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Forests
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Material Cycle of Forest Ecosystems
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Material Cycle of Forest Ecosystems

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2023) | Viewed by 8532

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Hyun-Jun Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forest Resources, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea
Interests: material cycle; nutrition; forest management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In an ecosystem, there are microorganisms such as fungi, mushrooms, and bacteria that live by using the energy contained in the carcasses of plants or animals or their waste. They are called ‘decomposers’. The decomposition products of organic substances produced by decomposers include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, and calcium, which are essential for constructing the body of green plants that are producers, or for life activities. They contain various inorganic substances such as Ca and Fe. As inorganic substances move through the food chain, they are finally absorbed and used by plants through the action of decomposers, thereby circulating between living and non-living things. The material cycle process causes effects of self-fertilization in forests and is present in various environments. However, we are facing novel conditions at the local or regional scales, which are likely to be translated into new qualities of forest ecosystems. The driving mechanisms that are already occurring and expected to control future forests need to be better understood. We encourage studies from all fields including experimental studies, monitoring approaches, and models to contribute to this Special Issue in order to promote knowledge and adaptation strategies for the preservation, management, and future development of forest ecosystems.

Prof. Dr. Hyun-Jun Kim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • material cycle
  • disturbances
  • carbon sequestration
  • nitrogen and phosphorous nutrition
  • ecosystem services
  • silviculture
  • decomposition
  • forest management

