• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.34-38
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• 2003

An analysis of tree ring series of a lace-bark pine (Pinus bungeana Zuccarini) was carried out to find out the exact age of the tree, to describe life history of the tree affected by the change of past environmental factors, and to explain the relationships between the growth fluctuation of the tree and the change of environmental factors of the past. This study explicitly showed that the tree was about 300 years old in 1992 and that the previous estimate of the age to be about 630 years old has no ground to be justified. This was also ascertained by the close correspondence of the tree growth fluctuation to the fluctuation of soil moisture related environmental factors for the last 80 years in Seoul. Although it is clear that the tree suffered from slow growth for about 30 years initiating from the 1910s, it is not sure whether the soil moisture deficits or droughts during the years of 1910-1913 played a major role in causing the decline of the trees afterwards. Discussion was further extended for defining active roles for the Cultural Properties Administration of Korea in management and research to effectively protect the Old and Big Trees under the category of Natural Monument of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.149-159
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• 2002

Dwarf bamboo(Sasa borealis) is a dominant understory species in the various forest types in Korea. The objective of this study was to investigate vegetation structure of Sasa borealis and effects of Sasa on the growth of overstory tree species along the forest development after clearcutting. Three representative stand types with and without S. borealis in Baekwoonsan, Chonnam province were selected in 1998 for this study: uncutting stands(natural deciduous forests with overstory vegetation), 1987-cutting stands (11 years after clearcutting), and 1993-cutting stands(5 years after clearcuting). Vegetation type was largely classified into Sasa borealis dominant type and Sasa borealis recessive or absent type. The former composed of four associations including Quercus serrata-Carpinus laxiflora / Sasa borealis community, Cornus controversa-Morus bombysis / Sasa borealis community, Styrax japonica-Styrax obassia / Sasa borealis association, Zelkova serrata / Sasa borealis community. The latter divided into six associations including Quercus serrata / Lindera erythrocarpa community, Cornus controversa / Lindera erythrocarpa community, Quercus serrata / Acer pseudosieboldianum / Deutzia glabrata community, Fraxinus rhynchophylla-Quercus serrata / Lindera erythrocarpa / Euonymus alataus community, Rubus crataegifolius-Hydrangea macrophylla community, Rubus crataegifolius-Lespedeza bicolor community. Distribution of Sasa, borealis by developmental stages of forests showed that in natural stands was dominant understory, but was various pattern in two cutting stands. Mean annual ring growth of Quercus serrata and Carpinus laxiflora during the last 35 years had not been affected by presence of Sasa, based on comparisons in annual ring growth between Sasa-present and Sasa-absent stands. In conclusion, dense crown of Sasa borealis suppressed the invasion of other shrubs or annuals and facilitated later stages of plant succession by promoting growth of shade-tolerant tree species after clear cutting.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2000

To analyze the relationship between climatic factors (monthly temperatures and precipitations) and the radial growths or Pinus densiflora with different topographical settings in Worak National Park, Korea, 20 stands were chosen and 10 trees were selected from each stand. After crossdating, each ring-width series was double detrended (standardized) by fitting first a negative exponential or straight regression line and secondly a 60-year cubic spline. The growth patterns coud be categorized by four groups using cluster analysis. Cluster Ⅰ stand has north aspect, but others have south or southwest aspects. Cluster Ⅰ (one), cluster Ⅱ (ten), and cluster Ⅲ (two) stands are located in lower. elevation (305∼580 m), however, cluster Ⅳ (seven) stands are located in higher elevation, mostly in 560～870 m. Cluster Ⅱ and Ⅲ stands are located at similar elevation with the same aspect, however, cluster Ⅱ stands are located on more rocky and stiff slope with shallow soil depth. The response functions were used to examine the difference in the relationships between climatic factors and tree growths among the 4 cluster chronologies. The climatic factors are not limiting the growth in the cluster Ⅰ stand as highly as in other cluster plots because of rather mesic conditions in the north slope. The precipitation in the spring appears to be the main limiting factor in the cluster Ⅱ stands. The topographical characteristics of the sites of cluster Ⅱ, shallow soil depths on the rocky slope in the south aspect at lower elevation, may enhance the sensitivity of growth to moisture stress. In cluster Ⅲ and cluster Ⅳ, winter and spring temperature prior to the growth become more important than for cluster Ⅱ. This pattern is com-mon for Pinus densiflora trees growing in higher. elevation (equation omitted 800 m) in South Korea. It nay be re-lated with preconditioning effects of temperature as the temperature decreases with increasing elevation (cluster Ⅳ) or in the valley (cluster Ⅲ). The results obtained by tree-ring analysis were digitalized by GIS and spatio-temporal information on tree-ring data and topographic setting were analyzed and displayed simultaneously. The results of this study can be used to predict the future change of Pinus densiflora ecosystem to climate change expected in central Korea.

