Earticle

This study examined the location of eco-friendly landscape plant complex and the legal restrictions on the installation of eco-friendly facilities. First, we identified the special-purpose area status of major landscape plant nurseries in Korea, analyzed the potential for designating them as rural convergence industrial districts in the future, and assessed the possibility of introducing complex facilities based on special-purpose area regulations, including building height and floor area ratio restrictions. Next, we reviewed whether laws pertaining to licensing and eco-friendly facilities require the installation of such facilities in the creation and operation of the nurseries. This study confirmed that when creating an eco-friendly landscape plant complex, the legal review should proceed as follows: identification of the target site’s special-purpose area, analysis of the target site’s urban planning ordinance, and review of the floor area ratio, building coverage ratio, and permissible facilities according to the ordinance. This study will help to efficiently address constraints on the installation of related facilities in the future by reviewing the legal considerations for the creation and operation of eco-friendly landscape plant complex under Korean law.

Compression wood (C-wood), is an abnormal type of wood tissue found in conifers that helps to maintain the posture of their stems and branches. Alongside C-wood, lateral wood (L-wood) and opposite wood (O-wood) can also be found in leaning stems and branch wood. C-wood is often considered undesirable in commercial lumber, wood-based panels, and pulp and paper manufacturing and presents unique challenges. Various studies have explored the anatomical characteristics of C-wood and O-wood across different species, documenting and summarizing the findings from a number of studies. However, the characteristics of L-wood have not yet been reported. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the anatomical characteristics of C-wood, L-wood, and O-wood in the stem wood of both tropical and temperate commercial softwood from most recent articles. Notable results included the consistent observation of C-wood displaying the shortest tracheid length, thickest cell walls, lowest relative crystallinity, numbers and diameters of the pit in the cross-field, and greatest microfibril angles, whereas L-wood and O-wood exhibited varied patterns.

The vegetation of Baekseoksan Mountain was classified into five distinct communities, with elevation and microtopography identified as the most influential environmental factors determining their classification. The Pinus densiflora-Schisandra chinensis community (Pd_Sc) was observed in the lower mountain areas, representing an early successional stage dominated by Pinus densiflora. The Acer pictum var. mono-Pinus densiflora_Deutzia glabrata community (Am-Pd_Dg) was found in moist and lowland areas. This community is expected to undergo succession after the declines of Pinus densiflora, giving way to deciduous forest. The Quercus mongolica-Carex lanceolata community (Qm_Cl) occurred at mid-elevations, representing an early to mid-successional community following the decline of Pinus densiflora. The Quercus mongolica- Diarrhena fauriei community (Qm_Df) was dominant at higher elevations, while the Pinus koraiensis-Isodon inflexus community (Pk_Ii) was identified as an artificially established plantation. Despite the presence of disturbance factors, such as forest roads and lodging facilities, the vegetation on Mt. Baekseoksan has not exhibited significant declines in species diversity or the appearance of invasive species within communities compared to a previous study. This is likely due to the continuous and effective management by local residents. Therefore, coordinated conservation efforts between local communities and forest management agencies will be essential to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of forest resources.

The Baekdudaegan range, which includes eight national parks, forms the ecological axis of the Korean Peninsula and has been designated and protected as the Baekdudaegan Protected Area to preserve its ecological significance. Despite these conservation efforts, restoration projects targeting the damaged sites of the Baekdudaegan range are inefficient due to the lack of diagnostic evaluation and reference ecosystem information. This study conducted a survey of damaged sites in the Mt. Deogyusan section, in line with the Korea Forest Service’s 2nd Baekdudaegan Protection Basic Plan. As a result of orthophoto analysis, 1,240 patches of damaged sites were identified, covering 326.9 ha. Based on this analysis, a total of 86 surveys were conducted on 29 patches of damaged sites and reference ecosystems. The surveyed damaged sites were categorized into eight types: bare land, arable land, mountaineering trail, burial ground, cutover, project area, forest trail, and grasslands, and analyzed the actual conditions of each type. Furthermore, we compared community similarities between damaged sites and reference ecosystems for each damage type, and tree species with high coverage values in the reference ecosystems were proposed as restoration species. This study’s findings are expected to provide fundamental data for setting goals and directions for the ecological restoration of damaged sites in the Mt. Deogyusan section of the Baekdudaegan range.

