Uljin Wildfire Spreads to Part of 'Geumgang Pine Colony'... Forestry Authorities "All-Out Response"

Forest Service Chief Choi Byung-am explains the wildfire situation and suppression plan at the wildfire command center in Jukbyeon-myeon, Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk on the 8th. Photo by Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Uljin) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The forest fire in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, has spread to the Geumgangsong (Korean Pine) colony area, and the forestry authorities are working to extinguish it.

According to the forestry authorities on the 8th, the Uljin forest fire spread to the ridge of Sogwang-ri, Seomyeon, Uljin-gun, which is a Geumgangsong colony area.

Initially, it was expected that there would be little damage as the firebrands carried by the wind in the morning ignited the Geumgangsong colony area and firefighting efforts were underway, but in the afternoon, the fire spread to some parts of the mountain ridge.

In response, the forestry authorities are making every effort to block the spread of the forest fire to the Geumgangsong colony by deploying additional firefighting equipment, including super-large helicopters.

However, the Sogwang-ri pine forest area has narrow paths and steep slopes, making ground access difficult when the fire spreads, and the water reservoir is far away, making it challenging for firefighting helicopters to carry out extinguishing operations.

Daewang Pine located in the Geumgang Pine forest. Provided by Korea Forest Service

The Geumgangsong colony is the only domestic seed protection forest established in 1959 in Sogwang-ri, Geumgangsong-myeon, west of Uljin-eup, where about 85,000 Geumgangsong trees over 200 years old are distributed across 1,600 hectares of forest.

In particular, the Geumgangsong colony is known for its high ecological value and beautiful scenery as the original form of the forest has been well preserved.

Also, the Geumgang pine trees grown here have excellent wood quality, so much so that they were used in the restoration of Sungnyemun Gate, National Treasure No. 1, after the 2008 fire, and the forestry authorities explain that the Geumgangsong colony is considered a forest with high preservation value.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.