Gyeongbuk's Massive Wildfire Damaged Trees Reborn as Public Wooden Buildings

【Financial News Andong=Kim Jangwook Reporter】 'Gyeongbuk's massive wildfire damaged trees as construction materials for public wooden buildings?'
Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 15th that to utilize the massive wildfire damaged trees as construction materials and high value-added resources, the Forestry Agency, the province, Yeongyang County, Gwangju City in Gyeonggi, Chungju City in Chungbuk, Jecheon City in Chungbuk, the National Wood Cooperative, and the Wood Culture Promotion Association are joining hands.
The province has established a public-private cooperation system and conducted practical consultations to utilize the damaged trees that fell or died due to the wildfire as construction materials, thereby increasing the self-sufficiency rate of domestic wood and recognizing its utilization value.
The wildfire damaged trees have a charred exterior but maintain quality that can be sufficiently used as structural or interior and exterior materials for construction as the interior is undamaged.
However, there are difficulties in securing demand, so it was planned as a pilot case to be applied first to public wooden buildings to improve this.
Cho Hyunae, Director of Forest Resources, said, "By utilizing wildfire damaged trees in public buildings, we expect to increase the demand for domestic wood while having a positive effect on the restoration of wildfire-affected areas and the recovery of the local economy," adding, "We will create a virtuous cycle structure of resources by utilizing wildfire damaged trees as construction materials."
The pine trees among the wildfire damaged trees in the Gyeongbuk region that can be used for construction are collected through the collaboration of the Forestry Agency, the province, and Yeongyang County, and the National Wood Cooperative processes them to manage wood quality and produce construction materials.
The processed wood will be used in public wooden buildings promoted by participating local governments such as the National Wood Culture Experience Center in Seoul, the Wood Education Comprehensive Center in Gwangju City, the Wood Culture Center in Chungju City, and the Woraksan Tourist Information Center in Jecheon City. The public and private sectors have completed consultations on implementation plans through a working-level council.
Meanwhile, when the 'Gyeongsang Region Wood Resource Center' currently being established in Pohang City is completed in 2026, it plans to further process the wildfire damaged trees in the Gyeongbuk region into construction materials and other high value-added resources, and continuously expand its utilization scope.

gimju@fnnews.com Kim Jangwook Reporter