• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.549-556
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• 2017

Rivers continuously transport terrestrial organic carbon matter to the estuary and the ocean, and they play a critical role in productivity and biodiversity in the marine ecosystem as well as the global carbon cycle. The amount of terrestrial organic carbon transporting from the rivers to ocean is an essential piece of information, not only for the marine ecosystem management but also the carbon budget within catchment. However, this phenomenon is still not well understood. Most large rivers in Korea have a well-established national monitoring system of the river flow and the TOC (Total Organic Carbon) concentration from the mountain to the river mouth, which are fundamental for estimating the amount of the TOC flux. We estimated the flux of the total terrestrial organic carbon of five large rivers which flow out to the Yellow Sea, using the data of the national monitoring system (the monthly mean TOC concentration and the monthly runoff of river flow). We quantified the annual TOC flux of the five rivers, showing their results in the following order: the Han River ($18.0{\times}10^9gC\;yr^{-1}$)>>Geum River ($5.9{\times}10^9gC\;yr^{-1}$)>Yeongsan River ($2.6{\times}10^9gC\;yr^{-1}$)>Sumjin River ($2.0{\times}10^9gC\;yr^{-1}$)>>Tamjin River ($0.2{\times}10^9gC\;yr^{-1}$). The amount of the Han River, which is the highest in the Korean rivers, corresponds to be 4% of the annual total TOC flux of in the Yellow River, and moreover, to be 0.6% of Yangtze River.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.553-565
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• 2022

Awareness of the ecological value and importance of protected areas has increased as climate change accelerates, and there is a need for research on ecosystem services provided by nature. The natural park, which is a representative protected area in Korea, has a system of national parks, provincial parks, and county parks. National parks are managed systematically by the Korea National Park Service, but local governments manage provincial parks and county parks. There may be the same hierarchical differences in naturalness (habitat quality) depending on the hierarchy of the natural parks, but it has not been verified. To identify differences, we examined 22 mountain-type natural parks using habitat quality using the INVEST model developed by Stanford University. The analysis of the habitat quality, regardless of the type and area of the natural park, showed that it was higher in the order of Taebaeksan National Park (0.89), Juwangsan National Park (0.87), Woongseokbong County Park (0.86), and Gayasan National Park (0.85). The larger the area, the higher the value of habitat quality. A comparison of natural parks with similar areas showed that the habitat quality of national parks was higher than that of provincial parks and parks. On the other hand, the average habitat quality of county parks was 0.83±0.02, which was 0.05 higher than that of provincial parks at 0.78±0.03. Furthermore, the higher the proportion of forest areas within the natural park, the higher the habitat quality. The results confirmed that the naturalness of natural parks was independent of their hierarchy and that there are differences in naturalness depending on land use, land coverage, and park management.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.249-258
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• 2020

This study aims to provide reference material for effective forest management techniques at the catchment scale, based on the field investigation of large woody debris (LWD) in 11 streams within a third-order forest catchment in Gangwon Province, Korea. To achieve this aim, we analyzed the morphological features of LWD pieces, and the storage and distribution status of LWD by stream order throughout the entire investigation. As a result, a total of 1,207 individual pieces of LWD were categorized into three types as follows: (ⅰ) 1,142 pieces (95%) as only trunk and 65 pieces (5%) as a trunk with root wad, (ⅱ) 1,015 pieces (84%) as non-thinned and 192 pieces (16%) as the thinned, and (ⅲ) 1,050 pieces (87%) as conifer and 157 pieces (13%) as broadleaf. Additionally, in-stream LWD loads (㎥/ha) decreased with increasing stream order, yielding 105.4, 71.3, and 35.6 for first-, second-, and third-order streams, respectively. On the other hand, the ratio of LWD jams to the total LWD volume increased with increasing stream order, yielding 11%, 43%, and 49% for first-, second-, and third-order streams, respectively. Finally, a comparison of the in-stream LWD load with previous studies in several countries around the world indicated that in-stream LWD load was positively correlated with forest stand age even though the climate, topography, forest soil type, forest composition, stand growth rate, disturbance regime, and forest management practices were different. These results could contribute to understanding the significance of LWD as a by-product of forest ecosystems and an indicator of riparian forest disturbance. Based on this, we conclude that advanced forest management techniques, including treatment of thinning slash and stand density control of riparian forest by site location (hillslope and riparian zone, or stream order), should be established in the future, taking the forest ecosystem and the aquatic environment from headwater streams to low land rivers into consideration.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.100-114
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• 2018

Nationally designated Cultural Properties 'Scenic site No.12 Maisan Mountain, Jinan' designated areas and some protected areas, and taking into account the dynamics of naturalized plants causing problems, we will restore the original vegetation scenery of Mt. Maisan. The results of this study are as follows. A total of 76 families, 192 genera, 286 taxa, and inland and inhabited areas, 76 and 138 genera and 163 taxa were identified in the areas of Ammaibong. The total number of naturalized plants identified in this study area is 28 taxa total, which corresponds to 7.1% naturalization rate(NR) among the vascular plants of all 395 taxa, and the urbanization index(UI) corresponds to 8.4% of the 333 taxa of Korean naturalized plants. Ecosystem disturbance plants identified in the survey area were Ambrosia artemisiifolia 1 taxa. The naturalized plants controlled and managed by separate anthropogenic vegetation management within the designation and protection area of Maisan scenic place are three species of herbaceous Rumex acetosella, A. artemisiifolia and Festuca arundinacea. It was identified as a breed. Indigofera bungeana and F. arundinacea communities around the stairway and Amorpha fruticosa, I. bungeana, A. artemisiifolia and Amaranthus patulus of the top of Am-Maibong were selected as the first priority sites for exclusion of exotic species in Maisan area and target naturalized plants species to the Ammaibong peak. In addition, R. acetosella community around the temple was suggested to be removed first to preserve endemic species. For the restoration of vegetation, we suggest that Stephanandra incisa, Spiraea blumei, Weigela subsessilis, etc. should be planted after removal of I. bungeana, and F. arundinacea, C. lanceolata, Carex callitrichos var. nana.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.481-495
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• 2022

