Hosted by the Korea Forest Service
Gangneung Wins Top Prize for Wildfire Reforestation and Restoration
Gangneung City in Gangwon Province has won the top prize in the "2025 Outstanding Afforestation Site Evaluation," organized by the Korea Forest Service for local governments and regional forest offices nationwide.
The "Outstanding Afforestation Site" program, hosted by the Korea Forest Service, is held annually to improve the quality of afforestation projects and identify exemplary cases. Each year, one site is recommended by each city, province, and regional forest office across the country. The evaluation process included a first-round document review (30 points) in August, followed by a second-round on-site assessment (70 points) in September conducted by a panel of external experts.
The selected outstanding afforestation site in Gangneung was a reforestation area for wildfire recovery in Gyeongpo, restored on April 11, 2023. To prevent secondary damage and enhance the landscape, appropriate tree species were planted in suitable locations, creating a "forest resistant to wildfires," a "forest favored by honeybees," and a "forest that can increase forest owners' income."
In particular, the area around 23 Jeodong San was fully planted with broad-leaved trees (wild pear trees), establishing a healthy, wildfire-resistant, and income-generating forest. The selection factors included a thorough analysis of site conditions, careful selection and planting of suitable tree species based on expert consultation, appropriate afforestation timing tailored to the local climate, meticulous post-management, a high tree survival rate, and strong additional management and interest from forest owners-all of which received high marks.
Kim Hongkyu, Mayor of Gangneung, stated, "I sincerely hope that the Gyeongpo wildfire-damaged area will be reborn as a forest of hope. I urge citizens to pay special attention to forest conservation and wildfire prevention so that these precious forests can be passed down to future generations."
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