Among climate elements, including temperature and precipitation changes, impacts plant growth, survival, and distribution. This study analyzed the effects of these changes on the growth rings, vessels, rays, and fiber of Ostrya japonica in Wando and Jeju Island. The results showed that growth rings were wider in Jeju Island than in Wando. Vessels predominantly featured clustered over solitary vessels, with slightly more clustered vessels in Wando. Multiseriate rays were more observed in Jeju Island, while uniseriate rays were more prevalent in Wando. Ray length was longer in Wando, and fiber length showed no significant difference between the two regions but correlated similarly with increasing temperature. These findings elucidate how the wood growth of O. japonica responds to climate elements, contributing to understanding its adaptation mechanisms. This study is expected to aid future conservation and management strategies for O. japonica in response to climate elements.

The recurrent flood occurrence in the contiguous floodplains of South-Western Nigeria despite provisions of mitigation measures by government is an intricate issue of concern to environmental managers. Therefore, this study assessed inclination of residents to flood management interventions and forestry land use approaches (FLUA) in contiguous floodplains of South-Western Nigeria. A qualitative data using primary data collection with structured questionnaire and scheduled interview was used. A multistage (4-staged) random sampling was used for sample size selection of 250 residents. Collected data were analysed using frequencies, percentages, mean scores, and tested with chi-square and canonical correlation analysis (CCA). Most residents were inclined to access constructed canals by government (74.4%), dredging and channelisation of river (72.8%), and drainage system (35.6%) whereas utilisation of FLUA showed tree planting (mean=1.8) which ranked 1st as the most popular FLUA, followed by conservation of trees (mean=1.6) which ranked 2nd. From the chi-square test, there is significant relationship between residents’ level of use of FLUA and residents’ access to drainage system (χ2=33.22, p=1×10-4), dredging and channelization of river (χ2=106.09, p=1×10-4). Furthermore, the CCA showed significant association and positive correlation between access to dredging/channelization and tree conservation in upland area (β=0.898, p=0.00, R2=0.382), sustenance of natural environment (β=0.774, p=0.00, R2=0.399) and landscaping of the environment (β=0.810, p=0.00, R2=0.417). The low R2 values suggests that the independent variables in the regression model did not effectively explain the variation in the dependent variables. The importance from residents’ inclination to accessing flood management interventions revealed reduction in flooding despite abysmally low utilization of FLUA in the contiguous floodplains’ communities of South-Western Nigeria.

Climate change has had a significant influence on Dalbergia sissoo in Pakistan due to the dieback epidemic. Dalbergia latifolia was introduced from Nepal to replace the declining D. sissoo populations in Pakistan. This study is the first to examine the growth and dieback status of D. latifolia in Pakistan. D. latifolia is primarily found in research institutions, and there is no evidence of it in the field. Compared to D. sissoo, D. latifolia exhibits slower growth and possesses a smaller height, lower diameter at breast height (DBH), and reduced biomass. Fusarium oxysporum was the primary fungus recovered from D. latifolia trees exhibiting typical dieback symptoms. F. oxysporum was identified using morphological and universal DNA barcodes from the ITS region. Fusarium oxysporum pathogenicity failed to cause dieback in saplings that were inoculated and watered regularly. However, seedlings that had been inoculated and exposed to water stress developed dieback symptoms. It was thus established that fungi are not the primary cause of dieback, but water stress, is the principal cause of dieback in D. latifolia, predisposing it to fungus. The attention should be placed on the selection of drought-tolerant shisham genotypes as well as water conservation techniques, especially as further droughts are expected in Pakistan.

This study was conducted to analyze the effect of thinning intensity on biomass within coniferous plantations (Pinus densiflora, Pinus koraiensis, Larix kaempferi) located in Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces, South Korea. According to the analytic results, thinning intensity had a strong influence on the biomass storages of individual trees. As the thinning intensity increased, the biomass of individual trees was found to increase, while the total stand biomass decreased. In control plots, total biomass was the greatest, but the majority of stand biomass came from smaller trees in DBH when compared to the thinned plots. Thinning also influenced the increment of stand biomass. In control plots, stand biomass increased the most but the growth rate was the lowest. This study is expected to be useful with basic information for establishing forest management plans to achieve diverse goals including biomass, sawtimber production, and carbon management.

