• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2013

The study was carried out in two different forest types viz., Banj oak and Chir pine forests to assess the variation in forest species composition and soil properties along altitudinal gradients in the Garhwal Himalayas. The results of the study showed that between the forests soil moisture was higher in Banj oak forest because of closed canopy and dense forest compared to Chir pine forest. The sand particles were reported higher in Banj oak forest which might be due to the addition of organic matter favouring coarse structure of soil, helping in holding maximum water in soils. However in the Chir pine forest low amount of soil organic matter and presence of clayey soil, develops soil compactness which reduces the penetration of water resulting in high soil bulk density. The higher accumulation of litter and presence of moisture in Banj oak forest favours higher nutrient level of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compared to Chir pine forest. The soil organic carbon also reduced with increasing altitude at both gradients. While bulk density has reverse trend with soil organic carbon in both the forests at different peaks of same region. In Banj oak forest, the highest density and total basal cover was reported 1,100 tree $ha^{-1}$ and 58.86 $m^2\;ha^{-1}$ respectively. However, the highest values of density and total basal cover of Chir pine forest was 560 tree$ha^{-1}$ and 56.94 $m^2\;ha^{-1}$ respectively. The total density and basal cover of both the forests reduced with increasing altitude. The study concludes that Banj oak forest has better nutrient cycling ability, well developed foest floor and has a greater protective and productive features compared to the Chir pine forest which is without lower vegetation cover and having only pine litter accumulation which does not allow any other species to grow.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.133-144
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• 2014

This study was carried out to review the pattern of forest stand development for six Gangwondo Baekdudaegan Mountains which experienced different type and duration of intensive legal protection. Vegetation data from point sampling method were employed to classify community types by cluster analysis on the basis of the importance values of canopy tree species for the study areas. The names of classified communities were given by the composition of dominant tree species. The communities were also compared one another in terms of stand structure by species diversity index. The results indicated that National Parks (Seoraksan and Odaesan) had greater proportion of mixed mesophytic forest type which was supposed to progress further forest succession process so as to have more complex and diversified stand structure. On the other hand, ordinary forest areas (Seokbyeongsan and Deokhangsan) had greater proportion of the forest types which was dominatively composed of Quercus mongolica and Pinus densiflora. The forest types with large amount of these two species would tend to develop for relatively short period of time of 40-50 years after artificial disturbances. Hyangnobong of Natural Protection Area and Hambaeksan of Natural Ecosystem Conservation Area showed intermediate stand development pattern in between National Parks and ordinary forest areas. The period of intensive legal protection of the forest area was positively correlated with species diversity index (R=0.736), and noted that the forest which received intensive protection regulation for longer period tended to show more complex and diversified stand structure.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2022

This study was conducted to examine litter inputs and litter decomposition rates following thinning, which is among the most important forest management activities that enhance the beneficial functions in Korean forests. Litter inputs and litter decomposition rates following a 2-year elapse from thinning in Pinus densiflora and following a 7-year elapse from thinning in Quercus variabilis stands were measured for 2 years from 16 sites in three regions (Sancheong-gun, Uiryeong-gun, and Jinju-si) in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. Annual needle litter inputs in P. densiflora stands were significantly decreased following thinning, whereas annual broadleaved leaf litter inputs in Q. variabilis stands were not significantly different between thinned and unthinned treatments. The annual mean total litter inputs in both tree species were significantly lower in the thinned (P. densiflora: 3,653 kg ha^-1 year^-1; Q. variabilis: 4,963 kg ha^-1 year^-1) compared to the unthinned stands (P. densiflora: 5,138 kg ha^-1 year^-1; Q. variabilis: 5,997 kg ha^-1 year^-1) during the study period. The mass loss rates from decomposing needle litter in P. densiflora stands were significantly lower (p<0.05) in the thinned stands than in the unthinned stands for two sampling dates of the eight included in the study, whereas the decomposition rates from decomposing leaf litter in Q. variabilis stands were not affected by thinning. The results indicate that thinning effects on total litter inputs remained clear following a 2-year elapse from thinning in P. densiflora stands and following a 7-year elapse from thinning in Q. variabilis stands.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.152-162
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• 2024

