Exploring Research Directions for Coastal Disaster Prevention Forests in Korea through an Analysis of the Journal of the Japanese Society of Coastal Forest

This study identified the major topics and trends in coastal disaster prevention forest research through network analysis and text mining-computational content analysis, focusing on papers published in the Journal of the Japanese Society of Coastal Forest. The analysis revealed seven main research themes: (1) reduction of vegetation density and diversity, (2) vegetation restoration and studies related to volcanic activity and dune topography, (3) landslide, slope failure, and debris flow damage and recovery measures, (4) responses to typhoons and strong winds and habitat conservation, (5) tsunami damage and recovery, (6) structural characteristics such as slope, stem, and leaf area, and (7) the value and significance of coastal disaster prevention forests. Research trends were divided into four periods: the introduction period (2001-2005), which featured active research on vegetation management; the expansion period (2006-2013), characterized by studies on sand dunes and restoration; the stability period (2014-2018), focusing on tsunamis, tree growth, and structural characteristics; and the stagnation period (2019-2024), when attention shifted to typhoon damage and windbreak effects. However, keywords related to climate change, abnormal weather, and extreme rainfall have rarely appeared in recent years, suggesting that research on coastal disaster prevention forests has entered a phase of stagnation and decline. These findings highlight the need for future research on Korea’s coastal disaster prevention forests that integrates social and environmental functions such as climate change adaptation, mitigation and local community revitalization.