Analysis of deforestation patterns in the Baekdudaegan preservation area using land cover classification and change detection techniques; the feasibility of restoration

The Baekdudaegan Mountain Range is a backbone of the Korean Peninsula which has special spiritual and sentimental significance for Koreans and significant ecological value to diverse organisms. Despite the importance of this region, however, the natural environment of Baekdudaegan has been severely threatened by a variety of human activity and tremendous forest fires. To make management and restoration plans for the deforested areas, it is necessary to investigate quantitatively such natural and human-induced physical changes. This study has thus attempted to quantitatively analyze land-use purposes and deforestation patterns in the Baekdudaegan preservation area by taking advantage of on-screen land cover classification and normalized difference vegetation index image-differencing techniques. The study has also attempted to review the feasibility of forest restoration by analyzing the most representative deforestation patterns in the Baekdudaegan preservation area. The land-cover classification results indicated that forests in the Baekdudaegan preservation area occupy an area of 4,794 km², approximately 90% of the total area, and nonforest is approximately 523 km². Agricultural land is the largest portion of nonforest area and occupies an area of 428 km² (82% of the nonforest area); urbanized built-up land accounts for 10% of nonforest areas (50 km²). According to results from change-detection analysis between 1987 and 2000, deforestation occurred in an area of over 240 ha and the dominant causes of deforestation were revealed as expansion of barren land (43% of the deforested area), conversion for agricultural use (34%), expansion of pasture (10%), and urban sprawl (8%). The most devastating deforestation in the Baekdudaegan area was found in “agricultural field” where the altitude is more than 600 m with a gentle slope of 10–20°. To restore this highland agricultural field, which has expanded along the ridgeline back to healthy forest, it seems the slope faces can be restored without slope stabilization, because the soil is rich and the slope is less than 20°; a landscape ecological approach is, however, suggested to maintain the connectivity of fragmented forest patches.