A Modeling Approach for Quantifying Human-Beneficial Terpene Emission in the Forest: A Pilot Study Applying to a Recreational Forest in South Korea

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 6;19(14):8278. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19148278.

Abstract

(1) Background: Recent economic developments in South Korea have shifted people's interest in forests from provisioning to cultural services such as forest healing. Although policymakers have attempted to designate more forests for healing purposes, there are few established standards for carrying out such designations based on the quantified estimation. (2) Methods: We suggest a modeling approach to estimate and analyze the emission rate of human-beneficial terpenes. For this purpose, we adopted and modified the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN), a commonly used biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) estimation model which was suitable for estimating the study site's terpene emissions. We estimated the terpene emission rate for the whole year and analyzed the diurnal and seasonal patterns. (3) Results: The results from our model correspond well with other studies upon comparing temporal patterns and ranges of values. According to our study, the emission rate of terpenes varies significantly temporally and spatially. The model effectively predicted spatiotemporal patterns of terpene emission in the study site. (4) Conclusions: The modeling approach in our study is suitable for quantifying human-beneficial terpene emission and helping policymakers and forest managers plan the efficient therapeutic use of forests.

Keywords: Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols; biogenic volatile organic compounds; forest healing; terpenes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aerosols
  • Forests
  • Humans
  • Pilot Projects
  • Terpenes*
  • Volatile Organic Compounds*

Substances

  • Aerosols
  • Terpenes
  • Volatile Organic Compounds

Grants and funding

This study was carried out with the support of ‘R&D Program for Development of new industrialization technology for forestry industry based on convergence’ (Project No. 2016011A00-1919-AB01) and ‘R&D Program for Forest Science Technology (Project No. 2019150B10-2123-0301)’ provided by Korea Forest Service (Korea Forestry Promotion Institute).