Post-Fire Restoration Plan for Sustainable Forest Management in South Korea

Abstract

Abstract:This review was to determine a standard post-fire restoration strategy for use in South Korea according to the magnitude of the damage and the condition of the affected site. The government has strongly enforced reforestation in deforested areas as well as fire prevention and suppression since the 1960s. These efforts have successfully recovered dense even-aged forests over the last five decades. However, high fuel loading and the homogeneous structure have made forests vulnerable to large fires. In recent years, large forest fires have occurred in the eastern coastal region of Korea. Forest fires can significantly influence the economic and social activities of the residents of such affected forest regions. Burned areas may require urgent and long-term restoration strategies, depending on the condition of the affected site. Erosion control is the most important component of an urgent restoration and should be completed before a rainy season to prevent secondary damage such as landslides and sediment runoff in burned areas. Long-term restoration is necessary to renew forest functions such as timber production, water conservation, ecosystem conservation, and recreation for residents. Sound restoration for burned areas is critical for restoring healthy ecological functions of forests and providing economic incentives to local residents.

Comparison of Satellite and Drone-Based Images at Two Spatial Scales to Evaluate Vegetation Regeneration after Post-Fire Treatments in a Mediterranean Forest

“…For instance, erosion in burned forest areas increases by even 30 times compared to the natural values recorder in unburned zones [8]. To reduce, under tolerable limits, soil erosion, urgent restoration actions are implemented immediately after the wildfire to prevent secondary post-fire damage, whereas long-term restoration can be used for regenerating plants and promoting the evolution of forest structure [9].…”

The competition and survival of stump sprouts of Quercus spp. in a regenerated stand during the 19 years after a forest fire in the Republic of Korea

“…The forest fire-damaged area was changed from pine forest to various postfire ecosystems that are naturally regenerated stands and plantations, and the soil chemical properties were altered (Certini 2005;Ryu et al, 2017).…”

“…The forest consisted of oak species in the overstory, and its natural regeneration is inhibited by the growth of various species such as Phyllostachys edulis, Liquidambar formosana, Prunus brachypoda, and Cyclocarya paliurus in the understory and by high rodent densities and high acorn removal rates beneath the oak canopies (Da et al, 2009;Ryu et al, 2017). Q. mongolica and Q. variabilis can be described as long-lived pioneer species because they often require large stand disturbances, such as forest fire, landslides and thinning, to regenerate successfully from seeds (Wang et al, 1996;Xu et al, 2015).…”

“…Stump sprouts are important in Quercus spp. reforestation in burned area; however, the sprouts have growth limitations (Xue et al, 2013;Ryu et al, 2017).…”

Utilizing a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) and Modified Analytical Hierarchical Analysis for Forest Road Network Planning in Afforested Lands

“…Reforestation activities of non-forest and deforested areas are also increasing daily [1]. Deforested areas destructed due to natural disasters such as fire and tornado, and anthropogenic disasters are reforested annually [2][3][4][5]. Moreover, afforestation increases the amount of forest covering the land of countries around the world.…”