Earticle

Cyclocarya paliurus is a well-known multifunction tree species and especially its leaves are largely needed for the tea production and medical utilization in China. To meet the enormous requirements of its leaf production, lots of C. paliurus plantations for harvesting the leaves have been developed, while a large of pruning residues are produced during the management. In this study, the biochar at different pyrolysis temperatures (300°C, 500°C and 700°C) were prepared in the light of the pruning residues, and the effects of biochar additions pyrolyzed at different temperatures on soil properties, growth and leaf secondary metabolite accumulation in C. paliurus were investigated. The result showed that the chemical properties and FT-IR spectra of wheel wingnut-based biochar were significantly influenced by the pyrolysis temperatures, whereas the application of biochars pyrolyzed at different temperatures significantly affected the soil pH and nutrient availability, as well as the growth, nutrient uptake and secondary metabolite accumulation of C. paliurus seedlings (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis indicated that the total contents of polyphenols, flavonoids and triterpenoids in C. paliurus leaves were negatively correlated with the contents of total phosphorus (P) and total potassium (K) in the leaves, but positively correlated with the ratios of carbon (C)/nitrogen (N) and C/P. After 200 days of biochar treatment, the highest biomass production and leaf secondary metabolite accumulation in C. paliurus were obtained in the addition of biochar pyrolyzed at 500°C. The findings from this pot experiment provide a potential application in C. paliurus plantation, though the long-term field experiments are required to optimize the biochar addition quantity based on the soil conditions and stand age at the planting sites.

Cyclocarya paliurus has traditionally been used as medicine or nutraceutical foods in China, which has great value for market prospects. In order to determine the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus coupling on photosynthesis, chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence and chlorophyll level of C. paliurus, a hydroponic experiment was laid out in a completely randomized block design with two-way factorial was used for C. paliurus cultivars with three N and three P treatments replicated three timesnin a greenhouse. The factorial combination of three N concentrations (50(low), 150(medium) and 250(high) mg/L) and three P concentrations (5(low), 15(medium), and 25(high) mg/L), totally nine treatments. Photosynthetic parameters (Pn, Ci, Gs and Tr), ChlF parameters (F0, Fm, Fv/Fm, Fv, PSⅡ, ETR, NPQ and qP) and chlorophyll level (SPAD) of leaves were measured at 30 and 60 days. The results demonstrated that the coupling of nitrogen and phosphorus had an interaction on photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence and relative chlorophyll content of C. paliurus leaves. The photosynthetic rate, intercellular carbon dioxide concentration and stomatal conductance were the highest in N2P3 treatment (30 or 60 day), and the lowest were in N1P1 treatment. On the 60th day, F0, Fm, Fv were the lowest in N2P1 treatment, ФPSII and qp were higher in N2P3 treatment, NPQ was the highest in N3P1 treatment, Fv/Fm and ETR reached the maximum in N2P2 and N3P1 treatment respectively. The relative chlorophyll content reached the maximum in N2P2 treatment. Additionally, the correlation analysis results showed that the Pn was significantly positively correlated with Fv/Fm PhiPS2 Ci, Gs, Tr and SPAD value, and was significantly negatively correlated with F0 and NPQ, Fv, PhiPS2, qp was positively correlated with SPAD value. Thus, photosynthetic parameters, ChlF parameters and chlorophyll level measurements provide valuable physiological data. N2P2 or N2P3 treatment was more beneficial to the growth of C. paliurus.

The stored non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) (i.e. sugars and starch) in trees play an important role in metabolism and growth, but their relationship with plant architecture is poorly understood. Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) is an important economic hardwood species in northeast China, but a lack of apical control during the seedling stage may reduce the potential to grow quality timber. In this research, we quantified the effects of repeated pruning (RP) on morphology, biomass, and NSC dynamics in Mongolian oak seedlings. The RP treatment significantly promoted the growth of terminal shoot by increasing the length of the second flush; however, rapid recovery of lateral branch growth indicated that the capacity for apical control was not enhanced. The RP treatment significantly modified longitudinal NSC distribution pattern in different growth units (GUs) of the stem, with higher NSC reserves in the upper parts of the stem expected to enhance growth potential. The sustained total NSC storage of the whole seedling, together with starch depletion at GU1 of the stem, indicated that both the carbohydrate status of the whole seedling and the local costs of starch are the reasons for maintaining the active branch growth. The quantification of the temporal and spatial variation in sugars and starch concentrations in different tissues improved our understanding of NSC dynamics in Mongolian oak, revealing the potential relationships between carbohydrate status and plant apical dominance in trees.

