Dong W. Ko
Postdoctoral Research Fellow 1664 N. Virginia St. Mail Stop #186
Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Science University of Nevada – Reno
Reno, NV 89523, USA
RESEARCH INTEREST
Landscape Ecology
Ecological Modeling
Nature-Human interaction
Forest Disturbance History
Vegetation Dynamics
Dendroecology
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Department of Forestry, the University of Missouri-Columbia. Supervisor Dr. Hong S. He. December 2005.
Dissertation: Evaluation of the private forestland ownership parcelization and its effects on the forest landscape in the southeastern Missouri Ozarks
Master of Science. Department of Geography, the Pennsylvania State University.
Supervisor Dr. Alan H. Taylor. August 2001.
Thesis: Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) stand dynamics and regenerational status in the Lake Tahoe Basin, California
Master of Urban Planning. Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University. Supervisor Dr. Dowon Lee. February 1999.
Thesis: Disturbance regime of a temperate hardwood forest as deduced from treering patterns: Mt. Jumbong forest in Korea
Bachelor of Art. Department of Anthropology, Seoul National University, Korea.
Supervisor Dr. Kyoungsoo Chun. February 1996.
Thesis: ‘Hwabyoung (anger syndrome)’ as a cultural syndrome in Korea.
Curriculum vitae: Dongwook Ko Page 2
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES
Research Experiences
Post-doctoral research fellow, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, the University of Nevada – Reno. 2006 – present.
Simulation modeling of pinyon juniper expansion in the Great Basin of central Nevada – the legacy of human and natural disturbance in an arid landscape
Pinyon and juniper expansion is recognized as a serious problem, both ecologically and economically throughout the western U.S. However, the causes and dynamics of this phenomenon is not well understood due to the variosu compounding factors. My current research proejct is to use a simulation modeling approach to evaluate different factors that may contribute to the expanding pinyon-juniper distribution. I am especially interested in fire disturbance as well as the historical factors – mining and charcoal industry of the 19th century, and cattle grazing that started in the late 19th century. My goal is to be able to tell a story of the pinyon-juniper woodland landscape as a result of natural, historical and cultural processes operating and interacting at various scales.
Research Assistant, Dissertation Research, Department of Forestry, the University of Missouri. ‘Sustaining Natural Resources on Private Lands in the Central Hardwood Region’ project under USDA IFAFS grant. 2001 – 2005.
Landscape simulation and analysis on the effects of landownership fragmentation to forest structure and composition.
I researched the influences of private forestland ownership parcelization on forest tree species composition and spatial pattern in the central hardwood region of the Missouri Ozarks. My research focuses on three major issues: 1) spatial modeling of private forestland ownership parcelization dynamics in the Missouri Ozarks; 2) change in spatial implementations of forest
management scenarios resulting from private forestland parcelization; 3) patterns of future tree species composition and structure under different degrees of forestland parcelization and fire regimes.
I have developed a forestland ownership pattern simulation model, which provides spatial implementation of various management scenarios under different private ownership parcelization conditions. These are then used for extensive forest landscape simulations by using LANDIS.
Thesis Research, Department of Geography, the Pennsylvania State University, 1999 – 2001.
Dendroecological analysis of the dynamics of quaking aspen stands in the Lake Tahoe Basin, California and Nevada.
I researched the regenerational status of twenty aspen stands in the Lake
Curriculum vitae: Dongwook Ko Page 3
Tahoe Basin. Despite previous studies proposing the overall decline of quaking aspen stands in the western United States, I found out that they showed a great diversity of regenerational conditions. My research included extensive dendroecological fieldwork and analysis. I was also responsible for supervising intern crews in the field and laboratory.
Thesis Research, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University, 1997 – 1999.
Dendroecological analysis of vegetation disturbance history in an old- growth temperate hardwood forest in Mt. Jumbong, Korea.
I conducted dendroecological research on the disturbance history in one of the most highly recognized old-growth temperate hardwood forests in Korea.
