Korean Wooden Architectural Heritages at An Increased Risk of Termite Damage due to Temperature Change

Abstract

Wooden architectural heritages in Korea have been severely damaged by termites, and this damage is expected to increase owing to climate change. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in termite damage risk due to climate change specifically in Korean wooden architectural heritages. A multiple regression equation was developed to estimate the daily average temperature from the location information (latitude, longitude, and elevation) for 40 years (1980-2019). The location information of 106 nationally designated wooden architectural heritages distributed across 84 cities was used to estimate the daily mean temperature of each cultural heritages. Referring to a previous study on the ecological characteristics of <i>R. speratus</i>, a dominant termite species in Korea, the temperature at which termite activity is possible was confirmed, and the amount of wood consumed in relation to the temperature change was estimated. Based on this, the number of days available for termite activity and the amount of termite wood intake in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s were estimated. Consequently, we found that the number of active days for termites increased from 243 to 249, 251, and 253 days in each decade. The wood consumption rate also increased by 9.9% over 40 years, from 6,657 to 6,777, 7,008, and 7,314 μg/ worker/year, respectively. This study was the first to estimate the activity period and wood intake of termites in Korea’s wooden architectural heritages, thereby providing valuable information for the preservation and management of these wooden heritages.