S. koreensis is an endemic species of Gangwon-do, Korea. It is a useful forest plant resource used for medicine, functional health food, etc. A root of the species had been used in a folk remedy to treat diseases. This study analyzed the compounds in each part, leaves, stem, and root, and identified the substances with the highest content of S. koreensis, collected from three different habitats. The habitats compared the concentrations of the main compound. In addition, soil microorganisms in three habitats and the correlation between the compound's contents and the microorganism were analyzed. Among the high peaks of the analysis, the highest peak in all samples from three habitats in common was identified, and it was N-methylcytisine. The content of N-methylcytisine, however, varied from the habitat. Samples from Chuncheon contained the highest, 509mg/L, among the habitats. It was similar in the samples from Yanggu, which was 102mg/L, while lowest in Inje (39mg/L). The microorganism community in each habitat showed a different composition ratio for the genus. The genus-level communities that appeared in each soil were Yanggu (1,013 taxa), Inje (973 taxa), and Chuncheon (814 taxa). It was confirmed that the Opitutus spp. among the microorganisms showed a significant positive correlation with N-methylcytisine. On the other hand, PAC000121_g, Rhizomicrobium, KB906767_g, Solibacter, Bradyrhizobium, JADL_g, Mucilaginibacter, PAC000046_g, and Acidipila negatively correlated in a statistical significance.

An overview is provided on the past and ongoing efforts aiming at efficient utilization of an extensive empirical data from permanent experiments and monitoring plots in building and validation of forest growth and yield models. First, the properties and suitability of different types of data for different purposes are briefly evaluated. Then, a brief overview to the design, measurements and management of long-term experimental data at Luke is provided with the help of some examples. The main focus is to highlight the role of empirical data in assessing the performance of simulation tools, as well as individual growth and yield models. The validation process heavily depends on the goals set to validation. The goals of growth modelers may be quite different from those of the user of the models. Alternative methods applicable to different types of model evaluation are discussed starting from testing of individual growth functions, analyzing the interaction of sub-models in a simulation system, and finally in assessing the performance of whole simulation system. Finally, some examples of different evaluation methods of models and simulation tools using empirical data are presented.

Silviculture in Finland has been based over decades on even-aged forest management, favoring coniferous single-species stands. Research has shown that mixed forests can provide a wider range of ecosystem services than single-species stands. Changes in the operating environment set new demands for the use of forests. Wood production is one objective, but at the same time, forests are expected to mitigate climate change, protect biodiversity, play an important role in the water and nutrient cycles and provide citizens with recreational opportunities. Mixed forests offer great opportunities for sustainable and multifunctional forest management taken into account climate impacts, resilience, resource efficiency and biodiversity. Wood production can also benefit from mixed forests. Even though the silviculture of mixed forests in Finland would not result in increased wood production, the improved vitality and resistance of mixed forests secure sustainability of wood production in changing conditions. There is urgent need for information on how to grow and manage existing mixed forests and how to establish and grow new mixed forests. To solve these questions, we measured cross sectional data from current young mixed forests (a total of 29 stands) to evaluate past growth and current state of well managed mixed forests. In addition, we established long-term experiments with a clear matrix of different silvicultural options to find out the dynamics of growth by tree species and origin (planting, direct seeding and natural regeneration), and the most effective methods for establishing and managing mixed stands. Totally 18 long-term experiments with 284 plots (1000 m2) were established in 2020-2022. Those experiments will be measured regularly, at early phase with 1-to-3-year interval and later with 5-year intervals. The challenge in establishing long-term experiments is that at the same time we have to consider widely both the current needs and future potential uses for experiments.

Hybrid aspen is a hybrid between Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx. and is known as a prospective broadleaved species in northern Europe. The usage for pulpwood and bioenergy is expected with vigorous growth characteristics, but the studies on growth and yield modelling based on empirical data are still insufficient. This research aimed to present the main modelling results regarding diameter and height and to provide an extended idea for model application in practice. The materials applied for modelling were collected from the experimental sites located in southern Finland. The selected clones of hybrid aspen were planted on the sites, and at the same time, plots were established during 1997–1999 with proper site preparation and fencing by experiment. The plots were measured repeatedly at 1–3 years interval with 7–12 times in total by experiment. As a result, the diameter distribution and tree height-dbh allometry were figured out over time and appropriate modelling methods were applied using 2-parameter Weibull function and Näslund’s model, respectively. In the Weibull distribution with parameter recovery method, the basal area-weighted mean diameter (DG) with the number of trees per ha (TPH) and stand basal area (BA) presented the best fit compared to other type of stand diameter statistics. The Näslund’s nonlinear mixed-effects model was fitted for tree height estimation with driving variables of age, BA, DG, and basal area-weighted mean height (HG) in addition to tree dbh. Furthermore, it was feasible to simulate these models in combination with the predicted stand characteristics such as BA, DG, and HG based on stand age, site index, and TPH. This will enable one to simulate the growth and yield of hybrid aspen plantations for stand management. Overall, our models were considered to be practical and applicable on a basis of monitoring data of field trials.