I arranged and supervised extensive fieldwork for tree vegetation and dendrochronological sampling, and conducted interviews with residents in the area. Although the forest was known as one of the most well-protected old-growth forest, dendroecological evidences indicated an impressive history of disturbances, with implications relating to the history of residents’
slash-and-burn activity during the Japanese colonization.
Project Assistant in Korean Forestry Research Institute. 1999. DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) biodiversity monitoring project.
Program coordination and assistance.
I assisted with field work arrangement and provided technical support. The project was focused on monitoring and inventorying the ecosystem of DMZ in Korea. The research area had a unique ecological implication since public access is strictly prohibited while military operations can impose intensive disturbances.
Research Assistant in Ecological Restoration of Urban Riparian Zone project.
1997 – 1998. Environmental Research Institute. Graduate School of Environmental Studies. Seoul National University.
I assisted in a research to evaluate the effects of urban riparian restoration management (Yangjae stream, Seoul, Korea) on soil nutrient and carbon cycling dynamics. The assistantship involved soil sampling field work, laboratory and statistical analysis, and publication of research reports.
Research Assistant in nitrogen removal of Phragmites japonica in a riverine wetland project. 1997. Graduate School of Environmental Studies. Seoul National University.
I worked as an assistant in a research evaluating the nitrogen removal effectiveness of a riparian wetland plant species in Sagimak stream,
Kyounggi, Korea. Work included fieldwork of soil and vegetation sampling and laboratory analysis.
Curriculum vitae: Dongwook Ko Page 4
Teaching Experiences
Co-instructor. Conservation, Humans and Biodiversity. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science. University of Nevada-Reno. Fall 2006.
Guest Lecturer. Landscape Ecology and GIS analysis. Department of Forestry, the University of Missouri. Columbia, MO, USA. September 13 and 15, 2005.
September 9 and 11, 2003.
Guest Lecturer. Forest and Culture. Department of Forestry, Seoul National University. Seoul, Korea. May 14, 2005.
Teaching Assistant. Introduction to Physical Geography. Department of Geography, the Pennsylvania State University. 2000–2001.
Teaching Assistant. Graduate School of Environmental Studies. Seoul National University. 1997.
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Dissertation
Evaluation of the private forestland ownership parcelization and its effects on the forest landscape in the southeastern Missouri Ozarks. Ph.D. Dissertation in Forestry.
The University of Missouri-Columbia. December 2005.
Theses
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) stand dynamics and regenerational status in the Lake Tahoe Basin, California. M.S. Thesis in Geography. The Pennsylvania State University. August 2001.
Disturbance Regime of a Temperate Hardwood forest as deduced from Treering Patterns: Mt. Jumbong Forest in Korea. M.S. Thesis in Urban Planning. Seoul National University. February 1999.
Publications
Ko, Dong Wook, He, H. S. and Larsen, D. R. 2006. Simulating forest land ownership fragmentation in the Missouri Ozarks, USA. Landscape Ecology 21:
671-686.
Kang, S., H. Kang, D. Ko, D. Lee. 2002. Nitrogen removal from a riverine wetland:
a field survey and simulation study on Phragmites japonica. Ecological Engineering 18: 467–475.
Translation
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McCully, P. 1998. Silenced River: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams. 2nd edition. Zed Books Ltd, London (translated by Yoo, K., Ko, Dongwook and others).
Oral and Poster Presentations
Weisberg, P., J.M. Bauer, Dongwook Ko, E. Lingua. Increased Conifer Dominance in the Nevada Great Basin, USA: Landscape Change in the Context of Fire, Grazing and Human Influences. Natural Hazards and Natural Disturbances in Mountain Forests – Challenges and Opportunities for Silviculture. Sardagna-Trento, Italy.
September 18-21, 2007.
Ko, Dongwook, P. Weisberg and A. Sparrow. Landscape simulation modeling of anthropogenic impacts on pinyon-juniper woodland distribution during early
settlement: Nevada Great Basin. Oral presentation at the 22nd Annual Symposium of US–IALE. Tucson, AZ. April 9-13, 2007.