This study was conducted to examine the utilization of sawdust and wheat offal hybrid for the production of briquettes for sustainable livelihood. The feedstocks (Sawdust [SD] and Wheat offal [WO]) were collected, dried to 12% moisture content and milled for size homogeneity. SD and WO were mixed at different ratios and used for briquette production (SD-100:0, MIX1-75:25, MIX2-50:50, MIX3-25:75, and WO-0:100). The mixture was fed into a 5-ton hydraulic jack briquetting machine at pressure of 2.4 MPa. All the parameters determined were carried out using ASTM Standard procedures except for Stability and Porosity index. Both physical and combustion properties were statistically analyzed using ANOVA at 95% confidence level. The result of the physical properties of briquettes shows that MIX2 produced using 30% binder recorded highest density (500.97 kg/m3) and lowest density in SD (402.04 kg/m3). It was observed that SD produced at a 30% binder level had the lowest moisture content (5.22%), while SD produced at 20% binder level had moisture content of 5.22%. The result further shows that MIX2 produced at 30% binder level had lowest (50.6%) porosity index and highest (70.32%) in WO at 20% binder level. The result of the stability of briquettes shows that stability of briquettes at a 30% binder level was found to be more linear and stable compared to the 20% binder level. Shatter index of MIX2 at 30% binder level gave higher shatter index (97.72%) compared to 90.39% obtained at 20% binder level. Combustion properties shows that WO at 30% binder have highest volatile matter 27.00%. On the other hand, SD had the lowest ash content of 5.5% and highest calorific value of 34.54 MJ/kg1 at 20% binder level. This is an indication that binder level and biomass type influenced the properties of briquettes.

Oil heat treatment (OHT) was used to improve the durability of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Firmiana simplex woods against brown (Coniophora puteana) and white-rot fungi (Trametes versicolor) using silicone oil as the heating medium. The wood samples were silicone oil heat treated (SOHT) at 150°C, 180°C, and 210°C for 2 h, 4 h, and 8 h respectively. After the treatments, the wood samples were exposed to fungi attack and the weight loss, fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were examined and compared with the control (untreated). The results showed that SOHT C. lanceolata and F. simplex woods, particularly at 210°C for 8 h recorded low weight loss, after exposure to C. puteana and T. versicolor fungi with C. puteana being the least virulent. SOHT woods at higher temperatures, altered the chemical components of the exposed samples as indicated by FTIR spectra. The crystallinity index of the treated woods was increased after exposure to C. puteana and T. versicolor fungi.

Cleome gynandra L. is cultivated for its nutritional benefits. Nutritional composition of most vegetable plant increases with relative growth rate. Therefore, the contribution of organic (e.g. goat manure) and inorganic fertilizers (such as NPK) to optimum nutritional composition and productivity of Cleome gynandra is poorly understood. The nutritional benefit at different growth stages is required to optimize its utilization as a vegetable. Therefore, the relationship between relative growth rate and proximate analysis of C. gynandra was investigated. Three treatments (control, 100 kg N/ha and 8 t goat manure/ha) were arranged in a randomized complete block design in field and glasshouse trials. 100 kg N/ha of inorganic fertilizer influenced more proximate constituents such as vitamin C, protein and ash while 8 t of organic fertilizer increased the crude lipid and phytate contents. The field trial was more favourably compared to the glasshouse. The ash content ranged between 6.49-19.64%, fibre 9.62-26.13%, lipid 1.07-6.94%, vitamin C ranged between 68.33-279.7 mg/100 g, protein 36.55-53.82; phytate 0.74-2.91 mg/100 g; oxalate 1.33-2.63 mg/100 g. It further reveals the concentrations of protein, vitamin C, and fibre can be explored better in the 2nd, 6th and 8th weeks respectively. The overall analysis of the proximate parameters analysed on the field and in the glasshouse showed variations in the nutritional composition of Cleome gynandra.

Royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty were designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2009 in recognition of their outstanding universal value, integrity and authenticity. The fact that not only the royal tombs itself but also the historic landscape forest was designated as a cultural heritage site reflects the unique cultural features of the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. The original historic landscape forest is based on a pine forest, so maintenance plans and projects to manage and restore it are being actively carried out, but the effects of climate change on pine trees are currently not being considered. However, the damage to the ecosystem caused by recent climate change is serious. Pine wilt disease one of the deadliest diseases and is expected to spread throughout the South Korea due to climate change. Therefore, this study aimed to predict the risk of outbreaks of pine wilt disease, which causes fatal damage to pine trees which are important elements of the landscape around royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. We applied species distribution models to predict potential risk of pine wilt disease. The results showed an increased risk of pine wilt disease in the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty under all climate scenarios. To prevent this, we proposed biological, chemical and constant surveillance as counter measures for sustainable management of the royal tombs and historic landscape forest under the climate change.

Roadside trees provide critical ecosystem services, including amenity and life support benefits. However, the biodiversity status of many urban roadside trees is unknown to support meaningful planning and implementation of sustainable urban cities. To address this, 304 street trees were enumerated and identified from all 5 highways in the Central region of Ghana to determine their composition, abundance, and diversity. The standard line transect sampling technique was used. Twenty-one species, 20 genera, and 8 families were identified, with Senna siamia (25.3 %) being the most prevalent species. Based on the origin of the 21 tree species, 86% were exotic and 14% were indigenous. The top five most abundant tree species were Senna siamea, Azadirachta indica, Khaya senegalensis, Albizia lebbeck, and Eucalyptus deglupta, accounting for 83.56% of the individual trees. The family Fabaceae was the most dominant, having 47.62% of tree species. The R2 statistic demonstrated that only 56.07% of the variance of the tree species family was explained by the variance of the species density. A low Simpson’s inverse index (SDI) of 5.91 was recorded. More native trees such as Khaya senegalensis, Acacia auriculiformis, and Parkia speciosa and a wider variety of species should be planted and re-planted along the roadways in the region.