This study was designed to identify the actual state of naturalized plants and invasive alien species that cause disturbances to the ecosystem, plants which are introduced after forest restoration, and explore the implications resulting from the project. Onsite examination included 29 sites which have been subjected to forest restoration by the Korea Forest Service. Once these were chosen, activity took place twice a year in the spring (May-June) and in the summer (August-September) in 2020 and 2021. Areas not relevant to the project sites were excluded from this activity so that we could identify the plants that could be understood to have been introduced or brought into the site after the actual forest restoration. And the correlation was analyzed, between the naturalized flora within the project sites and the working types applied to the site through confirmation of completion of the restoration project. The naturalized plants appearing on the entire site cover a total of 109 taxa, which includes 29 families, 80 genera, 108 species and 1 subspecies, while invasive plants included 3 families, 7 genera and 8 species. The number of classifications and the naturalization rate gradually decreased over time, after the project. While there was no significant difference between the number of classification groups and the naturalization rate for naturalized plants between project sites, given the number of taxa of naturalized plants, organized by type of damage, there were relatively more naturalized plants that appeared in the severed section of the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range, as well as at quarry and facility sites. Seeding apparently results in naturalization rates as high as 15.545%, on average, based on comparisons of naturalization rates by sowing, seeding, planting, herb planting, and sod pitching channels, all of these being methods of vegetation for planting/greening of bareland and slopes within the project areas. With no seeding, it was 9.167%, higher than the average. As for other vegetation, there was no significant difference depending on application of the working type. This means that unlike the plants subjected to planting, the working type of seed planting which makes it difficult to identify whether a certain plant is a naturalized plant greatly affects the introduction of naturalized plants to the restoration sites, even when using herb planting and sod pitching to control plants and results. Therefore the study suggests that there be inspection by experts of seeds when sowing within restoration sites. The results of this study suggest good practices that will help to direct effective vegetation restoration and follow-up management.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.25-34
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• 2020

This study examined the definition and major values, the designated procedures and types, and the designation trend in Korean scenic sites and national parks in the United States. Based on this, the analysis of the characteristics of the designation of the two natural heritages. The results are as follows; First, Scenic Sites has characteristics of complex heritage that includes academic, historical, and humanities values on the basis of landscape. As a natural heritage based on public nature, the U.S. National Park aims to contribute to the people's natural heritage and satisfy both ecological and historical values through the protection of the landscape. Second, the designation of a scenic sites are decided through deliberation by the Cultural Heritage Committee after the request of the owner, manager, or local government or by the authority of the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration. The designated survey is divided into basic resource surveys and resource surveys by type. Since the initial designation of the Sogeumgang Mountain in Cheonghakdong, Myeongju in 1970, the number of designated scenic sites was low until the 2000s, but the number of designated scenic sites has increased rapidly since 2006 due to the policy to promote the scenic site, and the proportion of natural and historical and cultural scenic sites has been balanced. The designation of the U.S. national park is decided by the Congress or the president, and the National Park Service makes a series of decisions on whether to conduct a special resource study of provisional resources through a preliminary inspection survey, whether to satisfy the criteria for designation of national parks based on the results of special resource research, and to prioritize them. The U.S. National Parks have been expanded not only by Congress but also by the president's empowerment to designate them as national monuments. With the integrated operation of the National Park Service, the number of designated cases increased as the national park included the heritage sites under the control of various ministries. In addition, a number of historical areas were designated by the enactment of the Historical Site Act, and recreational areas were designated to provide leisure space and classified and managed in a total of 18 units. Third, the comparison of the designation characteristics of the two heritage properties confirmed that the designation of natural heritage with complex value, the classification of types according to complementary designation system and resource characteristics, the establishment of the competent ministry and the balancing of the heritage according to the designation policy. The two heritages had the characteristics of complex natural heritages that met ecological, historical and academic values at the same time based on landscape and public nature. In addition, both countries have identified a system for deliberating the designation of heritage through a basic resource survey and an in-depth designation survey, and classified each type according to the characteristics of the resource. In addition, the policies for promoting scenic sites in Korea and the integrated operation of the National Park Service in the U.S. influenced the designated aspects of the two heritage sites, balancing natural heritage with historical and cultural heritage. Fourth, the resource types and conservation management methods of Scenic site and National Park were largely related. The natural areas of the U.S. National Park include types of natural monuments in Korea as major resources, and have characteristics similar to natural scenic sites. In addition, historical resources were similar to the criteria for designation of historical and cultural scenic sites in terms of landscape, and the aspects of war and celebrity-related relics were related to the types of historic sites. In terms of conservation management, the natural area of the U.S. national park has a way of keeping the original ecosystem intact, but the Korean natural heritage protection system is likely to be useful for focusing on the resource of viscosity. Meanwhile, historical resources include historical sites and historical and cultural scenic sites in the traditional era, but historical relics in the U.S. National Parks have set a time limit to modern times for war history and celebrity-related relics, and the active provision of entertainment programs based on existing resources was derived as a difference.