• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.94 no.5 s.162
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• pp.321-329
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• 2005

Based on the data representing four typical Korean pine forest types, the age structure, DBH distribution, species composition, and forking rule were systemically analyzed for old-growth Korean pine forest in Liangshui Nature Reserve, northeast China. The age structure of Korean pine trees was strongly uneven-aged with one dominated peak following normal distribution, and age of trees varied from 100 to 180 years within a stand. The DBH and height differences in same age class (20 years) varied from 28 cm~64 cm and 5 to 20 m, respectively. Many conifer and hard wood species, such as spruce, fir, costata birch, basswood, oak, and elm, were mixed with dominated trees of Korean pine. The canopy of the old-growth Korean pine forest can be divided into two layers, and differences of mean age and height between Layer I and Layer II were ranged 80~150 years and 7~13 m, respectively. The Weibull function was used to model the diameter distribution and performed well to describe size-class distribution either with a single peak in over-story canopy and inverse J-shape in under-story canopy for old-growth Korean pine stands. The forking height of Korean pine trees ranged from 16m to 24 m (mean 19.4 m) and tree age about 120 to 160 years old. The results will provide a scientific basis to protect and recover the ecosystem of natural old-growth Korean pine and also provide the model in management of Korean pine plantation.

• Atmosphere
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.187-202
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• 2024

We analyzed the observed characteristics of monoterpene and developed an empirical formula for monoterpene concentration in the pine-dominated mixed forest of the National Center for Forest Therapy. Monoterpene was measured at 0800, 1200 and 1700 LST once a month using sorbent tube sampling coupled with thermal desorption gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Monoterpene concentration is low in winter and shows a maximum in June and July. The major components of monoterpene are alpha-pinene, camphene and beta-pinene. During the warm period from May to November, monoterpene concentration is higher at 0800 and 1700 LST than at 1200 LST. The empirical formula takes into account the vegetation variables, temperature-controlled emission, oxidation processes and dilution by wind. The vegetation variable accounts for the difference in observed monoterpene concentration between two sites. The observed monoterpene concentration normalized by the vegetation variable increases exponentially with air temperature. The oxidation process explains the lower monoterpene concentration at 1200 LST than at 0800 and 1700 LST during the warm period. The monoterpene estimates using the empirical formula shows a correlation of 0.52 with the observation for the development period (2018~2020), while it shows a correlation of 0.72 for the validation year (2021). Such higher correlation for the validation year than for the development period is due to the fact that variability of monoterpene concentration is better explained by air temperature in 2021 than in the development period. However, the developed formula underestimates the monoterpene concentration in May and June, showing the limitation in accurately capturing the monthly variation of monoterpene.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.126-142
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• 2020

Background: Most of the Pinus densiflora forests, occupying the largest area, have been restored in South Korea since the 1970s. As young pioneer forests, the succession process is under way. Since the forests are distributed nationwide and are vulnerable to disturbances, the process may differ depending on the geography and/or site conditions. Therefore, we reviewed the direction, the seral communities, and the late-successional species of progressive and disturbance-driven succession nationwide in the cool-temperate zone through meta-analysis and empirical observations. Main text: As a result of a meta-analysis of the direct succession and vertical structure, we found that the P. densiflora forest is in a directionally progressive succession, changing to the broadleaved forest after forming a mixed forest with its overwhelming successor, Quercus species (particularly Q. mongolica and Q. serrata). In dry stands in a relative sense, the Quercus species was favored occupying over 80% of the abundance of the succeeding species. Therefore, in dry stands, it is presumed that Quercus-dominated stage would last for a long time due to the current dominance and long life span, and eventually, it settles as Quercus-broadleaved forest with a site change. Contrary to this, it is presumed that in mesic stands where Quercus species do not occur or have low abundance, the late-successional broadleaved species settle early to form a co-dominant forest with multiple species. Due to geographical limits, the species composition of the two late-successional forests is different. Disturbances such as insect pests and fire retrogressed vulnerable P. densiflora forest for a while. However, it was mostly restored to the Quercus forest and is expected to be incorporated in the pathway of the dry stand. Conclusions: We revealed the succession process of P. densiflora forests according to geography and moisture and found that stand moisture had a decisive effect on the species and abundance of the successor. Although the P. densiflora forest is undergoing structural changes, the forest is still young; so within a few decades, physiognomy is not likely to change. Therefore, the decrease in the forest area may be due to other causes such as disturbances and forest conversion rather than due to succession.