A view of the Hwamae-ri area in Seokbo-myeon, Yeongyang-gun, designated as a forest management special zone. [North Gyeongsang Province]
A view of the Hwamae-ri area in Seokbo-myeon, Yeongyang-gun, designated as a forest management special zone. [North Gyeongsang Province]

North Gyeongsang Province announced Monday that it has completed the designation of one forest management special zone each in five cities and counties — Uiseong-gun, Andong, Yeongdeok-gun, Cheongsong-gun and Yeongyang-gun — all devastated by a massive wildfire.

The province formally designated and announced the Hwamae-ri area in Seokbo-myeon, Yeongyang-gun as the final special zone Monday.

Earlier, the province had designated Dongbyeon-ri in Jeomgok-myeon, Uiseong-gun in March; Baekja-ri in Gilan-myeon, Andong in June; and Hwacheon-ri in Yeongdeok-eup, Yeongdeok-gun and Deokcheon-ri in Pacheon-myeon, Cheongsong-gun on July 30.

The forest management special zone regime was introduced by North Gyeongsang Province as the first of its kind in the country under a law supporting wildfire victims in North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang and Ulsan. It goes beyond conventional logging and reforestation to rebuild forests as a new source of income and a foundation for local economies. The zones will be maintained for 10 years, from this year through 2035, with one zone per city or county across the five affected areas.

To qualify for designation, a zone must cover at least 300 hectares and have the consent of more than 50 percent of forest landowners.

Projects within the zones will include specialized reforestation focused on income-generating and scenic tree species, development of production infrastructure for forest products such as specialty trees and wild vegetables, expansion of forest management infrastructure including forest roads, and construction of facilities for processing, retail and sales of forest products.

The Yeongdeok-gun zone will establish chestnut groves and other plantings as an income base to replace pine mushrooms, and develop cultivation complexes for wild vegetables such as deodeok and bracken. Cold storage, processing and packaging facilities will also be expanded.

The Cheongsong-gun zone will cultivate a mix of scenic tree species — including oak and maple — alongside wild vegetables such as mountain garlic and cow parsnip. The province also plans to create a forest featuring royal azalea, the signature flower of Juwangsan, and link it to local tourism resources.

The Yeongyang-gun zone plans to develop a large-scale themed forest centered on birch and painted maple trees to boost income for forest landowners.

Starting next month, North Gyeongsang Province will hold on-site briefing sessions for forest landowners across the five cities and counties, bringing together landowners, residents and relevant agencies to gather input and finalize detailed project plans for each zone.

Choi Sun-go, director of the province's forest resources bureau, said the completion of the one-zone-per-city-or-county designation marks a turning point. "We will push forward with substantive projects in each zone so that forest landowners and forestry workers can genuinely feel the impact through forest recovery and income generation," he said.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com