This study was carried out to provide the effect of the site factor on the growth of Japanese larch(Larix kaempferi), which is one of major coniferous species in Korea. In 2013, in order to find out the growth of Japanese larch, permanent plot established in Eastern, Northern and Southern Region of Korea. The permanent plot investigation was repeated every three years, starting with the first investigation when the site was installed, and the fourth investigation is in progress as of 2022. The investigation was performed to measure tree factor (age of tree, DBH(diameter breast height), total height, clear height, number of tree) and site factor(slope, aspect, elevation). In order to provide the effect of the site factor on the growth of the species, one-way ANOVA was performed by site factor. The slope was classified and analyzed into six categories (slope<15°, 15°slope<20°, 20°slope<25°, 25°slope<30°, 30° slope<40°, 40°slope) and the aspect was classified and analyzed into eight categories (north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, northwest). The Elevation was classified and analyzed into six categories (Elevation<200m, 200mElevation<400m, 400mElevation<600m, 600mElevation<800, 800mElevation<1000m, 1000mElevation). As a result to one-way variance of analysis, the DBH was not significantly dfferent according to elevation, aspect and slope(p>0.05). Also, the height was not significantly different according to slope and aspect(p>0.05), whereas the height was significantly different according to elevation (p<0.05).

The Government of Vietnam considers forests to be an important ecological resource, valuable for the socio-economic development and well-being of the community in the country. Forests play an important role in adapting to climate change through environmental functions such as preventing erosion and ensuring water circulation. Forest and non-timber forest products are also important sources of nutrients. Forests also have a social role, contributing to the creation of jobs and income. The objective of this paper is to analyze changes in forest resources and policy of forestry in Vietnam. Currently there are about 25 million Vietnamese people with 20%-40% of their annual income coming from forests. The role of forests is also shown in remote, mountainous areas where 10% of the population living in or near forests (approximately 12 million hectares) are poor or ethnic minorities. Maintaining and increasing forest cover is identified as a way to ensure sustainable development in Vietnam's national strategy. Since 1995, Vietnam's forest cover has tended to recover after decades of decline due to war and exploitation of forest products for economic growth. Although there is still much debate about the quality of the remaining and new forests, the current forest cover statistics are generally very positive. In the last few years, forest cover has increased at an average rate of more than 73,000 ha/year and reached about 14.7 million ha in 2021, the coverage rate is 42.02%. Vietnam's forest growth is considered the result of synchronous economic and political solutions to cope with forest decline, land scarcity, and the impact of economic and market development. However, the strategic forest management plan has difficulties related to conflicts of land claims and border disputes due to the value of established forests. Inadequacies in management and lack of monitoring and enforcement are considered as one of the important factors causing deforestation and forest degradation. An estimated 43% of forests in Vietnam are lost due to deforestation to convert to industrial crops.

Urban greenspaces could help reduce significantly the level of atmospheric carbon, a major agent of climate change. They directly sequester atmospheric carbon in the process of photosynthesis and also decrease carbon emissions through savings of building cooling and heating energy. Urban ecosystems include different types of greenspaces such as gardens, parks, streets, riparian corridors, and suburban zones. This presentation suggests desirable design strategies to enhance effects of carbon reduction by urban greenspace type. In Korean cities, residential, commercial and institutional lands, in which hardscapes are dominant, have small or no gardens and poor tree planting. Urban parks have a great potential for carbon reduction through tree planting in cities with limited area for greenspaces. However, they are represented by large grass and impervious areas, single-layered structures of planting, and dominance of a small tree population. Street greenspaces limit carbon sequestration due to planting of inappropriate tree species, poor conditions for root growth, and severe pruning. This study explored design strategies of urban greenspaces to improve these limitations and create low-carbon ecosystems. They included a proper layout of landscape trees around buildings in gardens to maximize building energy savings through shading, evapotranspiration, and cold wind reduction. Decrease of unnecessary grass areas and multilayered ecological planting with larger trees were recommended as a desirable park design. The design strategies also included planting of tree species fit for a growth space and creation of multilayered greenways in streets, and nature-friendly development in suburban zones to reduce carbon emissions from the damage of existing trees and soils and uses of heavy equipments.

