Stands of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) rank among the most biologically diverse plant communities across the intermountain region of western North America. Marked declines of aspen have occurred in recent decades, likely due to a combination of effects from changes in fire regimes, herbivory, climate (e.g. drought), and interspecific competition with conifer species. However, it is poorly understood how the effects of these factors are manifested at a landscape scale over decadal time periods.

Throughout the history of the world, the best-orchestrated and publicly cohesive reforestation event occurred in South Korea. One of the best-known causes for such a success was the leadership of the government at that time, in particular the president Park Chung Hee. However, from forestry point of view, it evolved from Songgye, a traditional method of forest management evolved in late Choson Dynasty of Korea in reaction to rapid privatization of national forests by the elite class and government officials.

When trees are planted onto former pastures, soil carbon stocks typically either remain constant or decrease, with decreases more common in regions with higher rainfall. We conducted a modelling analysis to assess whether those changes in soil carbon, especially the interaction with rainfall, could be understood through consideration of nitrogen balances. The study was based on simulations with the whole-system ecophysiological model CenW which allowed explicit modelling of both carbon and nitrogen pools and their fluxes through plants and soil organic matter.