Background: Plant species of the alpine treeline ecotone are highly sensitive to climate change and may adjust their population dynamics, and functional traits in response to changing climate. This study examined regeneration patterns and leaf traits variations in an important treeline ecotone element Rhododendron campanulatum along the elevation gradient in western Nepal to assess its potential adaptive responses to climate change. The distribution range of R. campanulatum (3,400-3,800 m above sea level [a.s.l.]) was divided into five horizontal bands, each with a 100 m elevational range. Eight plots (10 m × 10 m) were sampled in each band, resulting into a total of 40 plots. In each plot, all R. campanulatum individuals and co-occurring tree species were counted. From each elevation, R. campanulatum leaf samples were collected to determine leaf dimensions, leaf density, specific leaf area (SLA), and stomatal density (SD). Results: The density-diameter curve indicated that R. campanulatum was regenerating well, with enhanced regeneration at higher elevation (3,800 m a.s.l.) than at lower. Tree canopy cover appeared to be the major determinant of R. campanulatum regeneration, as indicated by a higher number of seedlings in treeless stands. With increasing elevation, the leaf length, width, SLA, and stomata length decreased but leaf thickness and SD increased. Conclusions: Overall, a higher regeneration and lower SLA with the high SD in the leaves at the upper limit of the species distribution suggested that R. campanulatum is well adapted at its upper distribution range with the possibility of upslope range shift as temperature increases.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.501-509
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• 2024

Prunus mume is a culturally significant fruit tree in East Asia that is widely used in traditional foods and medicines. The present study investigated the effects of sunlight exposure and leaf position on the photosynthetic efficiency of P. mume using SPAD values. The study was conducted at Cheongju National University of Education, Korea, under contrasting conditions between sunny (Site A) and shaded (Site B) areas on P. mume trees. Over three days, under varied weather, photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and SPAD measurements were collected using a SPAD-502 plus chlorophyll meter and a smartphone PPFD meter application. The SPAD values of the 60 leaves were measured in triplicate for each tree. The results indicated that trees in sunny locations consistently exhibited higher SPAD values than those in shaded areas, implying greater photosynthetic efficiency. Moreover, leaves positioned higher in the canopy showed increased photosynthetic efficiency under different light conditions, underscoring the significance of leaf placement and light environment in photosynthetic optimization. Despite the daily sunlight variability, these factors maintained a consistent influence on SPAD values. This study concludes that optimal leaf positioning, influenced by direct sunlight exposure, significantly enhances photosynthetic efficiency in P. mume. These findings highlight the potential of integrating smart farming techniques, especially open-field smart farming technology, to improve photosynthesis and, consequently, crop yield and efficiency. The findings also highlight the need for further exploration of environmental factors affecting photosynthesis for agricultural advancement.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.5_1
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• pp.669-681
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• 2023

Studies have tried to apply remote sensing technology, a non-destructive survey method, instead of the existing destructive survey, which requires relatively large labor input and a long time to estimate chlorophyll content, which is an important indicator for evaluating the growth of fruit trees. This study was conducted to non-destructively evaluate the chlorophyll content of pear tree leaves using unmanned aerial vehicle-based hyperspectral imagery for two years(2021, 2022). The reflectance of the single bands of the pear tree canopy extracted through image processing was band rationed to minimize unstable radiation effects depending on time changes. The estimation (calibration and validation) models were developed using machine learning algorithms of elastic-net, k-nearest neighbors(KNN), and support vector machine with band ratios as input variables. By comparing the performance of estimation models based on full band ratios, key band ratios that are advantageous for reducing computational costs and improving reproducibility were selected. As a result, for all machine learning models, when calibration of coefficient of determination (R²)≥0.67, root mean squared error (RMSE)≤1.22 ㎍/cm², relative error (RE)≤17.9% and validation of R²≥0.56, RMSE≤1.41 ㎍/cm², RE≤20.7% using full band ratios were compared, four key band ratios were selected. There was relatively no significant difference in validation performance between machine learning models. Therefore, the KNN model with the highest calibration performance was used as the standard, and its key band ratios were 710/714, 718/722, 754/758, and 758/762 nm. The performance of calibration showed R²=0.80, RMSE=0.94 ㎍/cm², RE=13.9%, and validation showed R²=0.57, RMSE=1.40 ㎍/cm², RE=20.5%. Although the performance results based on validation were not sufficient to estimate the chlorophyll content of pear tree leaves, it is meaningful that key band ratios were selected as a standard for future research. To improve estimation performance, it is necessary to continuously secure additional datasets and improve the estimation model by reproducing it in actual orchards. In future research, it is necessary to continuously secure additional datasets to improve estimation performance, verify the reliability of the selected key band ratios, and upgrade the estimation model to be reproducible in actual orchards.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.557-564
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• 1996

