• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.111 no.4
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• pp.461-472
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• 2022

Natural and anthropogenic factors cause forest types to continuously change. Since the ratio of forest area by forest type is important information for identifying the characteristics of national forest resources, an accurate understanding of the prospect of forest type change is required. The study aim was to use National Forest Inventory (NFI) time-series data to understand the characteristics of forest type change and to estimate future prospects of nationwide forest type change. We used forest type change information from the fifth and seventh NFI datasets, climate, topography, forest stand, and disturbance variables related to forest type change to analyze trends and characteristics of forest type change. The results showed that the forests in Korea are changing in the direction of decreasing coniferous forests and increasing mixed and broadleaf forests. The forest sites that were changing from coniferous to mixed forests or from mixed to broadleaf forests were mainly located in wet topographic environments and climatic conditions. The forest type changes occurred more frequently in sites with high disturbance potential (high temperature, young or sparse forest stands, and non-forest areas). We used a climate change scenario (RCP 8.5) to establish a forest type change model (SVM) to predict future changes. During the 40-year period from 2015 to 2055, the SVM predicted that coniferous forests will decrease from 38.1% to 28.5%, broadleaf forests will increase from 34.2% to 38.8%, and mixed forests will increase from 27.7% to 32.7%. These results can be used as basic data for establishing future forest management strategies.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2012

This study was conducted from February 2005 to October 2007 to investigate bird distribution at three types of forest (mixed, broadleaf and coniferous) in Gwangneung forest. As a result, more birds used mixed forests than broodleaf and coniferous forest. During forest was opened to public, more birds also frequently used mixed forests. When forest was closed to public, there was no preference among three forest types. We also compared the number of species and individuals between open and restricted area. More species and individuals used restricted area.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.97-104
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• 2018

This study investigated the effect of forest type changes in Daegu, the hottest city in Korea, on the land surface temperature (LST). The LST change by forest type was analyzed by 2scene of Landsat TM image from 1990 to 2007. The land cover types were classified into 4 types; forest areas, urban areas, cultivated areas and other areas, and water areas. The forest areas were further classified into the coniferous tree areas and the broadleaf tree areas. The result of the statistical analysis of the LST change according to the forest type showed that the LST increased when the forest was changed to the urban area. The LST increased by about $0.6^{\circ}C$ when a broadleaf tree area was changed to an urban area and about $0.2^{\circ}C$ when a coniferous tree area was changed to an urban area. This was the temperature change as the result of the simple type change for 17 years. The temperature change was larger when considering both cases of the forest type being retained and changed. The LST increased by $2.3^{\circ}C$ more when the broadleaf tree areas were changed to the urban areas than when broadleaf trees were maintained. The LST increased by $1.9^{\circ}C$ more when the coniferous tree areas were changed to the urban areas than when the coniferous tree areas were maintained. The LST increased by $0.4^{\circ}C$ more when the broadleaf tree areas were destroyed than when the coniferous tree areas were destroyed. The results confirmed that the protection of broadleaf trees in urban forests was more effective for mitigating climate change.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.261-266
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• 2015

We investigated habitat characteristics of the yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula (Carnivora : Mustelidae) using geographic information system (GIS). GPS coordinates of the target mammal traces and seven habitat factors were used for the GIS analysis. The Odaesan National Park (ONP) is selected as a study area for GIS analysis of the habitat characteristics. According to the GIS analysis of whole area of ONP, main forest type was broadleaf trees which occupy 72% of forests. Trees of 4th to 6th age-calss account for 93% of the ONP forests. The mean elevation and slope of ONP was 901 m and $22.1^{\circ}$, respectively. According to the GIS analysis of M. flavigula habitats in ONP, most M. flavigula traces were found in borad-leaf forests and coniferous forests which are main forest types of ONP. In addition, the yellow-throated marten recorded a relatively high appearance rate of 7% in unstocked forests, which account for much less than 1% of the area of ONP. Most of the marten traces were found in forests with trees of 4th to 6th age-classes. The traces were found in the forest types in higher elevation (1,080.3 m) and lower slope ($15.0^{\circ}$) on average, compared with those of ONP. Appearance rate of the marten traces was 96% in range less than 600 m from the water. The traces were frequently found in areas far distantly beyond 1,400 m range from human residental areas and cultivated areas.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.575-580
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• 2010

Forest fires in Korea, having forest coverage of 70%, have kept increasing in number and scale since the middle of 1990's. Although deposited fallen leaves in forests such as herbaceous plants, conifers, and broadleaf trees are used as a medium for forest fires, the pyrolysis and combustion characteristics of the various species of trees are hardly studied. Oriental oak is the representative broadleaf tree in domestic forests, and pyrolysis and combustion of oriental oak leaf were carried out by thermogravimetic analysis (TGA). The leaf of oriental oak was ignited at $239^{\circ}C$ whereas pyrolysis started at $250^{\circ}C$. The corresponding kinetic parameters including activation energy and pre-exponential factor were determined by differential method over the degree of conversions. The values of activation energies for pyrolysis were increased as the conversion increases from 10% to 80%, whereas those of values were decreased during combustion.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.129-143
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• 2002

This study was executed environmental assessment to determine whether or not the national landuse planning change on the reserved area for a rope way in the ice valley(Eoreurngol) of Miryang. The selected survery area is $1,633,442m^2$ and assessed with flora, actual vegetation, degree of green naturality(DGN), sere stage and wild birds. The flora was summarized as 132 taxa which is 90 genera, 117 species, 12 varieties and 3 forms. The actual vegetation was classified 24 types and nature forests like Quercus and deciduous-broad leaf community was distrubuted broadly. Especially Quercus and deciduous-broadleaf communities were assessed high rarity value in Miryang. From the analysis of DGN, it were found out that DGN 8 is 72.5% and DGN 9 is 3.9%. At the analysis of sere stage, the communities were divided 4 with Quercus mongolica, Pinus densiflora, Carpinus laxiflora and deciduous-broadleaf community. Wildbirds was observated as 30 species and 161 ea and Aix galericulata (natural monument no. 327) especially inhabited there. From the above nature ecosystem assessment, the survey area has high quality naturalness, so it was turned out that a rope way construction might be not suitable in survery area.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.551-563
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• 2008

