Environmental Suitability for Conservation and the Risk Period for Fungal Damage of Wooden Cultural Heritages in Korea

Abstract

This study applied a real-time IoT (Internet of Things) environmental monitoring system to wooden cultural heritages (WCHs) located in suburbs and forests in Korea. It automated the graphs of seasonal Temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) changes inside the heritage structures and seasonal Performance Index (PI) values. While utilizing line graphs of the existing T and RH change trends and a bar graph expressing the PI values, this study examined the current status of the conservation environment inside the WCHs throughout the year and its diagnosis. Consequently, at higher latitudes, the organic cultural heritage repeatedly experienced large T fluctuations, and the risk of physical and chemical degradation of the materials was greater. However, the RH showed significant seasonal differences, even within the same latitude, indicating that the impact of latitude was not significant. Therefore, the staff in charge must manage RH by considering the surrounding environmental conditions and adjusting the internal environment of the structures. The PI values for the year-round T and RH inside the heritages were confirmed to only be a maximum of approximately 60% of the environmental suitability for conservation throughout the year, depending on the season. The relationship between the germination and growth potential period of xerophilic fungi and the monthly internal temperature and humidity in five heritages located at different latitudes was analyzed. As a result, we could thus determine that four particular months of the year (June–September) represent the periods with the highest risk of damage from xerophilic fungi in the country, regardless of latitude.