• Proceedings of The Korean Society of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Conference
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.98-104
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• 2014

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.565-577
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to understand the factors influencing the decline and the patterns of changes in Abies nephrolepis populations on Mt. Seorak. We installed permanent quadrats in the areas of the Gwittagicheongbong (peak), Gwanmoneungseon (ridge), and the Seorak Falls and have monitored the community structure, population dynamics, radial growth, and vitality in the quadrats since 2009. Excluding the Seorak Falls, the three research sites showed a three-layer structure in which the low-tree layer forms the canopy. Major tree species were Khingan fir, Korean arborvitae, Mongolian oak, Erman's birch, and Korean maple. The significance of Khingan fir in Seorak Falls decreased from 45.3% in 2009 to 36.8% in 2018. The number of shoots ($DBH{\geq}5cm$) was highest at 1,800 individuals/ha and 1,700 individuals/ha at the Gwittagicheongbong 2 and the Gwanmoneungseon, respectively. The mortality rates over the past 10 years were very high, at 38.3% and 35.3%, respectively, in the Gwittagicheongbong 1 and Seorak Falls. The most stable inverse J-shaped distribution in the Gwittagicheongbong 1 area was shown in the size-frequency distribution of the Khingan fir populations. The average annual ring growth of the Khingan fir was 0.96 ~ 1.73 mm/year, and the ring growth tended to decrease in the areas of Gwittagicheongbong 1, Gwanmoneungseon, and Seorak Falls, where the vitality was low. If the monitoring process continues, it will be possible to obtain basic data for the conservation and management of subalpine vegetation.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.34-36
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• 2003

In boreal conifers in China's Northeast area, maximum latewood density (MXD) of tree-ring varies in response to growing season temperature. Forest net productivity can be estimated using the Normalized-difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from satellite sensor data. MXD from the Mohe site in this area was compared with estimates of NPP for 1982-1999 produced by the NDVI model, which was established based on the relationship of leaf area index (LAI) and NDVI. The result shows that the MXD series correlated significantly with the NDVI model estimates series, suggesting that MXD appeared to be an appropriate index for productivity or canopy growth in region where forest productivity is strongly temperature-related.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 1992

The paleoclimate of the Chungbu Mountainous Region, Mts. Seorak and Sobaek, was estimated by means of dendroclimatic methodology, The annual growth value of tree-rings is deeply interrelated with the mean temperature of April-May and July-August. The mean temperature of April-May of the reconstruction period(1635-1911), observation period(1912-1989), and the whole period(1635-1989) is 13.58$^{\circ}C$, 13.69$^{\circ}C$, and 13.6$0^{\circ}C$, respectively. That of July-August is $24.50^{\circ}C$, $24.62^{\circ}C$, and $24.58^{\circ}C$ respectively. The reconstructed mean temperature data for April-May and for July-August reveal 13.2 and 12.9 year cycles.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.10 no.E
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• pp.371-386
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• 1994

Ecological examinations of the radial growth Patterns of pine trees(Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc) growing on Mt. Namsan in central Seoul were made to test a Proposition that the pine trees decline due to the influence of air pollution and acid rain, which was proposed by some researchers in Korea, and the potential effects of current level of air pollutants to the growth of the Pine trees in central Seoul have been speculated. Tree-rings of 40 trees sampled at 3 sites of Mt. Namsan were prepared and examined using a Computer-aided Tree-Ring Measuring System at Kookmin University, Korea. Air Pollutant data collected by the Ministry of Environment( MOE ) and the Forestry Research Institute(FRI) were used to infer the general conditions of the environment. Correlation analysis was applied to the data set of tree growth and the other environmental factors. General information derived from the close examination of the tree-rings and the data on air pollution, drought and the other biological conditions suggested that the growth of the pine trees was severely affected by the occurrence of drought(climatic variation), the prevalence of the pine leaf gall midges(insects), and the suppression by the black locust trees(Robinia pseudo-acacia L.) (competition among trees). While the current condition of air pollution in Seoul cannot be categorized as good, the concentrations of air pollutants are not so high as to cause acute damages to the trees. In addition, while the data of rain acidity showed episodic low PHs of under 4.0, the average of them is far less acidic than those which were observed in either northeastern United States or central Europe, where the decline of trees were not solely attributed to any of the air pollutants. Considering the sequential facts that one of the most important environmental factors that affect the growth of trees is weather condition of the forest that the proposition of the decline of the pine trees was made without careful examination of the growth patterns and past growth history of them as well as the complex influences of many other factors including the weather conditions to the growth of trees, and that no objective explanation has been made on the causal relationships between the current condition of air pollution and the growth of the trees, such a proposition should be evaluated as invalid for the explanation of tree growth on Mt. Namsan in central Seoul, Korea. The author evaluates the factors of air pollution (including acid rain) as the predisposing factors, which may have the Potentials to chronically affect the tree growth at the forest ecosystem on Mt. Namsan for a long period of time. Ecosystem ecological studies should be further carried out to carefully explain both the functional and the structural aspects of the ecosystem processes, which include the biogeochemistry and the long-term changes of soil conditions as well as the growth of the other tree species on the mountain.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.1-14
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• 2019

