◀ anchor ▶
The Uljin Samcheok wildfire, recorded as the worst forest fire ever recorded, has been extinguished, but the forest has turned to ashes, and the blackened areas remain as they are.
There is a debate over whether the land, which is 20,000 times larger than a soccer field, should be left to natural healing or whether humans should plant trees and create forests artificially.
Our reporting team went into the heart of the Uljin and Samcheok wildfires that had never been revealed before and searched for the answer.
Hyeon-jun Ryu and Min-wook Kim, reporters from the Climate and Environment Team, will tell you in turn.
◀ Report ▶
A forest turned to ashes.
Trees with only blackened trunks are left endlessly.
A forest fire-affected area in Buk-myeon, Uljin-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
With every step you take, your feet sink into a mixture of dirt and ashes.
The trees were turned into charcoal while standing.
[류현준/경북 울진]
“Even this seemingly intact tree burns to the inside, and as soon as it touches it, it turns to ashes and is blown away by the wind.”
The leaves of pine trees that escaped direct fire are also turning brown.
Trees slowly die just by passing the fire that burns the fallen leaves and soil on the surrounding ground.
[장창석/국립백두대간수목원 복원팀장]
“It is not uncommon for trees to die gradually over time. So, at most, trees die after 3 years (sometimes).”
About 4,000 hectares, or 20% of the total wildfire-affected area, was protected as a forest genetic resource protection zone.
I went up to Eungbongsan, the center of it.
Most of the pine forest was burned, and a rare native plant, the rhododendron rhododendron, was also found dead.
998 meters above sea level.
There have been many wildfires so far, but this is the first time that a fire has been engulfed in flames up to 1,000 meters above sea level.
The dry weather, strong winds, conifer-oriented tree species, and even the rugged terrain contributed to the fire.
The only relief is that azaleas that have been hit by fire are blooming and yellow wildflowers have buds.
[서재철/녹색연합 전문위원]
“(The Eungbongsan area) is the place where Geumgang pines and goats have been most reliably protected without human intervention or human development.”
When the forest disappears, the animals that used to live in the forest also lose their home.
An endangered species of goat was filmed on the night of the 3rd night at a feeding stand provided in the Uljin forest fire-affected area.
These days, goats are mating and getting pregnant, but all the plants they feed on have been burned.
[김상미/한국산양보호협회 울진군지회 사무국장]
“The lower layers of plants are not coming up on the floor right now. In early spring, I have to eat the young leaves of the lower plants and shrubs…”
It is predicted that it will take at least 100 years to restore not only animals and plants, but also damage to the organic layer of soil.
Can a forest that has turned black regain its blue light?
Reporter Min-wook Kim covered what should be done to restore the damage from this wildfire.
◀ Report ▶
In 1996 and 2000, Jukwang-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, suffered major wildfire damage twice.
Some sort of experiment has been going on here for over 20 years.
We divided the damaged area in half and performed natural restoration and artificial restoration, respectively, and we are still tracking and observing.
[김민욱/강원 고성]
“Around this road, the left and right forests look very different, don’t they?”
On the left is the place where natural restoration was carried out that was not touched after the forest fire.
On the right is an area restored by deliberately planting pine trees.
Both the natural restoration site and the artificial plantation site where oak trees grew naturally have now become fairly stable forests.
But if you look closely, there is a difference.
Natural 101% Artificial 87%
As a result of the survey for 5 years from 2006, more diverse types of birds were observed in the natural restoration area.
So far, overall, the biodiversity of the natural restoration area is somewhat better than that of the artificial restoration area.
In the process of artificial reforestation, secondary damage caused by heavy equipment, etc. or difficulties in continuous management, the advantages of natural restoration are getting more attention these days.
[정연숙/강원대 생명과학과 교수]
“The era of reforestation in the 70’s is different now. If you leave the forest as it is, most of the forest will be restored naturally.”
In the case of the Uljin forest fire, the forestry authorities also believe that natural restoration is important, but artificial reforestation is also necessary.
In the case of private land, the owner does not want natural restoration, and emergency restoration is unavoidable in areas where landslides may occur.
[임상섭/산림청 산림보호국장(지난달 31일)]
“From next year, we will carry out annual restoration afforestation to restore forests for forest product production and timber production at an early stage.”
However, there are many voices saying that artificial restoration should be done only where it is absolutely necessary.
[정연숙/강원대 생명과학과 교수]
“It seems to be necessary to recognize that forests function not only for the owners of mountains, but also for the public good as an ecosystem.”
To do this, an in-depth investigation into the affected area is essential.
[강원석/국립산림과학원 산림생태연구과 연구사]
“I think the key is to know exactly where natural restoration should be done and where it should be divided into artificial restoration.”
It is near the summit of Mt. Eungbong, the center of Uljin Forest Genetic Resources Reserve.
It is close to 1,000 meters above sea level, but as you can see here, it has been turned to ashes.
A detailed damage investigation and in-depth restoration discussions will take place before this site can be restored to its former appearance.
This is Kim Min-wook from MBC News.
Video coverage: Kim Hee-gun, Jang Young-geun, Lim Ji-soo/Video provided by: National Institute of Forest Science/Video editing: Kim Jin-su, Ryu Daye
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