The Ecological Characteristics of Classified Forest Cover Types in the Natural Forest of Sobaeksan

Abstract This study was conducted to evaluate the ecological characteristics of forest cover types which were classified by cluster analysis in the natural forest of Sobaeksan on the basis of the vegetation data from the point-quarter sampling method. Recognized forest cover types were 1) Mixed mesophytic forest, 2) Taxus cuspidata forest, 3) Fraxinus rhynchophylla-Quercus mongolica forest, 4) Betula ermanii forest, 5) Pinus densiflora forest, 6) Quercus mongolica mixed forest, and 7) Quercus mongolica pure forest. For those of classified types, the species composition was expressed by importance value (IV) to describe the community floristically. The species diversity was quantified using the Shannon's diversity index. The results showed that the forest cover types were characteristically different from one another in growing species and compositional rates, depending upon the type which was formed by a number of similar vegetational sample points. Species diversity indices (H') of total and overstory both were the highest in the mixed mesophytic forest (3.530 and 2.880, respectively), and lowest in the Q. mongolica pure forest (2.122 and 0.000, respectively) with only one canopy species. The highest species diversity in the mixed mesophytic forest may due to the relatively high species richness and evenness in the forest cover types. The description on ecological characteristics were suggested to understand the formation and development of forest cover types in this study area.Key Words: cluster analysis, forest cover type, importance value, species diversity, sobaeksan