Miracle of reforestation now a legacy for the future

On April 11, Korea’s “Forest Rehabilitation Archives” were officially added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. The 9,619 records document a 70-year journey to reforest barren mountains devastated by Japanese colonial rule and the Korean War. The collection includes posters and stamps promoting national tree-planting campaigns, daily logs from slash-and-burn eradication projects, and documentation on fuelwood forest development. UNESCO recognized the archives as having “global significance,” highlighting them as a successful case of forest restoration driven by national-level planning and broad civic participation.

In 1953, just after the war, Korea’s total forest biomass was only 36 million cubic meters. By 2020, it had multiplied 29 times to 1.038 billion cubic meters. This was made possible through nationwide access restrictions and mass tree-planting initiatives led by the government and embraced by citizens. Today, forests cover 63% of the country’s land, ranking behind only Sweden, Finland, and Japan among OECD nations. By area alone, Korea is unmistakably a forest nation.

However, recent wildfires in the southeastern region exposed the vulnerabilities of this achievement. Decades of “overprotection” without proper management, such as thinning or building access roads, turned the forests into powder kegs of combustible material. Rough terrain hampered firefighting efforts in Sancheong’s Gukok Mountain, named after its nine winding valleys. Across Jirisan and other national parks, thick layers of fallen leaves and deadwood, sometimes over a meter deep, intensified the blaze. The fires consumed more than 40,000 hectares—two-thirds the size of Seoul. Recovery is expected to take at least 30 years, with complete ecological restoration likely exceeding 50.

There is a saying that “forests are not planted but nurtured.” The new UNESCO recognition affirms Korea’s success in planting forests. Now, the challenge is nurturing them.

Despite 63% of the land being forested, Korea’s wood self-sufficiency rate is just 16%. Logging is often seen as destruction, and forest roads as environmental harm. As a result, forest-based industries like timber and forest products have struggled to grow. But the recent fires underscore the importance of proper thinning and road access to maintain healthy forests.

In Japan’s Maniwa City, a former mountain village in Okayama Prefecture, forests are systematically managed to produce lumber and operate the country’s largest biomass power plant fueled by scrap wood. This revitalized the local economy and expanded the forest area. Today, 80% of the city’s land is forest, and over half of it is cultivated by local residents.

The global recognition of Korea’s reforestation records serves as a reminder that forests should no longer be viewed solely as passive entities needing protection. They are partners in sustainable growth. Now is the time to increase forestry budgets, draft long-term development strategies, and unlock the forest’s full potential: from timber and forest products to carbon reduction, ecotourism, and beyond.

An African proverb says, “A tree is known by its fruit.” The true success of Korea’s reforestation will be judged not only by what was planted but also by how the forest is used. What will future generations say about our forest stewardship 70 years from now? The answer depends on what we do today.