Carbon neutrality research and discussion are expanding globally from a method to reduce ‘carbon emission’ to a strategy to secure ‘carbon absorption’. In particular, considering the high degree of carbon emission in cities, measurement of carbon absorption in urban areas and review of methodologies should be continuously performed, but existing studies have mainly focused on research on forested areas. Therefore, research trends were analyzed for each method of carbon sink measurement (Satellite map, aerial photography, aerial laser scanning, field survey, drone scanning) and the advantages and disadvantages of each method were compared based on the studies that measured carbon absorptions and sequestrations. Moreover, when applying the existing carbon sink measurement method in the urban area, considerations and ways to increase absorption efficiency were reviewed. This result of the study is expected to be able to directly contribute to readjustment of carbon sink calculations, site selection, measurement method determination on related future research. Furthermore, the suggestion of countermeasures when measuring carbon sinks in urban areas can directly contribute to improving the validity of related studies, urban green planting guideline, and policy directions.

In small and medium-sized cities where large parks are not common, campuses function as parks and green areas with many trees. Meanwhile, a program that quantifies the functions of trees have been developed and used mainly in North America and Europe. Through this, the functions provided by trees can be quantified, and further, the programs show the value of trees to people even with the form of monetary units. It helps citizens to improve understanding and awareness of the importance of trees. However, in Korea, estimating the value of trees is limited to the forest management fields. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to evaluate the value of the trees especially on Kangwon National University campus located in Chuncheon-si. KNU campus provides citizens with green space, so we found out the value of trees in the forest area and green space on KNU campus in terms of regulating ecosystem services. The services are carbon storage and sequestration, air pollutant removal and capturing run-off. The value of the parameters of trees measured in green spaces are higher than in forest areas, but the density of trees in forest areas are higher than in green space. From these facts, there was differences in value between trees in forests and green spaces. While uncertainties remain without correction considering the area of forests and green spaces, these results can be utilised to show people the values and functions of trees quantitatively. Especially when planning and managing them with intention of improvement on tree management.

In order to respond to the recent climate crisis that threatens the survival of mankind, various countries have proposed the concept of ‘Carbon Neutrality’ in which net emissions are zero by reducing carbon emissions or absorbing carbon in the air. In the case of Korea, it is also trying to achieve zero net emission of national greenhouse gases with the goal of being ‘Carbon Neutral by 2050’. However, cities are causing various environmental changes, such as climate change and carbon issues, as changes such as growth, industrialization, and population change accelerate. Landscape space is a space that can respond to various environmental and social problems occurring in the city. Parks, street spaces, and green spaces have a high ability to absorb carbon in particular because land space and waterside space exist in a complex way. In this way, the landscape space in the city can improve the function of the virtuous cycle in the carbon flow. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the dynamic changes of the carbon cycle over time and to implement a carbon neutral landscape based on this. In order to understand flows such as carbon emission or absorption, a simulation modeling method is needed to predict dynamic changes in systemic aspects such as material circulation. The purpose of this study is to establish and apply spatial-temporal simulation model that can implement carbon neutrality in urban landscape spaces. This study classifies the types of landscape spaces that can realize carbon neutrality, derives components, collects data for each type, and builds a database. In addition, this study intend to present a plan by implementing a carbon cycle simulation for each type.

Climate change due to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution is a major environmental problem facing the world. Urban trees play an important role as a carbon sink to mitigate climate change by absorbing atmospheric carbon during the growth process. Carbon-neutral programs around the world, including the IPCC guidelines, also deal with tree planting as one of the major greenhouse gas reduction activities. In order to develop policies related to the creation and management of carbon uptake in cities where carbon emissions are dominant, a source coefficient that can evaluate the carbon storage and uptake of urban trees is required. However, studies on the carbon reduction effect of urban trees compared to forest trees are still rare. Although the IPCC guidelines present the US research results as the default carbon uptake coefficient for urban trees, it may cause considerable errors to apply the coefficients from countries with different growth environments. Therefore, this study identified the carbon uptake coefficients of cities and forest trees of major countries and made a comparative analysis of them. As a result, the carbon uptake of urban trees in Korea was somewhat higher than that of forest trees, even with the same species and sizes, and tended to be less than that of urban trees in the United States. This difference was more noticeable as the stem diameter increased. The results of this study can contribute to the international sharing of insufficient information on carbon uptake coefficients of urban trees and their importance.