With a view to developing a database of death years of Korean firs (Abies koreana) at Yeongsil in Mt. Halla and investigating their abrupt inter-annual growth reduction tree-ring analysis was employed. To this end, 10 living trees (YSL) were selected to establish a master chronology and 20 dead trees were used to date their dead years. To investigate the difference in death years by death types, 10 trees, which remained standing (YSSD) out of the 20 dead trees were selected. The rest 10 dead trees were already fallen (YSFD). Two increment cores per tree at breast height were extracted in contour direction using an increment borer. A 106-year master chronology (1911-2016) was successfully established from the 10 YSLs. Through cross-dating between individual YSSD time series and the master chronology, it was verified that 1 YSSD was dead in summer 1978, 1 YSSD between autumn 1999 and spring 2000, 2 YSSDs in summer 2007, 1 YSSD in summer 2010, 1 YSSD in summer 2012, and 1 YSSD in summer 2013. The youngest tree rings of 2 YSSDs having no bark were in 1977 and 2002. For the YSFDs, it was verified that 1 YSFD was dead between autumn 1997 and spring 1998, 1 YSFD between autumn 2001 and spring 2002, 2 YSFDs between autumn 2009 and spring 2010, 1 YSFD in summer 2010, and 2 YSFDs between autumn 2012 and spring 2013, while the youngest tree rings of 2 YSFDs having no bark were in 1989 and 2004. To note, the death years of two trees, one from each death type (YSSD and YSFD), could not be verified due to poor cross-dating with the master chronology. The inter-annual growth reductions of YSSD and YSFD occurred more frequently and intensively than YSL. Typically, the YSFD showed the most frequent and intensive inter-annual growth reduction. On comparing the inter-annual growth reductions with the corresponding records of typhoons however we could not find any reliable relationship. Finally, from prior reports and results of the current study it can be concluded that the death and abrupt growth reduction of korean fir at Yeongsil in Mt. Halla are not caused by only a certain environmental factor but various factors.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.338-351
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• 2018

This study was conducted in a long-term experimental forest in the central hardwoods region of southwestern Michigan to retrospectively examine the role of past forest management practices and climate on red oak (Quercus rubra L.) productivity. Initially, in 1971, plots within the experimental forest were treated separately with a clearcut and shelterwood regeneration harvest in an attempt to increase red oak regeneration. From 1987-1989, a new study was initiated within a portion of the clearcut and shelterwood plots to evaluate the effectiveness of additional oak crop tree release using mechanical and chemical applications. Cumulative diameter and mortality rates of 719 red oaks were monitored across the four silvicultural treatments: Clearcut-A (clearcut without additional release treatment), Clearcut-B (clearcut with additional release treatment), Shelterwood-A (shelterwood without additional release), and Shelterwood-B (shelterwood with additional release) plus an untreated control. Increment cores were obtained from red oak trees and neighboring competitor species. Tree-ring analyses (dendrochronology) were applied to examine the effect of these silvicultural treatments and climatic factors (temperature and precipitation) on red oak productivity. The results indicated that crop tree release following a clearcut or shelterwood harvest reduced mortality rates and thus increased survival of red oak. Red oak in control plots or plots only receiving the initial regeneration harvesting treatment and no additional competition release were negatively affected by climatic stress, which included summer moisture stress. In contrast, red oak in plots that received the competition release treatment from shade tolerant tree species not only had higher tree level productivity (i.e., tree basal area) and lower mortality rates, but were also relatively more resilient to climatic stress by showing limited or no associations between climate and growth.