• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.34 no.6 s.119
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• pp.39-53
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• 2007

Unlike conventional roof landscaping, where various kinds of plants and structures are employed, a grass roof is a roof on which herbaceous plants are grown in planting medium and which is not accessed or maintained, mainly because it doesn't have sufficient load capacity to support a regular roof garden. They are mostly built on existing roofs, whether flat slab or gabled. Planting on roofs has numerous advantages, such as creating a biotope, purifying urban air, adding moisture to the atmosphere, storing rain water, preventing flash floods, reducing energy use for heating and air conditioning, enhancing the urban landscape and providing relaxation to the city dwellers, not to mention the alleviation of global warming by absorbing $CO_2$. In addition to the general merits of roof planting, the grass roof has its own unique qualities. Only herbaceous species are planted on the roof, resulting in light weight which allows roofs of existing buildings to be planted without structural reinforcement. The species chosen are mostly short, tough perennials that don't need to be maintained. These conditions provide an ideal situation where massive planting can be done in urban areas where roofs are often the only and definitely the largest space available to be planted. If roofs are planted on a massive scale they can play a significant role in alleviating global warming, heat island effects and energy shortages. Despite the advantages of grass roofs, there are some problems. The most significant problem is the invasion of neighboring plants. They may be brought in with the planting medium, by birds or by wind. These plants have little aesthetic value comparing to the chosen species and are usually taller. Eventually they dominate and prevail over the original species. The intended planting design disappears and the roof comes to look wild. Since the primary value of a grass roof is ecological, a change in attitude towards what constitutes beauty on the roofscape is necessary. Instead of keeping the roof neat through constant maintenance, people must learn that the wild grass with bird's nests on their roof is more beautiful as it is.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.69-78
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• 2001

본 연구는 지리산국립공원 아고산대 훼손지에서 식생복원 효과를 구명하기 위하여 야생풀포기심기, 개량토포설, 환경피해도 요인을 고려하여 입지환경이 다른 2개 대상지에 실험구를 설치한 후 4년(1997년~2000년) 동안 식생피복도와 종다양성을 조사. 분석하였다. 신림지대와 초원지대에서의 복원실험은 야생풀포기이식, 개량토포설, 환경피해도 요인간 상호작용효과는 없었으나, 야생풀포기이식 처리수준간에는 고도의 유의한 차이가 인정되었다. 국립공원 능선부 훼손지의 식생복원 실험 결과 토양이 습한 산림지대에서는 야생풀포기이식 15%피복 처리수준에서 2년안에 식생피복이 이루어졌고, 종다양성은 3년만에 복원되었다. 또한 무처리구에서 3년안에 식생피복이 이루어졌으나, 종다양성은 복원되지 않았다. 바람이 많고, 토양침식이 심한 능선부 초원지대에서는 3년후에 야행풀포기이식과 30% 피복 처리수준에서 식생피복이 양호하게 이루어졌으며, 종다양성은 복원되지 않았다.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 2008

This study was carried out to investigate the deterioration rate and conditions of natural lawn play grounds from 71 schools in Daejeon metropolitan city. Also, we investigated the grasses and wild flowers of 33 families and 101 species on five additional school grounds. One year after planting in 71 schools from 2002 to 2004, we found out that the school lawn grounds coverage were deteriorated up to 51% in elementary schools, 76% in middle schools, and 42% in high schools. There are 45 species on the two school grounds located in mountain areas, 20 species on the three grounds located in downtown areas. There are 20 species in Compositae family, 17 species in Gramineae, 7 species in Polygonaceae, and 7 species in Leguminosae, 6 species in Caryophyllaceae, five species in Cruciferae, and 4 species in Cyperaceae.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.245-256
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• 2008

The current legislation in South Korea clearly states that the tolerance threshold on the adventitious presence of GMO in environment-friendly agricultural products is 3.0% and no GM seed should be detected in their planting seed batches. To date, in Korea, there is no approved GM crop for commercial cultivation in field. However, several GM crops including rice, Chinese cabbage, potato and wild turf grass are currently under risk assessment for their environmental release. Also Korean government (Rural Development Administration, RDA) announced that 11 institutes including universities have been currently certified to carry out a risk assessment of GM crops. Meanwhile, the cultivated area and certified quantities of environment-friendly crops (organic, pesticide-free and low-pesticide) are sharply increasing every year according to the report of National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS). In detail, in 2007, the certified quantities of environment-friendly agricultural products were elevated up to 100-fold for organic, 171-fold for pesticide-free and 2,324-fold for low-pesticide crops when compared with those in 1999. The total certified quantity of environment-friendly cereal crops in 2007 was equivalent to 6.4% of total production of cereal crops. Moreover, 24% of total production of root and tuber crops such as potato and sweet potato were certified for environment-friendly agricultural products. In these circumstances, I strongly suggest that current legislations on GM crop's safety management should be revised to include strategies for the coexistence of GM with non-GM crops, especially environment-friendly crops before GM crop is approved to be cultivated for commercialization. Since all types of crops are grown in an open environment, the adventitious presence of GM crops among non-GM crops is inevitable if appropriate measures for coexistence are not established for species by species such as isolation distance, workable management measures to minimize admixture.