Gyeongbuk Wildfire Pine Mushroom Damage: 980 Households Across 12,000 ha... Special Support Fund Only 2.41 Million Won Per Household

It will take 30 years to resume pine mushroom production
Excluded from support, farmers face livelihood crisis

On May 14, the Gyeongbuk Provincial Government announced that it had secured a special support fund of 2.362 billion won for pine mushroom (songi) farmers, as actively requested by the province, as part of the final confirmed restoration amount for the massive wildfire damage. The province plans to swiftly implement related support measures.

The area affected by pine mushroom damage in the five cities and counties due to this massive wildfire amounts to approximately 12,000 hectares (Yeongdeok 4,500; Cheongsong 3,000; Andong 3,000; Uiseong 1,000; Yeongyang 500). The annual production loss is estimated at 10.8 billion won. Considering that it takes at least 30 years to resume pine mushroom production, the total damage is unimaginably large.

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Building

Gyeongbuk accounts for more than 60% of the nation’s pine mushroom production, making it the overwhelmingly dominant production region. However, since pine mushrooms are wild-harvested forest products rather than cultivated crops, they are excluded from government-supported restoration programs. As a result, pine mushroom farmers faced severe livelihood difficulties.

In response, Gyeongbuk Province proactively conducted a survey on pine mushroom damage and actively proposed support measures. As a result, the province secured a special support fund of 2.362 billion won for pine mushroom farmers, providing 1,205,000 won to each of approximately 980 households over a two-month period.

Additionally, the government’s supplementary budget secured an additional 5.8 billion won in national funds (with a total project budget of 11.7 billion won) for the “Pine Mushroom Substitute Crop Project.” This will provide support ranging from 20 million won to a maximum of 100 million won per project site, enabling the purchase of seeds and seedlings, installation of wells and irrigation facilities, construction of storage warehouses, and installation of mushroom cultivation houses. These measures aim to establish a production base for short-term income forest products to replace pine mushrooms, thereby minimizing income gaps for affected forestry workers.

Accordingly, from May 14 to 20, Gyeongbuk Province will hold regional project briefing sessions for affected forestry workers. Through information provision on the cultivation characteristics of each forest product and technical training, the province aims to reduce confusion in selecting substitute crops and actively support prompt project implementation through responsive administrative services.

Meanwhile, since it will take a considerable period to restore forests and generate stable income again, the province is also actively proposing ways to use donations to support affected farmers.

Jo Hyunae, Director of the Forest Resources Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, stated, “Pine mushroom farmers have suffered greatly, but it is fortunate that many of the government’s requests have been reflected, allowing us to provide support to affected forestry workers. We will do our utmost to help forestry workers restore their daily lives by cultivating mountains and producing income-generating crops.”

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