Characteristics of Microclimate in Three Forest Stands Monitored by Meteorological Sensor Array

Abstract

In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of microclimate in three types of coniferous forest stand in mountainous areas of Korea, categorized as Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zucc. (PD), Pinus koraiensis Siebold & Zucc. (PK), and Larix kaempferi (Lamb.) Carrière (LK). Climate data were obtained using a HOBO data logger installed in each forest stand, and meteorological factors were compared between forest land and nonforest land (weather stations) from July 2015 to May 2017. The differences in daily mean temperature, daily mean maximum temperature, daily mean minimum temperature, and daily mean relative humidity between three study sites and weather stations were significant, except for the daily mean temperature difference at the PD site. The meteorological differences between forest areas and weather stations reflect different forest characteristics such as forest type and tree density. The results also indicate that, even if the same tree species is planted in a forest area, the effects of the microclimate can vary depending on the environmental characteristics of the forest stand such as elevation, slope, and latitude.

Analysis of Microclimate Characteristics of Small Mountain Forest in Korea Using Weather Sensor Array

“…(18) The temporal variation of forest temperature decreases with increasing altitude, and the microclimate distribution of the forest tends to display a temperature-RH difference gradient between daytime, early morning, and afternoon, depending on the spatial distribution of the forest characteristics. (19)(20)(21) Since the influence of the forest microclimate in mountain areas depends on the forest structure, type, and external environmental factors, (22) it is necessary to accumulate data from the field across an array of conditions. Therefore, our study was conducted to understand the effects of the topographical and structural characteristics of a forest on the localized microclimate by analyzing the meteorological changes according to the direction and distance from the forest edge.…”