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1489 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Stand Density Control on Carbon Cycle in Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold and Zucc.) Endl. Forests
by Jeong-Gwan Lee, Du-Hee Lee, Jun-Young Jung, Sle-Gee Lee, Seung Hyun Han, Seongjun Kim and Hyun-Jun Kim
Forests 2023, 14(2), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020217 - 23 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1673
Abstract
This study was conducted to quantify the carbon storage in each pool (including trees, forest floor, and soil) and to analyze the carbon cycle in a Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold and Zucc.) Endl. forest according to different thinning intensities. The study site was located [...] Read more.
This study was conducted to quantify the carbon storage in each pool (including trees, forest floor, and soil) and to analyze the carbon cycle in a Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold and Zucc.) Endl. forest according to different thinning intensities. The study site was located in Gochang-gun, Jeollabuk-do, and the treatments consisted of a control (Con), a light thinning (LT), and a heavy thinning (HT), based on 3000 trees originally planted per hectare. As stand density decreased, total C storage decreased, and the annual C storage of trees and C released through soil respiration significantly increased. Net ecosystem production (NEP; Mg·C·ha−1·year−1), as the difference between net primary production and microbial respiration, was 1.95, 2.49, and 2.11 in the Con, LT, and HT treatments, respectively; i.e., the LT stimulated greater NEP than the Con and HT treatments. While these results show that thinning decreases total C storage of forests, proper thinning enhances carbon uptake capacity. In addition, this study can be a basic reference for the effects of thinning on forest carbon cycles. Repeated measurements of each C pool should be performed over multiple years to see the exact movement patterns of forest carbon in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Material Cycle of Forest Ecosystems)
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14 pages, 7579 KiB  
Article
Can Forest Restoration Enhance the Water Supply to Respond to Climate Change?—The Case of North Korea
by Hyun-Chul Yeo and Chul-Hee Lim
Forests 2022, 13(10), 1533; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101533 - 20 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1779
Abstract
North Korea is a representative country that should restore its forest ecosystem, which is vital for responding to climate change. In this study, we assessed the extent to which afforestation can reduce the climate change impact on water resources by adding an afforestation [...] Read more.
North Korea is a representative country that should restore its forest ecosystem, which is vital for responding to climate change. In this study, we assessed the extent to which afforestation can reduce the climate change impact on water resources by adding an afforestation scenario to the variables used to estimate the forest water yield. We applied the InVEST seasonal water yield model and constructed a data ensemble of the SSP5–8.5 scenario for this simulation. In the projection of future forest water supply according to the SSP5–8.5 scenario, baseflow and local recharge decreased by approximately 25%, and quickflow increased by approximately 47%, compared to the baseline period. Under the three reforestation scenarios, the future water supply from the forests showed significant positive changes. The baseflow increased by approximately 4%, 15%, and 28% in the reforestation scenario of Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3, respectively. In a Level 3 scenario, most of the baseflow and local recharge, which had decreased owing to the impact of climate change, was recovered. The baseflow in Level 3 was 26,882 million m3 y−1, which was approximately 98% of that in the baseline period. The Taedong River and Chongchon River, which are the major granary areas in North Korea, were directly affected by the climate change. However, it was confirmed that the water supply in these areas can be increased through forest restoration. These results indicate the deterministic role of forest restoration in increasing the water supply. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Material Cycle of Forest Ecosystems)
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15 pages, 15356 KiB  
Article
Future Projection of CO2 Absorption and N2O Emissions of the South Korean Forests under Climate Change Scenarios: Toward Net-Zero CO2 Emissions by 2050 and Beyond
by Hyung-Sub Kim, Florent Noulèkoun, Nam-Jin Noh and Yo-Whan Son
Forests 2022, 13(7), 1076; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13071076 - 8 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1705
Abstract
Forests mitigate climate change by absorbing CO2. However, N2O emissions in forests, which has 298 times larger global warming potential than CO2, can diminish the climate mitigation role of forests. Thus, it is crucial to project not [...] Read more.
Forests mitigate climate change by absorbing CO2. However, N2O emissions in forests, which has 298 times larger global warming potential than CO2, can diminish the climate mitigation role of forests. Thus, it is crucial to project not only CO2 absorption but also N2O emissions in forests to provide a scientific basis for the 1.5 °C Paris Agreement goal. This study used a biogeochemical model, called FBD-CAN, to project CO2 absorption and N2O emissions of South Korean forests from 2021 to 2080 under three climate scenarios, including the current climate, Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5, and RCP 8.5. From 2021 to 2080, CO2 absorption decreased from 5.0 to 1.4 Mg CO2 ha—1 year—1 under the current climate with the aging of forests, while N2O emissions increased from 0.25 to 0.33 Mg CO2 eq. ha—1 year—1. Climate change accelerated the decreasing trend in CO2 absorption and the increasing trend in N2O emissions. The subalpine region had a faster decreasing trend in CO2 absorption than the central and southern regions due to its older stand age. These findings provide scientific references for future greenhouse gas reduction plans and broaden our knowledge of the impacts of climate change on the climate mitigation role of forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Material Cycle of Forest Ecosystems)
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13 pages, 3151 KiB  
Article
Understanding the Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics of North Korea and Their Impact on the Thermal Environment
by Chul-Hee Lim and Hyun-Chul Yeo
Forests 2022, 13(7), 1053; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13071053 - 4 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2433
Abstract
In response to widespread deforestation, North Korea has restored forests through national policy over the past 10 years. Here, the entire process of forest degradation and restoration was evaluated through satellite-based vegetation monitoring, and its effects were also investigated. The vegetation dynamics of [...] Read more.
In response to widespread deforestation, North Korea has restored forests through national policy over the past 10 years. Here, the entire process of forest degradation and restoration was evaluated through satellite-based vegetation monitoring, and its effects were also investigated. The vegetation dynamics of North Korea were characterized from 1986 to 2021 using the Landsat satellite 5–7, after which we evaluated the effect of vegetation shifts through changes in surface temperature since the 2000s. Vegetation greenness decreased significantly from the 1980s to the 2000s but increased in recent decades due to forest restoration. During the deforestation period, vegetation in all areas of North Korea tended to decrease, which was particularly noticeable in the provinces of Pyongannam-do and Hamgyongnam-do. During the forest restoration period, increases in vegetation greenness were evident in most regions except for some high-mountainous and developing regions, and the most prominent increase was seen in Pyongyang and Pyongannam-do. According to satellite-based analyses, the land surface temperature exhibited a clear upward trend (average slope = 0.13). However, large regional differences were identified when the analysis was shortened to encompass only the last 10 years. Particularly, the correlation between the area where vegetation improved and the area where the surface temperature decreased was high (−0.32). Moreover, the observed atmospheric temperature increased due to global warming, but only the surface temperature exhibited a decreasing trend, which could be understood by the effect of vegetation restoration. Our results suggest that forest restoration can affect various sectors beyond the thermal environment due to its role as an enhancer of ecosystem services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Material Cycle of Forest Ecosystems)
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