A total of 564 wildlife crossing structures have been constructed in South Korea to restore fragmented ecological corridors and reduce roadkill. This study investigates whether these wildlife crossing structures comply with the “Guidelines for the Installation and Management of Wildlife Crossing Structures.” The subjects of this study were 366 overpasses and 198 underpasses in South Korea. Overpasses were assessed based on nine criteria, while underpasses were evaluated using eight criteria. Among the overpasses, the compliance rate for topographical connectivity was the highest (65.6%), followed by the compliance rate for the installation of wildlife fences in both directions (59.0%). However, most fences were poorly extended (29.0%), and showed poor connectivity, with open gaps (14.5%). For underpasses, the highest compliance rate was for fences installed in both directions (58.1%), followed by topographical connectivity (57.6%). Yet, most fences were inadequately maintained (16.7%), and openness did not exceed 0.7 (16.7%). Overall, the compliance rate for overpasses was 41.1%, while underpasses had a compliance rate of 38.3%. The average number of mammal species using overpasses with average compliance rates above 41.1% was 1.90, while overpasses with compliance rates below this threshold had an average of 1.17 species. For underpasses, the average number of mammal species was 1.49 for structures with compliance rates above 38.3%, compared to 0.91 for those below this threshold. These findings indicate a difference in the number of mammal species using wildlife crossing structures based on their compliance rates. Efforts to enforce compliance with the guidelines are necessary to enhance the effectiveness of wildlife crossing structures, and legally mandating these guidelines may be a practical solution.

We developed a shoot multiplication protocol for Pseudolysimachion longifolium (L.) Opiz using in vitro cultured seedlings derived from in vitro germinated seeds. To determine the effects of different plant growth regulators (PGRs) on shoot induction and the number of shoots, P. longifolium leaves, petioles, and stems were cultured on half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 3% sucrose, 0.3% GelriteTM, 0.05 mg L-1 1-naphthaleneacetic acid, and five different types of cytokinins (6-benzylaminopurine, kinetin, thidiazuron (TDZ), zeatin, and 2-isopentenyladenine at 2 mg L-1). Among the five cytokinins tested, stem explants cultured on medium containing TDZ exhibited the best shoot induction (100%) and the highest number of shoots per explant (1.83±0.20). Shoot induction from petiole explants was highest when they were cultured on medium containing zeatin or TDZ. However, no shoot induction was observed from stem or petiole explants when cultured on medium containing kinetin, nor from leaf explants for any of the cytokinin treatments. In vitro generated P. longifolium plantlets were acclimatized in a greenhouse and showed normal growth and development with 90% survival. In conclusion, a regeneration protocol was developed that can be applied for the mass propagation and conservation of P. longifolium.

This study investigated the ecological impact of fences for restricting African swine fever (ASF) on Artiodactyla movement in Yanggu-gun, South Korea. ASF poses significant public health and economic threats, leading to the construction of extensive fences that limit the spread of the virus. However, these barriers can disrupt wildlife movements, potentially resulting in habitat fragmentation and increased mortality rates. We deployed 120 camera traps at 10-meter intervals along a 1.2-kilometer section of the fence to monitor wildlife behavior from November 2021 to January 2022. The cameras captured 6,393 images of species, including the endangered long-tailed goral (Naemorhedus caudatus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), roe deer (Capreolus pygargus), and water deer (Hydropotes inermis). Behavioral patterns were categorized into three types—trace and average movements, moving back and forth, and bouncing. Our analysis revealed that N. caudatus frequently attempted to approach and retreat from the fence, suggesting an inclination to cross it. Conversely, C. pygargus and H. inermis exhibited patterns indicative of the cautious exploration and avoidance of open areas. These findings highlight the indirect effects of fences on habitat connectivity and wildlife behavior, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive understanding of these dynamics. Future research should incorporate GPS tracking to better assess the movement and behavioral patterns of Artiodactyla species in relation to fences. Ultimately, the management of ASF fences should be informed by ecological data to identify critical areas for potential fence openings, adjustments, or reinforcements, thereby enhancing wildlife conservation efforts while mitigating the spread of the disease.