperature rises, the growth ratio of A. koreana decreases, on the other hand, the increase of autumn temperature accelerates the growth ratio of A. koreana. The growth decline of A. koreana was observed from 51 cores out of the 54 cores, and the overall growth declines have initiated at 1978, 1982 and 1988. Distinct growth decline of A. koreana in the range of 70% is noticed at 34 cores out of the 51 cores. The decline of, A. koreana growth appears to be related to the winter temperature which has increased since mid-1970s.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.101-109
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• 2001

The landscape changes at the Mujechi moors I and II during the last twenty two years were analysed using a tree ring analysis of pine trees, a distributional pattern of pine tree, an aerial photograph interpretation and a measurement of firebreak line. The analysis of aerial photographs(taken in 1978, 1988, 1998) indicates that the area of Mujechi moors I and II have gradually decreased. The decreased rate of moor area was relatively high, i.e.,-23.9 %(1978~1988) and -16.4 %(1998~1998) at the Mujechi moor I, but a little bit low, i.e., -2.6% (1978~1988) and -12.6 % (1998~1998) at the Mujechi moor II. However, dendrochronological analysis of pine trees at moors I and II shows that the appearance rates of pine trees per $100\textrm{m}^2$ at moor I and II were 0.28 and 0.57 respectively. And the number of younger pine trees(height is under 1.5m, DBH is less than 2.5 cm) invaded into moors are numbered eleven at the moor I, and ten at the moor II. This shows that the shift of a wetlands into a land was faster at the moor II than the moor I. The construction of a firebreak line and waterway along the moors I and II areas since the December, 1995, has diverted watershed flow and prohibited the runoff flow into the moors. The analysis of GIS suggests that the decreased watershed area were about $11,413.8\textrm{m}^2$(12.1 % of whole watershed area) at the moor I and $15,969.5\textrm{m}^2$(40.4 % of whole watershed area) at the moor II. The negative impact of firebreak line on the inflow of water into the moors I and II and destruction of vegetation along the firebreak line are noticeable from the field survey.