Based on stem analysis as well as branch analysis data of each tree from 8 plots of circle clear-cutting and 1 biomass plot in Changbai Mountain area, located in Northeast of China, the effective crown form of Changbai larch(Larix olgensis H.) plantation were studied by using the approach of crown curve. The results indicated that the cross-section forms of effective crown were stable and showed approximate circle for different tree size. Because the effective crown was on upper position of the canopy and its form reflects crown architecture under non-competition condition, the architecture is mainly affected by species hereditary feature. Therefore, for the specified species the effective crown form was thought to be relatively stable. The effective crown form of tree was neither related to the tree size within stand nor to the stand condition for different stand. The total effective crown curve of larch plantation could be characterized by using mean effective crown taper.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.90 no.6
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• pp.673-682
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• 2001

The objective of this study was to monitor vegetation development process after timber harvesting at (Mt.) Baekwoonsan Seoul National University Forests, Korea. Two monitoring plots were established in 1994 and woody plant were monitored from 1994 to 1999. Vegetation development pattern during last six years(1994-1999) after timber harvesting were as follows; Styrax obassia, Styrax japonica and Lindera erythrocarpa as of the existing tree were competitive species in the first year after clearcut, and Styrax japonica and Lindera erythrocarpa as of sprout tree) and Aralia elata as of seedling were dominant species in the sixth years after clearcut. Species diversity indices of harvested forest interior was decreased at the southwestern slope and increased at the northeastern slope. According to DBH distribution pattern, No. of individuals of Lindera erythrocarpa and Aralia elata showed vigorous growth in the sub-canopy layer and then Styrax japonica, Quercus serrata, Maackia amurensis, Lespedeza maximowixzii, Lindera obtusiloba, Staphylea bumalda, Clero-dendrum trichotomum, Weigela subsessilis, in order showed good growth in the sixth year after clearcut. Lindera erythrocarpa with a reversed J-shaped curve pattern by DBH class will be increased while Aralia elata with a J-shaped curve pattern will be decreased.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.131-142
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• 2017

The function of urban parks as wildlife habitats is becoming increasingly important. The urban park serves as a key area for preserving urban biodiversity. The purpose of this study is to estimate the bird species diversity in 30 parks in Cheonan city and quantitatively analyze the influence of vegetation, park structure and landscape connectivity index. As the results, a total of 27 birds species and 1,509 individuals were found at the sites and the largest number of birds were found in the Cheongsa park with 17 species. The optimal regression model was selected as the explanatory variables for the logged park area (LPA), the tree cover ratio (Co_T) and the patch betweenness centrality (PB). LPA and Co_T mean the internal characteristics of the park, and PB was the external environmental variable meaning landscape connectivity. LPA was the most important factor (73.3%) as bird habitat, and the PB could be interpreted as a factor that should be considered as important (26.7%). It will be possible to consider these environmental variables in the park and green area construction and management.

• Atmosphere
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.339-351
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is for the fundamental understandings about building morphological parameters and aerodynamic roughness parameters of Seoul, Korea using the detailed urban geographic information datasets. Applied roughness parameter calculations are based on a digital map of buildings with lot area polygons. The quality of the developed roughness length ($z_0$) of Seoul was evaluated with densely installed 107 automatic weather stations. The correlation coefficient results between averaged wind speeds of AWS data and averaged $z_0$ is -0.303 in night and -0.398 in day (200 m radii circles case). Further $z_0$ enhancement should follow by considering other surface features such as high tree and orography of Seoul. However, this study would meet the needs to for local- or meso-scale meteorological modeling applications of Seoul. However, further studies would require for enhancing the $z_0$ applications of Seoul.