Muju County Partners with Three Organizations and Companies to Convert Wildfire-Damaged Materials into Resources

Muju County Forestry Cooperative, Namwon Forestry Cooperative, and Unid BT Plus Co., Ltd.

Muju County in North Jeolla Province has joined hands with the Muju County Forestry Cooperative, Namwon Forestry Cooperative, and Unid BT Plus Co., Ltd. to convert byproducts from wildfire damage into valuable resources.

Exterior view of Muju County Office. Provided by Muju County

On November 5, the county announced that it had signed a business agreement for the resource utilization of wildfire-damaged materials in the main conference room of the county office.

This agreement was arranged to efficiently utilize and promptly restore forest resources that were damaged by a wildfire in Daeso-ri, Bunam-myeon, Muju County, in March of this year.

The county and these organizations and companies agreed to: jointly carry out work to convert forest resources and wildfire-damaged timber within Muju County into usable resources; cooperate in the production, supply, and restoration of wildfire-damaged materials; and collaborate on other projects such as the operation of leading forest management complexes.

County Governor Hwang Inhong stated, "I expect that building a partnership based on expertise will serve as an opportunity to transform wildfire-affected areas into forests that can respond to climate change. We will turn this crisis into an opportunity by increasing the utilization of wildfire-damaged timber, promoting the use of forest resources, revitalizing the timber industry, and ultimately securing stable demand channels."

He added, "Above all, I have high hopes for our cooperation in efficiently converting wildfire-damaged materials into resources for the timber and energy sectors."

Through this agreement, the county plans to establish a local cooperation framework and build a 'local production for local consumption' model. According to the restoration plan for wildfire-affected areas, logging will begin this month, and reforestation will start from March next year.

Meanwhile, in June, the county held a meeting with relevant organizations to share information on the scale of wildfire damage and processing plans. At that meeting, the need to transform wildfire-affected areas into forests that can respond to climate change was raised, and there was a consensus on the necessity of creating high added value by utilizing wildfire-damaged timber.