Determination of Decay Hazard Index (Scheffer Index) in Korea for Exterior Above-Ground Wood

This research was performed to evaluate the decay hazard for exterior above-ground wood in Korea. The Scheffer index (decay hazard index) was determined using the climate data of 72 different locations obtained from the website of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), and the wood decay hazard map was created. Jeju, Seogwipo, Gwangju, and Jeonju showing above 65 of Scheffer index values were considered to be high decay hazard zones. The rest showed the values in the range between 35 and 65, meaning the moderate decay hazard zones. However, the annual Scheffer indexes largely varied, which suggests that many moderate decay zones could turn into high decay regions with the climate change. Especially, considering that Korean weather tends to turn into the weather of subtropical region, the decay hazard of Korea seems to have high possibility to be gradually increased.