This study was aimed at presenting planting management to improve vegetation landscape of Subong neighborhood park located in Nam-gu, Incheon. In the object site under pressure for development for a long time, all natural vegetation was destroyed and ...
This study was aimed at presenting planting management to improve vegetation landscape of Subong neighborhood park located in Nam-gu, Incheon. In the object site under pressure for development for a long time, all natural vegetation was destroyed and replaced with artificial vegetation. Roads were opened up to the top of the park and residential complex was located in the foot and lower part of the park. This study investigated the history of previous vegetation landscape management, the current vegetation, the present distribution status of spring flowering trees, autumn maples, coniferous forest, and large-pole trees in the Subong neighborhood park.
The current vegetation of the Subong neighborhood park divided into a total of 47 types was occupied by Pinus koraiensis forest(46,067㎡), Robinia pseudoacacia forest(25,572㎡), Pinus thunbergii forest(20,594㎡), Zelkova serrata forest(19,900㎡), Prunus yedoensis forest(19,278㎡), Cedrus deodara forest(15,819㎡), and Acer palmatum forest(11,268㎡). The spring flowing trees were distributed in the area of 23,787㎡(7.31%) at the Subong neighborhood park and especially, Prunus yedoensis was the dominant planting species, accounting for the 19,278㎡-large area(5.92%). The autumn maples most widely distributed in the area of 57,733㎡(17.74%) included Zelkova serrata, Prunus yedoensis, and Acer palmatum in the areas of 19,900㎡ (6.11%), 19,278㎡(5.92%) and 11,268㎡(3.46%) respectively. In terms of planting ratio, coniferous forest ranked top with the distribution area of 95,462㎡(29.33%), followed by Pinus koraiensis with 46,067㎡(14.15%), Pinus thunbergii with 20,594㎡(6.33%), and Cedrus deodara with 15,819㎡(4.86%). Out of the total of 588 trees with 30cm and over-wide diameter at breast height(DBH), Prunus yedoensis took the majority part with 269 trees (45.6%) and Zelkova serrata and Gingko biloba did the remaining ones with 51 trees each.
Regarding viewpoints based on which the vegetation landscape is evaluated, criteria for selection of the viewpoints were established, considering characteristics and vegetation structure of the Subong neighborhood park. The criteria included main route, distribution of large poles, seasonal landscape resources of flowers and fall foliage, turning point of vegetation landscape with repetitive or typical vegetation landscape being excluded. Through analysis on characteristics and significance of walking tracks in the Subong neighborhood park, the tracks were categorized into three concepts of diagnoal-axis ridge-path (Neungseon-gil), circulating perimeter path (Dulle-gil), and path passing through the top (Gwantong-gil). A total of 24 viewpoints were selected with 8 ones in the 1st course of Neungseon-gil, 12 ones in the 2nd course of Dulle-gil, and 4 ones in the 3rd course of Gwantong-gil.
In order to evaluate vegetation landscape of the park, ratio of flower sight, ratio of autumn colors sight, ratio of green sight at the viewpoints were quantified as well as distribution state of vegetation landscape resources. After vegetation landscape evaluation, high-quality vegetation landscape was offered, among viewpoint-specific vegetation landscapes. And based on improvement of seasonal landscape and poor landscape, resources of the high-quality vegetation landscape were analyzed and measures to improve the vegetation landscape were contemplated.
The viewpoints of the excellent vegetation landscape requiring consistent maintenance were observed at five locations of 1-7, 1-8, 2-1, 2-2, and 2-7. The seasonal landscape of flowers and autumn colors of Prunus yedoensis and the seasonal landscape of autumn colors of Zelkova serrata and Acer palmatum belonged to the locations. The excellent vegetation landscape included a variety of vegetation resources such as the spring flower landscape resources, the autumn foliage landscape resources and large poles. The flowering tree layer as a part of the spring flower landscape resources was dominated by Prunus yedoensis and the flowering shrubs planted in the lower layer included Forsythia koreana Nakai, Syringa dilatata Nakai, Ilex serrata Thunb, and Kerra japonica De Ccandolle. In comparison to the spring flower landscape resources, the autumn colors resources had more various species of trees such as Gingko biloba, Prunus yedoensis, Zelkova serrata, and Acer palmatum. The large-pole landscape resources included Prunus yedoensis, Zelkova serrata, Acer palmatum, and Robinia pseudoacacia with 30∼90cm wide DBH and the species of large-pole trees were those planted at the initial development stage of the Subong neighborhood park.
The average ratio of spring flower sight in the overall viewpoints stood at 20.5%, which was composed of 18.4% ratio of flower sight in canopy trees and 2.1% ratio of flower sight in flowering shrubs. As for the high-quality vegetation landscape showing higher average ratio than that of the overall viewpoints, the average ratio of spring flower sight was 43.3%, out of which the ratios of flower sight by canopy trees and flowering shrubs accounted for 38.6% and 4.7% respectively. The average ratio of autumn colors sight in the good vegetation landscape was 59.1%, higher than that of the overall viewpoints (43.2%). The average ratio of green sight in the excellent vegetation landscape was at 74.4%, higher than that of the overall viewpoints (68.3%).
Although having the outstanding vegetation landscape resources, the type of seasonal landscape improvement had low ratio of green sight due to mixed coniferous forest and high exposure of facility, consequently needing improvement. When taking a closer look at more detailed types, the viewpoints, which showed beautiful flowers or autumn colors but mixed coniferous trees, thus decreasing the quality of landscape, were found at the locations of 1-6, 2-4, 2-11, 2-12, and 3-2. In addition, the viewpoints ,which had beautiful flower or autumn colors but relatively low ratio of green sight due to highly exposed facility, were observed at four locations of 1-1, 2-3, 2-6, and 3-1. These kinds of types required improvement of vegetation landscape through renewal of different species of trees like conifers and understory planting of flowering shrubs. When it comes to renewal of species of trees, this study offered a way of using scenic resources connected to surrounding vegetation landscape or scenic resources resulted from the good vegetation landscape. Also, regarding the type of vegetation landscape having beautiful flowers(autumn colors) but low ratio of green sight owing to high exposure of facilities, a way of improving the green sight ratio was suggested, including screen planting for facility or supplementary planting of flowering trees, maples, and shrubs.
Lastly, as for the vegetation landscape area which had no good seasonal landscape but mixed poorly growing coniferous and deciduous broad-leaved forests, it was required to improve the poor landscape based on renewal of species of trees. The viewpoints needing to improve low-quality landscape through renewal of species of trees such as the poorly growing coniferous forest were observed at five locations of 1-4, 1-5, 2-8, 2-10, and 3-4. And the viewpoints which had the vegetation landscape of deciduous broad-leaved forest and required improvement of poor landscape by renewing species of trees based on connection with the neighboring vegetation landscape were found at five locations of 1-2, 1-3, 2-5, 2-9, and 3-3. As the poorly landscaped area did not have good seasonal scenic resources, renewal of species of poorly growing conifer trees was offered as an improvement measure. A way of utilizing scenic resources linked to the surrounding vegetation landscape or scenic resources originated from the high-quality vegetation landscape was presented for the renewal of species of trees.
This study was designed to propose the standard for improving low-quality landscape and seasonal landscape in the Subong neighborhood park by identifying high-quality vegetation landscape in the park and analyzing the vegetation landscape resources. Although not having various vegetation landscape resources, the Subong neighborhood park was regarded as an urban area mountainous park where specific vegetation landscape resources were distributed. Therefore, it was concluded an improvement measure for vegetation landscape could be presented with being linked to development of visitor program.