Weisberg, P., Dongwook Ko, C. Py, J.M. Bauer, and A. Sparrow. Fire and landform influences on the distribution of old-growth pinyon-juniper woodland. 3rd
Internatioanl Fire Ecology and Management Congress. San Diego, CA. November 14, 2006.
Ko, Dong Wook, Hong S. He. Evaluating the effects of forest ownership and management fragmentation on the Missouri central hardwood region. Oral
presentation at the 20th Annual Symposium of US–IALE (International Association for Landscape Ecology–US Chapter). Syracuse, New York, USA. March 12–16, 2005.
Ko, Dong Wook, Hong S. He. The Effect of Forest Landownership and
Management Fragmentation on Forest Landscape of the Missouri Ozarks Central Hardwood Region. Poster presented at the 19th Annual Symposium of US–IALE (International Association for Landscape Ecology–US Chapter). Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. March 30–April 2, 2004.
Ko, Dong Wook, Hong S. He, and David R. Larsen. Evaluation of a landscape generation model for landownership fragmentation representation. Oral presentation at the 18th Annual Symposium of US–IALE (International Association for
Landscape Ecology–US Chapter). Banff, Alberta, Canada. April 2–6, 2003.
Ko, Dong Wook and Hong S. He. A modeling approach on forest landscape response to landownership fragmentation in the Ozark Central Hardwood Region.
Poster presented at the 2003 MNRC (Missouri Natural Resources Conference). Tan- Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach, Missouri, USA. January 29–31, 2003.
Ko, Dong Wook and A. H. Taylor. Regeneration characteristics of quaking aspen in Lake Tahoe Basin, Sierra Nevada. Oral presentation at the 86th annual meeting of ESA (Ecological Society of America). Madison, Wisconsin, USA. August 5–10, 2001.
Curriculum vitae: Dongwook Ko Page 6
Ko, Dong Wook and A. H. Taylor. The Regeneration Status of Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) in Lake Tahoe Basin, California. Poster presented at the 97th Annual meeting of the AAG (Association of American Geographers). New York City, New York, USA. February 27–March 3, 2001.
Ko, Dong Wook, D. Cho, W. Park and D. Lee. Disturbance Regime of a Temperate Hardwood forest from Treering Patterns: Mt. Jumbong in Korea. Oral presentation at the 84th annual meeting of ESA (Ecological Society of America). Spokane, Washington, USA. August 8–12, 1999.
Book Review
Ko, Dong Wook. 2006. Book review: Computer-based environmental management (Seppelt R. 2003). Landscape Ecology 21:627-628.
Publications in preparation
Ko, Dong Wook., He, H. S. and Larsen, D. R. Estimating landownership parcelization using a transition matrix model.
Ko, Dong Wook. and He, H. S. Evaluation of the effects of ownership and management parcelization in the Missouri central hardwood region, USA.
Ko, Dongwook, Bristow, N., Greenwood, D., and P. Weisberg. Comparison and scaling up of field- and air-photo-based canopy cover estimation methods for semi- arid woodlands.
Article
Ko, Dongwook. A Trip to Tibet – Getting closer to the firmament. Reader’s Review (Korean). Seoul, Korea. September 1997.
AWARDS AND INVITATIONS
NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award. The 16th Annual Symposium of the International Association of Landscape Ecology – US Chapter. Banff, Alberta, Canada. 2003.
Merit-based scholarship from Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University. May and September 1998.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Ecological models: SELES, TELSA, LANDIS, SIMILE, STELLA
GIS/Remote Sensing: ArcINFO, ArcGIS (w/ various extensions), ArcVIEW, ENVI
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Tools for statistical analysis and spatial statistics: R and S-Plus, SPSS, SAS, MATLAB, PC-ORD, SigmaPlot
Database: Microsoft Access
Programming languages: C, HTML, AML, CGI
Landscape analysis tools: FRAGSTATS, APACK, RULE, SIMMAP
Dendrochronological skills: field work, laboratory work, crossdating and other statistical analyses of treering measurements (COFECHA, DPL)
Vegetation sampling fieldwork and analysis
Computer operating systems: facility of use and administration of Linux, Microsoft Windows XP and 2000