This study analyzed the actual vegetation and vegetation structure around the trails with the aim of restoring vegetation and continuous monitoring of the section between the National Astronomy Observatory and Birobong in Sobaeksan National Park. The actual vegetation was classified into 18 types, of which the largest were Quercus mongolica communities occupying the dimension of $225,337m^2$, Rhododendron schlippcubachii communities distributed around the trails on the ridge were covering 14.59%, and deciduous broadleaf forests were covering 11.06%. of the surveyed areas, respectively. In consideration of the actual vegetation, a total of 23 belt-transects were set up; 9 in Quercus mongolica communities, 3 in broadleaf deciduous forests, 2 in Taxus cuspidata communities, and 9 in damage restoration areas to take a closer look at the species diversity, species number, and individual number by community. The survey results are as follows: 9 belt-transects in Quercus mongolica communities showed their species diversity was $0.4290{\sim}1.0496$ with $7{\sim}22$ species and $115{\sim}481$ individuals. 3 belt-transects in broadleaf deciduous communities showed that species diversity was $0.6712{\sim}1.0096$ with $14{\sim}17$ species and $158{\sim}453$ individuals. 2 belt-transects in Taxus cuspidata communities showed that species diversity was $0.5413{\sim}0.9923$ with $14{\sim}15$ species and $223{\sim}406$ individuals. 8 belt-transects showed that species diversity was $0.1899{\sim}0.9217$ with $3{\sim}23$ species and $105{\sim}485$ individuals.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.6_3
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• pp.1399-1414
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• 2018

Natural forests are un-manned forests where the artificial forces of people are not applied to the formation of forests. On the other hand, artificial forests are managed by people for their own purposes such as producing wood, preventing natural disasters, and protecting wind. The artificial forests enable us to enhance economical benefits of producing more wood per unit area because it is well-maintained with the purpose of the production of wood. The distinction surveys have been performed due to different management methods according to forests. The distinction survey between natural forests and artificial forests is traditionally performed via airborne remote sensing or in-situ surveys. In this study, we suggest a classification method of forest types using satellite imagery to reduce the time and cost of in-situ surveying. A classification map of natural forest and artificial forest were generated using KOMPSAT-3, 3A, 5 data by employing artificial neural network (ANN). And in order to validate the accuracy of classification, we utilized reference data from 1/5,000 stock map. As a result of the study on the classification of natural forest and plantation forest using artificial neural network, the overall accuracy of classification of learning result is 77.03% when compared with 1/5,000 stock map. It was confirmed that the acquisition time of the image and other factors such as needleleaf trees and broadleaf trees affect the distinction between artificial and natural forests using artificial neural networks.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.604-617
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• 2018

As the depletion of forests became more widespread due to the increase in the number of roads, the research was conducted on the relationship between temperature and humidity in the forests, assuming that the forests around the roads were affected. Through the forest monitoring, the temperature and humidity of coniferous forests and broadleaf forests in Sedong and Gongju areas were observed at three point of 10m, 20m and 30m from the road boundary to the inside of the forest, respectively. In Yeongdong area, for more reliable results, it was observed from the point of 0m, 10m, and 20m. During the study period, so it was expected the change in tree growth was small, the change of temperature and humidity inside the forest by the road was compared with the temperature and humidity from the road to the inside of the forest from September 2017 to January 2018, the changes of temperature and humidity inside the forest due to linear development such as roads were quantitatively analyzed. Using the HOBO data logger (MX2301, Onset Corp.), the temperature and humidity changes of each site were measured, and the average of the changes have been analyzed monthly. In the case of Gongju coniferous forests in September 2017, the average weekly temperature is $0.57^{\circ}C$ higher than the forest outside from the forest boundary and $1.23^{\circ}C$ higher than the inside of the forest, at night in November 2017, in Sedong broadleaf forests. That is, the ability to control the temperature and humidity of the forests along the road was larger and less variable as the distance from the road boundary to the inside of the forest increased. In this study, it is considered that the high degree of change in temperature and humidity of the forest and the surrounding area due to artificial linear development such as roads will affect the growth of trees. This results could serve as a basis for studying the quantitative scope of linear development affecting forest growth and for managing forest change caused by linear development.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.193-199
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• 2023

Background: The least weasel (Mustela nivalis) holds the distinction of being the world's smallest carnivorous animal, yet its presence in South Korea has remained poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, this study investigates the habitat preferences and distribution of the least weasel in South Korea. Results: Our study compiled presence data from various sources, including citizen reports, national surveys, and expert observations. The results confirmed the nationwide presence of the least weasel in mainland South Korea, with notable concentration regions such as Gangwon province. Among the various habitats, forest edges and forests emerged as the predominant choice, with over half of the documented locations situated within these environments, particularly in broadleaf forests. Additionally, the data reveal a year-round presence of the least weasel, with recorded cases occurring at varying levels throughout the year. Conclusions: Our research advances the understanding of least weasels in South Korea. Despite the relatively modest dataset, our results provide as a valuable resource for future conservation initiatives, emphasizing the significance of forested landscapes. Additionally, it assists in identifying priority areas for protection and management efforts. To secure the future of the least weasel in South Korea and beyond, further research, including long-term monitoring and genetic studies, is imperative.