Uljin's 'Daewang Pine' Facing Death Crisis... Korea Forest Service "Emergency Measures Underway"

The vitality of the ‘Daewang Pine’ in Uljin has weakened, prompting the forestry authorities to take emergency measures. Estimated to be over 600 years old, this pine tree is receiving special attention from the authorities as a symbolic tree of the Geumgang Pine forest. However, due to environmental factors such as moisture stress, the possibility of the Daewang Pine dying cannot be ruled out.

Officials from the Korea Forest Service and others are discussing restoration plans for the Great Pine at the Korean Pine forest in Geumgang, Uljin, Gyeongbuk on the 12th. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

According to the Korea Forest Service on the 14th, the vitality of the Daewang Pine began to rapidly decline last month. This is due to damage caused by broken branches from heavy snowfall earlier this year, combined with recent pest damage and moisture stress issues, which have slowed the recovery of the tree’s vitality.

Earlier, the Korea Forest Service planned comprehensive protective measures reflecting expert opinions after branches were broken by the heavy snowfall at the beginning of the year. The protective measures included removing broken branches and using metal clamps on cracked branches in the upper parts to prevent further damage.

However, the Korea Forest Service explained that the vitality of the Daewang Pine has rapidly weakened recently due to pest invasions such as pine weevils.

The weakening of the Daewang Pine’s vitality was first observed on the 23rd of last month. Since then, the Korea Forest Service confirmed through an emergency diagnosis that pests such as pine weevils had invaded the Daewang Pine and carried out emergency pest control to prevent further decline in vitality. After conducting a joint on-site inspection of the Daewang Pine on the 30th of last month, they have been removing dead trees around the Daewang Pine and supplying nutrients daily, following expert advice.

At an emergency on-site meeting held on the 12th, additional management measures were also discussed, including covering exposed roots of the Daewang Pine with soil (transferring soil from other locations to improve soil quality), expanding climate change monitoring, and reducing moisture competition.

A view of a large Korean red pine tree with green leaves turning yellow due to moisture stress and pest damage. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

However, environmental factors such as moisture stress may limit the ability to revive the Daewang Pine. According to the National Institute of Forest Science, pine trees are classified as drought-tolerant species that grow better than other species in dry areas due to their site and soil characteristics. Nevertheless, if dry conditions are severe in areas where pine trees grow, it is difficult for them to avoid dying.

For the same reason, since June this year, many pine tree damages presumed to be caused by moisture stress have occurred on the Daewang Pine ridge and nearby ridges. This is due to the increased average temperature in the Uljin area during the summer. From June to August this year, the average temperature in Uljin was 24 degrees Celsius, and the average maximum temperature was 28 degrees Celsius, which is more than 2 degrees higher than the summer average temperature of 22 degrees and average maximum temperature of 26 degrees over the past 10 years.

Considering recent climate changes, such as higher than average temperatures in winter and spring and frequent droughts, it is expected that the growth activity of evergreen conifers like pine trees may become more difficult in the future. This is why the possibility of the Daewang Pine dying cannot be ruled out despite protective measures and ongoing monitoring.

Kim Yong-kwan, Director of the Forest Protection Bureau at the Korea Forest Service, said, “The Daewang Pine is now vulnerable to pest attacks,” and added, “We will continue intensive pest control and on-site situation monitoring.”