Mapping the Species Richness of Woody Plants in Republic of Korea

As climate change continues to impact the planet, the importance of forests is becoming increasingly emphasized. The International Co-operative Program on the Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests) has been monitoring and assessing forests in 40 countries since 1985. In Republic of Korea, the first Forest Health Management (FHM) survey was a nationwide sample point assessment conducted between 2011 and 2015. However, there are limitations in representing the health of forests that occupy 63.7% of Korea’s land area due to the nature of sample point surveys, which survey a relatively small area. Accordingly, a species richness map was created to promote species diversity in forest health evaluations in Republic of Korea. The map was created using data from the first FHM survey, which examined 28 factors with 12 survey indicators in four categories: tree health, vegetation health, soil health, and atmospheric health. We conducted an ensemble modeling of species distribution for woody plant species that are major habitats in Republic of Korea. To select the species, we used the first FHM survey data and chose those with more than 100 sample points, resulting in a total of 11 species. We then created the species richness map of Republic of Korea by overlaying their distributions. To verify the accuracy of the derived map, an independent verification was conducted using statistical verification and external data from the National Natural Environment Survey. To support forest management that accounts for climate change adaptation, the derived species richness map was validated based on the vegetation climate distribution map of the Korean Peninsula, which was published by the Korea National Arboretum. The map confirmed that species richness is highest around the boundary of the deciduous forest in the central temperate zone and lowest around the evergreen and deciduous mixed forest in the southern temperate zone. By establishing this map, it was possible to confirm the spatial distribution of species by addressing the limitations of direct surveys, which are unable to represent all forests. However, it is important to note that not all factors of the first FHM survey were considered during the spatialization process, and the target area only includes Republic of Korea. Thus, further research is necessary to expand the target area and include additional items.