Evaluation of the 20-Year Restoration Process in an Air-Pollution-Damaged Forest near the Ulsan Industrial Complex, Korea

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of restoration practices in a forest ecosystem near the Ulsan Industrial Complex in southeastern Korea. The calcium and magnesium contents in the soil, as well as the soil pH, increased after the application of a soil ameliorator but decreased again afte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forests 2023-08, Vol.14 (8), p.1565
Main Authors: Kim, Dong-Uk, Lim, Bong-Soon, Seok, Ji-Eun, Kim, Gyung-Soon, Moon, Jeong-Sook, Lim, Chi-Hong, Lee, Chang-Seok
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acidic soils
Acidification
Air pollution
Aluminum
Biodiversity
Carbon
Ecosystems
Environmental aspects
Environmental restoration
Evaluation
Forecasts and trends
Forest ecosystems
Forests
Frequency distribution
Grasslands
Industrial parks
Industrial pollution
Introduced plants
Introduced species
Magnesium
Neutralization
Plant species
Reforestation
Restoration
restoration effect
Soil acidification
soil ameliorator
Soil chemistry
Soil pH
Soil pollution
Soils
Species composition
Species diversity
Terrestrial ecosystems
tolerant species
Vegetation
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Summary:A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of restoration practices in a forest ecosystem near the Ulsan Industrial Complex in southeastern Korea. The calcium and magnesium contents in the soil, as well as the soil pH, increased after the application of a soil ameliorator but decreased again after 20 years. Meanwhile, the aluminum content presented the opposite trend. After restoration, the species composition and diversity of vegetation tended to differ from that of the non-restored site over time while continuously becoming more similar to that of the reference site. The ratio of exotic plant species was lower than that at the non-restored site but higher than that at the reference site. The frequency distribution for the diameter class of oaks established through restoration presented a reverse J-shaped pattern, and thus, they can be maintained continuously; similar results were obtained for the reference site. In sum, the forest ecosystem near the industrial park—which had been severely degraded due to air pollution and soil acidification—was restored to a forest close to natural conditions through restorative treatments, including the neutralization of acidic soil and the introduction of tolerant species.
ISSN:1999-4907
1999-4907
DOI:10.3390/f14081565