National Institute of Forest Science: "Mass Bamboo Die-off in Gyeongnam and Jeonnam... Cause Under Investigation"

A panoramic photo of the Milyang bamboo collective ritual site. Provided by the National Institute of Forest Science.

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A phenomenon of mass die-off of bamboo after flowering has occurred in Gyeongnam and Jeonnam, prompting the National Institute of Forest Science to investigate the cause.

On the 19th, the Forest Science Institute announced that it held a field discussion the previous day at the Jeonnam Provincial Forest Resources Research Institute in Naju, Jeonnam, to identify the causes of bamboo flowering and mass die-off.

Earlier, the Forest Science Institute conducted a survey last month on 73 bamboo forests across seven cities and counties including Sacheon, Hadong, and Miryang in Gyeongnam, confirming signs of flowering and ongoing die-off in 32 locations. Among these, 17 sites had already experienced mass die-off.

Mass die-off of bamboo previously occurred in 2020 and last year during the winter cold wave (damage from cold wind) in Dangjin, Chungnam, and the Taehwa River area in Ulsan. However, it was not accompanied by flowering as it is this year.

In this regard, the Forest Science Institute plans to investigate and research possible causes such as nutrient deficiency due to intertwined bamboo roots in old bamboo forests, damage from cold wind during winter, and die-off caused by climate changes like spring drought.

Seo Jeong-won, director of the Forest Bio-Materials Research Institute at the Forest Science Institute, said, "The wide area of die-off linked to bamboo flowering is concerning and cannot be seen as a temporary phenomenon. Based on the discussions at the field meeting, we will establish healthy bamboo forest management measures."

Meanwhile, the total area of native bamboo habitats in Korea is 22,042 hectares, with 8,183 hectares in Jeonnam and 7,121 hectares in Gyeongnam, accounting for 69% of the total bamboo habitat area in the two regions.

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