The quantifying carbon emissions from urban trees management is necessary to understand urban trees carbon budget and to establish carbon reduction planting and management strategies. However, information on the carbon emissions from tree management of multifamily residential sites is still limited. This study quantified annual energy consumption and carbon emissions according to management such as pruning, pesticide and fungicide, and fertilization by landscape trees planted at multifamily residential sites in Chuncheon. Management practice was surveyed based on maintenance data, interviews with managers for about 30 multifamily residential sites in Chuncheon. The annual total carbon emissions from landscape trees management of multifamily residential sites were on average 18 kg/100m2/year. The annual carbon emissions from pruning were the highest at 17.4 kg/100m2/year and accounted for 97% of the total carbon emissions. As there is very little research on carbon emissions from landscape trees management of multifamily residential sites, the basic unit for carbon emissions for each management in the current study can be useful in quantifying the carbon budget of multifamily residential sites trees.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a recent emerging bovine viral disease in Asia and can cause acute or subacute disease in cattle and water buffalo. The morphological feature of LSD-infected individuals is characterized by firm, slightly raised, circumscribed skin nodules of 2 to 7 cm in diameter on body parts such as the neck, legs, tail and back. The clinical symptom includes fever, inappetence, a reduction in milk production, nasal discharge, enlarged lymph nodes, and loss of body weight. LSD is transmitted primarily by arthropod vectors such as blood-feeding insects and ticks. In wildlife, the disease was reported in an Arabian oryx and seropositive wildlife for the LSDV includes African buffaloes, blue wildebeest, eland, giraffe, impala and greater kudu. However, the role of wildlife in the epidemiology of LSD is not yet well understood, perhaps because of the difficulty in monitoring the skin lesions. Since the first report of LSD in Bangladesh and China in July 2019. LSD seems to have spread over almost all divisions in Bangladesh by December 2019. In August 2019, the disease appeared in India and has spread to the southern part of India since January 2020. In June 2020 LSD appeared for the first time in the eastern part of Nepal. LSD recently continues to spread in the East and South Asian regions, including various provinces spanning South and East China, as well as Nepal, India and Bhutan. The recent rapid spread of disease in Asian countries indicates the importance of understanding the distribution routes and transmission vectors of LSD. The presentation is designed to provide existing information on the various aspects of the disease, focusing on current distribution, transmission vectors and the potential role of wildlife in the further spread of LSD.

The emerging infectious diseases, particularly viral infections in animals (zoonotic host species such as domestic, semi-domestic livestock, poultry, pets, bats and rodents), are major concern around the world. In Bangladesh, the most important animal viral diseases are Nipah virus (fruit bats), lumpy skin diseases virus (cattle and water buffalo), west nile virus (mosquito-borne), swine fever virus (pigs and wild boar), and many others. However, lumpy skin disease is one of viral diseases caused by lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV). LSDV is primarily spread by arthropod vectors such as flies, mosquitos, ticks and direct or indirect contact between infected and susceptible animals. Based on an economic loss analysis, the average loss per case due to LSDV was 9384.41 BDT (110.40 US $). The major losses have been accounted for it by treatment costs, extra management costs, lower animal selling prices, labor costs, and income loss resulting in lower milk yield. On September 15, 2019, OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) reported that the disease first appeared in the Southeast region of Bangladesh (Chattogram district), then progressively spread throughout the entire country. So far, six LSD outbreaks in Bangladesh have been documented with the clinical signs and collect samples for diagnostic confirmation. The genomic profile of LSDVs circulating in Bangladesh are unknown. The virus (LSDV) has a double-stranded DNA genome, which is about 151,000 bp in size, encoding approximately 156 proteins. The previous research finding that Bangladesh isolates differ from common LSDV field isolates encountered in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, as well as newly emerged LSDV variants in Russia and China, based on a phylogenetic analysis and detailed inspection of multiple sequence alignments. Finally, for biosecurity and management practices, transmission dynamics, continuous monitoring, and genomic characterization of circulating strains of LSDV should be prioritized.

This work was conducted to review the phylogenetic of emerging viral infectious diseases in pigs and cattle during 2019- 2022 in Vietnam. Among of viral diseases in pigs, African swine fever (ASF) has caused the significantly economical lost. Analysis of the C-terminal end of p72 revealed that the ASFV strains in Vietnam belongs to genotype II, serogroup 8. The ORF5 sequence of the nineteen porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) isolates belonged to genotype 2. Among them, thirteen isolates belonged to lineage 8, together with the vaccine strain JAX1-R and isolates from Vietnam and China. One isolate was clustered into lineage 1 with isolates from Thailand. Phylogenetic analysis of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) ORF2 from forty-three positive clinical samples showed that five isolates belonged to PCV2b and thirty-eight isolates belonged to PCV2d. A lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) isolated in the first outbreak in Vietnam was 100% identical to viruses isolated in China (2019) based on the p32 and RP030 genes. These new findings are important for vaccine development to control these diseases in Vietnam.

