Characteristics and distribution of terpenes in South Korean forests

The importance of forests continues to increase throughout the world, and one of the reasons is that a forest is a major place to emit terpenes, which have been reported to be beneficial to human health. In South Korea, forests occupy about 64% of the total land area and consist mainly of pine and oak trees. Since only a limited number of forests have been analyzed to date, a comprehensive understanding of terpenes emitted from regional forests remains in its infancy in Korea. Here, to gain insights into terpenes from regional forests located in South Korea, we review the characteristics of Korean forests and recent studies on major terpenes emitted from regional forests as well as from native trees dominant in South Korea. We also discuss meteorological factors that affect the terpene emissions in Korean forests. In conclusion, 18 types of terpenes were detected in Korean forests and their compositions in different forests are largely dependent on the dominant plant species in the forest. Moreover, terpene emissions in Korean forests are affected by various environmental factors, including temperature, amount and duration of daylight, season, and age of trees. To improve the understanding of the characteristics of terpene distribution, more studies are required on the terpene production of Korean forests in various regions.