Ecological Characteristics of Evergreen Forest in Yesong-ri, Wando-gun (Natural Monument No. 40)

Abstract

Background and objective: Evergreen broad-leaved forests native to the islands of the southwest coast have been adaptedto a range of climatic or geographical environmental factors. Although they are of high importance as cultural and ecologicallandscape resources, they have been damaged by tourism and climate change, and thus measures to protect and managethem are required. This study was conducted to suggest the characteristics of the vegetation structure and managementplan of the evergreen forest in Yesong-ri, Natural Monument No. 40. Methods: Twenty-three quadrats were established in the vegetation communities where broad-leaved evergreens dominateor appear in the canopy, understory, and shrub layers, and the area where the vegetation was restored after the buildingswas demolished. Based on survey data on the vegetation, the characteristics were identified after classifying the communitiesusing TWINSPAN and DCA ordination techniques. Results: The plant communities were classified into a total of 5 dominant groups: Castanopsis sieboldii-Camellia japonica,C. sieboldii, Celtis sinensis, Neolitsea sericea, Camellia japonica, and Machilus thunbergii-Quercus glauca. The study sitewas a windbreak forest that has been protected and managed by the villagers for a long time. As time passes, broad-leavedevergreens including N. sericea, Q. acuta, and C. sieboldii have flowed into and spread to the surrounding area. It seemsthat a similar but unique ecosystem was formed. Looking into the relationship between environmental factors and vegetationdistribution, it was analyzed that the slope, clay, and Na+ had direct or indirect effects on the vegetation distribution. Conclusion: The width of the windbreak forest was narrow, and the continuity was interrupted by the indiscriminateactivities of tourists, installation of facilities, expansion and construction of warehouses and commercial facilities, and thedestruction of peripheral and understory vegetation was in progress. To maintain the integrity of the forest, it is necessaryto purchase and demolish buildings and facilities belonging to the interior after establishing boundaries and spheres ofinfluence, and to restore it to a good evergreen broad-leaved forest using a reference model for areas with damagedvegetation and manage it.