Bil-Sun Park

This study examined the biomass and carbon pools of the main ecosystem components in an age sequence of five Korean pine plantation forest stands in central Korea. The C contents in the tree and ground vegetation biomass, coarse woody debris, forest floor, and mineral soil were estimated by analyzing the C concentration of each component. The aboveground and total tree biomass increased with increasing stand age. The highest C concentration across this chronosequence was found in the tree branch

The severity of the 2000 Samcheok forest fire was classified by using Landsat TM images, and the effects of vegetation structures and topographic conditions on fire severity were analyzed. The estimated normalized difference vegetation index differences between the pre and post-fire Landsat TM images were used as the criteria in determining the levels of fire severity–low, moderate, and extreme. According to the results from fire severity estimation, of the 10,600 ha forest stands, 28% was sever

The active compounds of medicinal plants vary in composition and content depending on environmental factors, such as light, temperature, and soil. According to the Korean Pharmacopoeia standards for herbal medicine, the sum of nodakenin, decursin, and decursinolangelate, which are the marker components of Korean Angelica, should be at least 6.0 g/100 g. However, the content of the components in Korean Angelica cultivated in South Korea often fall below 6.0 g/100 g, due to weather conditions and

The Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila L.) is one of the most commonly found tree species in arid areas of northeast Asia. To understand the morphological and physiological characteristics of Siberian elms in arid regions, we analyzed leaves from seven study sites (five arid or semi-arid and two mesic) in China, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea, which covered a wide range of average annual precipitation (232 mm·year−1 to 1304 mm·year−1) under various aridity indexes (AI) and four different microenviro

Mangroves are adapted to coastal processes; however, mangrove species showed various responses to estuarian environments, leading to different structural characteristics at accretion and erosion areas. The species composition, structure and regeneration of mangrove forests were investigated to provide insight into mangrove forest development in response to shoreline accretion and erosion processes. The species composition and stand structure of mangrove forests were measured along the distance f

Information on the temporal and spatial patterns of forest fires can contribute to efficient forest fire management. To evaluate the readjustment of forest fire precautionary periods and to provide information for forest fire prevention and suppression strategies, the temporal and spatial characteristics of forest fire occurrences and spread in Korea were analysed using statistics from 1970 to 2003. Monthly forest fire occurrences and burned area were examined using time-series analysis, and F-t

Distinct seasons and diverse tree species characterize temperate deciduous forests in NE Asia, but large areas of deciduous forests have been converted to conifer plantations. This study was conducted to understand the effects of seasons and tree species on leaf litter decomposition in a temperate forest. Using the litterbag method, the decomposition rate and nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon dynamics of Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica), Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis), and their mixed leaf litt

Aerial roots are a vital feature that allow mangroves to survive in anaerobic and unstable soil conditions. Mangrove species have different aerial root characteristics and show their own site-specific distribution. The distribution of three types of aerial roots with different morphological characteristics was investigated between accretion and erosion sites in Ca Mau, Vietnam. Stilt roots, pneumatophores and knee roots were the three main aerial root types in the study area. Stilt roots of Rhiz

stands was studied in five natural stands located each at 400 m, 800 m, 1,00 m, and two at 1,300 m abovesea level (asl) in the western part of Mt. Chiri in Korea. Tres larger than 2.5 cm DBH were inventoried in 3to 8 20 m. 20 m quadrats in each study site. Stand ages were estimated based on the ages of Pinus densifloraSiebold & Zuc. and Abies koreana Wilson, and used to analyze the changes in species composition and standstructure including diameter and height distributions. Species composition