The Forest of Uljin Moves the World Again... Selected as an Outstanding Case at the 2nd World Restoration Conference

In March 2022, when the worst wildfire in South Korean history turned over 16,000 hectares of Uljin's forests into ashes, many despaired that complete recovery would take decades.

However, just over three years later, in October 2025, Uljin, once a land of despair, stood tall as a symbol of hope presenting a 'methodology for recovery' to the world.

On the 16th, the Korea Forest Service officially announced that the ecological restoration case of the Uljin wildfire damage site was selected as one of the top 10 outstanding cases among over 200 competing cases at the '2nd World Restoration Conference' held in Rome, Italy.

This achievement is internationally recognized as proof that the steady efforts over the past three years since being named a 'Global Ecological Restoration Representative Model' by the United Nations (UN) in 2022 have led to sustainable results rather than being a one-time event.

What Made Uljin a Model for the World Again?

At this conference co-hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Uljin was particularly praised for the 'power of process' rather than just results.

It was not simply about planting a lot of trees quickly. The restoration in Uljin was carried out under a clear philosophy of 'trusting in the self-regeneration of nature, assisting with science, and involving people.'

Key success factors included ▲ establishing citizen participation governance ▲ rational decision-making based on legal and institutional foundations ▲ systematic supply of restoration materials through a native plant supply center. The Korea Forest Service formed a 'Forest Ecological Restoration Community Council' involving experts, local residents, environmental groups, and local governments to discuss all processes from planning to execution of the restoration.

This not only increased the transparency and social consensus of the restoration project but also became an important opportunity for residents who lost their homes due to the wildfire to participate as subjects of recovery, healing psychological wounds and restoring the community.

Additionally, the operation of the 'native plant supply center' elevated the quality of restoration. Instead of indiscriminately introducing foreign species, the method of collecting and cultivating seeds of the native Korean species, such as Korean red pine and rare endemic plants, and returning them to the forest has received great acclaim as a scientific approach that ensures the ecological health of the forest in the long term.

Changes That Occurred Over the Past Three Years on the Ashes

Since the UN's first selection in 2022, the recovery in Uljin has been steadily progressing under a concrete plan. The Korea Forest Service is promoting intensive ecological restoration projects over five years from 2023 to 2027, focusing on 1,013 hectares (ha) of key areas such as forest genetic resource protection zones, according to the 'Basic Plan for Ecological Restoration of the Wildfire Damage Area in the East Coast Protected Area in 2022.'

The most notable achievement is that in August, 47.6 hectares of the damaged area was designated as the first 'National Uljin Ecological Forest' directly managed by the state. This declaration signifies a long-term vision to record, research, and educate on the entire process of wildfire damage recovery in the area, going beyond short-term restoration.

Currently, the basic and detailed design of the 'National Uljin Forest Ecological Center' is underway, aiming for completion in 2027, and after completion, it will play a key role in the conservation, research, and monitoring of Uljin's forest ecosystem.

The Promise of Recovery, A Decade Towards the Future

The Korea Forest Service announced that even after the completion of the five-year restoration project in 2027, it plans to continuously monitor and manage the forest's vegetation recovery rate, biodiversity changes, and soil stability over the next decade.

This reflects the understanding that once damaged, nature requires a long time and consistent attention to regain its health, and it is a promise from the state to take responsibility until the end.

Kim In-ho, the head of the Korea Forest Service, stated, "It is very meaningful to be internationally recognized again for the achievements in forest ecological restoration in the Uljin protected area," and added, "We will continue to contribute to biodiversity enhancement and climate change response through forest ecological restoration and share Korea's forest restoration model with the world."

As the world suffers from disasters like large wildfires due to the climate crisis, the forest of Uljin, which has bloomed from the ashes of despair, presents a living answer to the question of 'how to recover sustainably' beyond just being a success story.

The quiet and solid process of recovery itself is becoming a language of hope for the world.