Concurrent Strong Winds and Heavy Precipitation Contributed to the Early 2010s Mortality Pulse of Korean Fir (Abies koreana)

Abstract Although climate-induced physiological stress is often considered the primary driver of high-elevation conifer forest decline, mortality pulses implicate episodic physical disturbances. We investigated the early 2010s mortality pulse of Korean fir ( Abies koreana ) using 16 years of tagged-stem monitoring data (2005–2021) on Jirisan Mountain, alongside meteorological records. Typhoons in 2011–2012 produced winds exceeding 30 ms −1 with rainfall above 200 mm day −1 , the most extreme compound wind-rain events in the twenty-year record. Korean fir density decreased by 30%, from 452 stems ha −1 before these typhoons to 317 stems ha -1 in 2021. Annual mortality rose from 0.72% before August 2011 to 3.31% during intervals including these typhoons ( p < 0.0001). Typhoon exposure increased mortality in every DBH class except 20–30 cm, with a significant effect for stems with DBH below 10 cm, consistent with wind loading on canopy trees plus collateral damage. Mortality increased more steeply where rooting depth was shallower, but only during intervals containing the typhoons ( p = 0.013). No drought or thermal anomaly accompanied the pulse, and mortality remained elevated after 2012, consistent with delayed loss among damaged stems. Typhoons combining strong winds and heavy precipitation contributed to this mortality pulse in shallow-rooted high-elevation conifers. Conservation efforts must address windstorm risk alongside long-term climate stressors.