Analysis of the effect of climate change on site index of Korean white pine

Abstract

This study estimated a site index model for Pinus koraiensis (Korean White Pine) based on the weighted least squares (WLS) model and to examine the effects of climate change on it. The site index was chosen as the dependent variable and site, weather, and edaphic factors were chosen as independent variables. Simulations were performed under three A1B climate change scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, with the temperature ranging from −3.3 °C to +3.3 °C. The simulation results showed that the site index decreased, peaking at −1.3 °C. The decreased level of the site index by region was also analyzed. Scenario 1 and Scenario 2 showed the increases in the site index in 7.3% and 2.8% of the total area respectively. However, in Scenario 3, no additional increase in the site index was observed, and the degree of the decrease was also broader and more diverse than for the other two scenarios.