For the study of wild mammals' visit to agricultural land, the camera trap survey was conducted in agricultual land in Odaesan National Park. The results of trap survey showed that 478 wild mammal photographs were obtained, and 10 wildlife species (six families of three orders) were identified. The visit frequency analysis showed that water deer was photographed the most with 179 times. Next was roe deer 135 times > wild boar 93 times > raccoon 28 times, whereas cats and weasels were photographed the least with only one time. Wild boars, roe deer, and water deer, which are causing a lot of damages to crops, showed a high frequency of visits. Monthly visits were analyzed for five species, including water deer, roe deer, wild boar, raccoon, and hare, who visited agricultual land more than 20 times. Mammals of water deer, wild boar, and roe deer were high in July to September, the crop harvest season. In the case of roe deer, the visit was relatively high even in winter compared to other animals.

Due to environmental disturbance and human aggregation, alien species invade new area rapidly; especially disease expansion is critical due to high possibility of contagion and contamination. Since numerous factors including pathogens, hosts, environmental factors and human involvements are closely associated with disease transmission in a complex manner, mathematical models are required to predict disease dispersal objectively and provide optimal management strategies for disease control. Mathematical models are reviewed regarding virus diseases that have a strong possibility of invading in Korea, including Lumpy skins virus, Nipah virus and West Nile virus. With data-driven models, statistical models were used to determine disease occurrences and spatio-temporal distributions. Technics in machine learning (e.g., Maxent, genetic algorithm) were utilized to present associative properties and causality relationships between pathogens, hosts and environmental factors and to be able to predict disease outbreaks. Regarding mechanistic models, mathematical structure models were developed to present the quantitative framework of dynamical disease transmission between variables, for instance, susceptible, infected and recovered populations. The possibility of using simulation models (e.g., individual based models, lattice structure models) based on transmission rules applied to complex environmental and dispersal conditions is additionally discussed to identify risk factors, prognose disease occurrences and select optimal strategies for control management according to various scenarios.

Environmental problems caused by plastics are getting serious every year, and among them, environmental problems caused by microplastics are getting particularly serious. Microplastics are largely divided into primary microplastics, which are made small to be added to fabric softeners, cosmetics, and toothpaste, and secondary microplastics, which are destroyed by the natural environment and become smaller in size. These microplastics are not filtered in wastewater treatment plants due to their small particle size, but are discharged and accumulated in the sea as they are, and can directly affect human health. Accordingly, many studies have been conducted to replace plastic microbeads using eco-friendly biomaterials. This study was a basic study to replace primary microplastics using cellulose beads, and it was intended to develop a technology to control the particle size when preparing beads using the spraying method with a coaxial needle. Cellulose was dissolved by mixing TEAOH and Urea, and beads were formed using a spraying method with a coaxial needle and solidified in acetic acid solution. The effects on spraying conditions on the particle size of cellulose beads will be discussed.

In this study, hair growth and maintenance efficacy of root extract of Rhododendron mucronulatum Turcz. was confirmed using hair follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPC). The root extract of Rhododendron mucronulatum Turcz. was divided into two types: an extract level of 60% alcohol extract (RMR60E) and a compound level of Taxifolin-3-O-arabinopyranoside (Taxifolin glycoside). Prior to the experiment, MTT assay was performed to confirm the cytotoxicity of RMR60E and Taxifolin glycoside, both of which showed cell viability of more than 80% in all concentration ranges (25~200μg/ml) used in the experiment, confirming that there was no toxicity. Afterwards, in the H2O2-induced apoptosis inhibitory effect test, it was confirmed that both RMR60E and Taxifolin glycoside increased the cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. DHT assay was performed to confirm the ability to inhibit the production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is the cause of male pattern hair loss. First, when 20 nM of testosterone was treated in HFDPC, the production of DHT was increased. Thereafter, when treated with minoxidile, a positive control, strong inhibitory activity was confirmed. In comparison, when treated with RMR60E and Taxifolin glycoside, it didn’t show a stronger inhibitory activity than minoxidile, but it was confirmed that DHT production was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner when compared with the negative control group. Based on the results of this study, it is considered that extract of Rhododendron mucronulatum has the potential to be developed as a material for hair-loss related medicines, functional foods, and functional cosmetics.

