Gyeongsangnam-do to Restore Greenery to Sancheong Wildfire Site ... Plants 3,000 Trees

Gyeongsangnam-do has rolled up its sleeves to restore the greenery to Sicheon-myeon in Sancheong-gun, which was reduced to ashes by a large-scale forest fire last year.

On March 20, Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, Lee Seunghwa, Mayor of Sancheong-gun, Shin Jongcheol, member of the provincial council, Cho Kyunhwan, Vice Chair of the county council, along with forestry officials and local residents—over 400 people in total—gathered at the wildfire site in Sicheon-myeon. Equipped with shovels and seedlings, they dedicated themselves to planting trees.

Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wansu (left) is planting trees at the large forest fire damage site in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun. Courtesy of Gyeongsangnam-do

Governor Park remarked, "Caring for the mountains is akin to nurturing our hope and future, and also a way to protect the safety of our daily lives. I hope that everyone here will join us with the mindset that planting even a single tree today creates hope for the future and safeguards our safety."

He also emphasized, "Given that last year's wildfire and floods raised concerns about landslides in this area, caring for our forests is more important than ever."

He further stated, "Mountains provide us with many benefits, but if we do not manage them properly, it could result in even greater damage. Please actively participate in wildfire prevention and forest protection so that the trees we have planted can thrive."

This '2026 Spring Tree Planting' event was held in advance of Arbor Day on April 5 to foster a tree-planting spirit and to accelerate the restoration of forests damaged by last year's wildfire as quickly as possible, marking the first anniversary of the Sancheong wildfire.

Those gathered on this day planted approximately 3,000 trees, including hinoki cypresses.

Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is delivering a commemorative speech at the 2026 Spring Tree Planting Event. Courtesy of Gyeongnam Province

Previously, on March 21 last year at around 3:20 p.m., a wildfire broke out on a hillside in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun, and it was finally extinguished at about 1:00 p.m. on the 30th, ten days later.

The fire resulted in the deaths of four people, including wildfire response personnel, and injuries to five others. It burned around 1,858 hectares of forest—an area equivalent to 2,602 soccer fields—and destroyed 28 homes, two factories, two religious facilities, and a total of 84 facilities, including cultural assets.

This year, Gyeongsangnam-do plans to invest a total of 20.9 billion won to plant 3.37 million trees, such as hinoki cypresses and larches, across 1,766 hectares of forest.

The goal is not only to restore the forest landscape but also to expand carbon sinks to address the climate crisis and to establish economic forests that are resilient to disasters.

Going forward, the province will continue to expand various forest welfare services that residents can directly benefit from and focus its efforts on creating a pleasant forest environment.

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