Possibility of establishment of a tree nursery at Saemangeum Reclaimed Land and Classification of 36 Landscape Trees Based on Salt Tolerance

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to investigate the possibility of establishing a tree nursery at Saemangeum reclaimed land and to classify landscape trees based on the tolerance. A tree nursery (2.0 ha) was made in Gunsan Okgu area in 2012 with underground drain lines on the reclaimed land established in 2010. Salt content of the nursery soil within the 60 cm depth in 2013 was 5.13 dS/m and 8.20 dS/m for the pre-desalinated and non-desalinated lands, respectively. Thirty-six woody plant species (22 tree species and 14 shrub species at ages of 1 to 4) with a total of 3,943 individuals were planted in early April, 2013 and their growth performance was monitored until September of the same year. The average survival rate of the transplanted plants was 71.4% in late September, suggesting the high possibility of establishing a tree nursery at the reclaimed land. Based on the survival rate and tree vigor (amount of healthy leaves and crown development), the following 17 species with some tolerance were classified into three groups: salt tolerant group (3 species, Tamarix chinensis, Cudrania tricuspidata, Ilex serrata), recommended group (5 species, Pinus thunbergii, Albizia julibrissin, Ligustrum obtusifolium, Rosa rugosa, Pleioblatus pygmaeus), plantable group (9 species, Zelkova serrata, Hibiscus syriacus, Elaeagnus umbellata, Sorbus alnifolia, Sophora japonica, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Quercus acutissima, Ulmus parvifolia, Robinia pseudoacacia). Seven tree species that had been adapted to the reclaimed land for three to four years before being transplanted to new reclaimed land in Gunsan Okgu area showed average survival rate of 98%, suggesting that pre-conditioned trees would survive well in the reclaimed land.