Jeonnam Province Focuses on Cultivating Tree Species Resistant to Forest Fires and Pine Wilt Disease and Suitable for Bee Habitats

【Financial News Muan=Hwang Taejong Reporter】Jeonnam Province plans to focus on cultivating tree species that are resistant to forest fires and pine wilt disease and serve as nectar sources for bees in response to climate change.
 Previously, Jeonnam Province has selected species such as Hinoki, Oak, Lily, Hwangchil, Torreya, and Pine as strategic species since 2014 and has promoted a total of 31,000 hectares of afforestation projects until this year.
 However, due to the recent changes in forest environment caused by climate change and the demand from forest owners for diversification of afforestation species, it was decided to switch to species with high economic and ecological conservation value.
 To this end, the Jeonnam Forest Research Institute recently held a future species discovery meeting with the National Institute of Forest Science, forest seedling production agents, breeding experts, and about 20 city and county officials attending.
 In the meeting, species suitable for the Jeonnam region, economically viable, and easy to manage were proposed as strategic species, including △fire-resistant species such as Arbutus, Camellia, and Gordonia △nectar species such as Black Locust, Hovenia △economic species such as Loblolly Pine and Slash Pine.
 Among them, Loblolly Pine and Slash Pine are evaluated as economically viable species due to their fast growth and high-quality timber production, with an expected annual income of about 250 million won at the 40-year rotation point based on approximately 500 trees per hectare.
 Additionally, the 'Southern Region Nectar Source Complex Creation Research' jointly conducted by the Jeonnam Forest Research Institute and the National Institute of Forest Science in the Haenam area for two years showed that Black Locust (91%) and Chija (93%) demonstrated excellent rooting rates, proving their potential as nectar species.
 Jeonnam Province is creating about 90 hectares of nectar forests annually and plans to continuously expand them around public forests to increase the income of the region's 2,846 beekeeping households and promote the beekeeping industry while preserving the ecosystem.
 In particular, the strategic species proposed will be planted and cultivated in earnest 2 to 4 years after establishing seed orchard designations and seedling production systems for seed securing.
 Kang Shinhee, head of Jeonnam Province's Forest Resources Division, said, "It is necessary to discover promising species with various functions to proactively respond to climate change and forest disasters," adding, "We will contribute to increasing forest owners' income by building a Jeonnam-style forest management model centered on strategic species."

hwangtae@fnnews.com Hwang Taejong Reporter