At the beginning of the year, Korea Forest Service announced Street Tree Planning and Management. The plan explains the expansion of the role of street trees and the increase in citizen’s interest in street trees. The plan also mentioned the setting out assessment indexes of street trees is included on their to-do list. The problem is that the indexes didn’t include any assessment indexes related to the value of street trees. Street trees also provide their own functions which are good for citizens. There is a software that estimates street trees’ values and using the software, we can improve citizens’ recognition of street trees. So in this study, we investigated street trees on campus. We tried to find out the composition and population of street trees and estimate their value especially in terms of carbon storage and sequestration. To estimate carbon storage and sequestration, we needed to measure morphological parameters of street trees including tree species, diameter at breast height, total tree height, crown dieback and crown light exposure. We measured those factors in street trees on Kangwondaehak-gil which runs through Kangwon National University. With the measured factors, the value of street trees in terms of carbon storage and sequestration is obtained. Plus, we tried to figure out the difference between when we measured those parameters ourselves and when we measured them with LiDAR sensor. We made assumptions that when the morphological parameters of street trees vary, the values should also vary. So we verified how big of a difference there is and whether the difference affects the value of the trees when we used LiDAR seonsor. There was a difference between the field measurements and those obtained using LiDAR sensor, but not so much as to change the value of the trees. Therefore, through this study, it could be expected that LiDAR sensor can be used when measuring and evaluating street trees in the future.

Hydrogels are 3D polymer networks that can absorb and hold huge amounts of water. Hydrogels are applied in various fields including biomedical, agriculture, biosensing, and pollutant removal. Nanocellulose as a biodegradable and renewable polymer attracted great attention in hydrogel preparation. However, the use of chemical crosslinkers such as epichlorohydrin and glutaraldehyde poses toxicity concerns. This study explores the use of surface-deacetylated chitin nanofiber (ChNF) as a non-toxic and biocompatible crosslinker for nanocellulose. Upon mixing, positively charged ChNF was bound to negatively charged TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (TOCNF) via electrostatic interactions. Further heating resulted in the crosslinking of carboxyl groups of TOCNF with amine groups of ChNF via amide bond formation. Amidation was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the effect of temperature and concentration on hydrogel formation was studied. Compared to the pristine nanocellulose hydrogels, crosslinked hydrogels exhibited good shape stability.

Dalberigia cochinchinensis is a valuable tree species that has good quality and unique color of timber. The species is threatened to be extinct due to the over exploration and climate changes of the natural habitats. We investigated the responses of this species to the drought stress by measuring physiological parameters and infrared thermal imaging system. Physiological parameters are chlorophyll contents, transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs), net photosynthetic rate (A), water use efficiency (WUE) and chlorophyll fluorescence during the drought stress. Leave's temperatures were measured by the infrared thermal imaging camera. Most photosynthetic parameters were decreased after drought except water use efficiency (WUE). Under the drought stress, transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs), net photosynthetic rate (A) and chlorophyll content were decreased whereas water use efficiency (WUE) was increased. Chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) of the seedlings had declined significantly in all drought stress condition. Temperature of the upper leaves increased more than the middle and the bottom leaves in all stress group. Stress responses were detected by physiological parameters and the thermal images which represent the leaf temperature. While there were wide variations in the physiological parameters, thermal imaging could measure the broad range of plants and less variation among the treatments. The combinations of physiological parameters and thermal image are more reliable to detect the water stress. Furthermore, it can be effectively used for determination of plant water need which can be used in precision irrigation system.

The increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon and fine particulate matter (PM) is a cause of serious climate change. To solve the challenges facing society, research is being conducted on the reduction effect according to the function of greenspace. The subject of this study is street trees, a public greenspace The purpose of this study was to quantify the carbon uptake and PM2.5 reductions in an urban street in Gangneung, Korea. A total of 42 streets were sampled applying a systematic sampling method to survey tree-planting structures. The mean tree density and cover in the study streets were 0.9 ± 0.1 trees/100 m2 and 11.2 ± 1.4%, respectively. The annual carbon and PM2.5 reductions per unit area by the trees averaged 1.1 ± 0.2 t/ha/yr and 4.1 ± 1.3 kg/ha/yr. The annual carbon emissions from the energy consumption of transport and the annual PM2.5 emissions from transport were 121 t/yr and 26 t/yr in the study city, respectively. Gangneung’s urban street trees annually offset the carbon emissions by 3.8% and the PM2.5 emissions by 4.8%. Thus, urban street trees played an important role in reducing the atmospheric carbon and PM2.5 concentrations. This study is expected to contribute to sharing the importance of urban street trees and their contribution to carbon and PM2.5 reductions.

The fuel moisture contents affect forest fire behaviors and closely related to weather factors. This study analyzed the daily fuel moisture contents after collecting fallen leaves on the surface of the forest by aspects (North∙South) and four tree leaves (Prunus serrulate and Quercus dentate ∙ Pinus densiflora and Pinus koraiensis) during the spring and autumn forest fire danger season from 2019 to 2022. A HOBO data logger(u12-012) in the forest was installed to measure weather factors in the study area, and temperature, humidity, and illumination were analyzed. As a result of the correlation analysis between the fuel moisture content and the weather factor, a significant correlation was shown in the weather factor in the highest temperature, average relative humidity, and average illumination (p<0.05). The maximum temperature, average relative humidity, and average illumination were constructed, and multiple regression analysis was conducted between aspects and four leaves of fuel moisture contents. As a result, about 58.8% of the leaves showed the regression model explanatory power (R2=0.588). Among the aspect, the explanatory power of the regression model of the north aspect was 50.8% higher than that of the south aspect (R2=0.508). The tree leaves appeared in the order of Pinus koraiensis, Prunus serrulate, Pinus densiflora, and Quercus dentate. The results of this study are expected to be used as primary data for predicting the fuel index of a forest fire forecasting system through analysis of the relationship between fuel moisture contents and weather factors in forests.

Biomass fractionation is one of the critical steps to obtain cellulose rich residue, lignin, and hemicellulose main components in the integrated biorefinery process. Furthermore, a deep understanding of all the three major components structural changes during the fractionation process will facilitate their further high-value applications. In order to better understand whether the lignin structure has changed, microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction of lignin from spruce sapwood and heartwood was explored. Various structural analyses of lignin fractions were performed by different methods including 2D HSQC, 31P NMR, SEC/MALS, and FTIR. The results show that the yield of lignin of heartwood and sapwood in only 10 min can reach 68% and 65%, respectively. 2D HSQC and FTIR results also show that the lignin fraction from heartwood and sapwood has a similar linkage and structure. A similar lignin fraction would be obtained by DES fractionation, which increases understanding of sapwood and heartwood for further development. The relatively high yield also will be attractive for boosting its applicability in functional materials.

Flexible and conductive hydrogels play an important role in the design and fabrication of wearable sensors. However, the preparation of high-performance hydrogel-based sensors that can work under extreme cold conditions is still challenging. Herein, we demonstrated the preparation of a novel composite hydrogel based on polyacrylamide (PAM), LiCl, and PEDOT:PSS coated cellulose nanofibrils (PEDOT:PSS/CNF). The introduction of PEDOT:PSS/CNF increased the hydrogen bonding between the molecular chains in the micro and enhanced the mechanical strength and the conductivity of the hydrogel in the macro. Moreover, the presence of LiCl endowed the hydrogel with excellent freezing tolerance. For example, the optimized hydrogel exhibited stable mechanical properties at extreme cold conditions (e.g., −40 ℃). Finally, the composite hydrogel was used to assemble a flexible sensor, which could detect a wide range of human movement and physiological activities in a stable, fast, and accurate manner. Overall, this work provided a simple and universal approach for the preparation of flexible and anti-freezing hydrogels that can be used for flexible electronic devices.

Rechargeable Zn-ion battery is considered to be a promising new power source because of its low cost, high safety performance, environmental friendliness and high energy density. Zn-ion battery is the most competitive energy storage equipment in the future. At present, corrosion and passivation affect the development of Zn-ion battery. The growth of dendrites will pierce the diaphragm, resulting in a short circuit phenomenon and affecting the Coulombic efficiency of Zn-ion battery, severely limiting the development of Zn-ion battery. Herein, a simple strategy of depositing Zn on a 3D porous carbon aerogel (CA) by electrochemical deposition is proposed. The composite structure with low charge transfer resistance and a large electrically active area. The Zn-ion battery assembled by this composite material exhibits excellent electrochemical properties during the plating/stripping. The 3D Zn@CA anode shows lower polarization voltage, stable cycling stability and still achieve 100% Coulombic efficiency during the repeated deposition/stripping of Zn for about 13000 min. It has been proved that the material as a functional composite can effectively inhibit the growth of dendritic crystals, improve the electrochemical and cycling performance of Zn-ion battery.