Scars Became a Forest After 20 Years: The Recovery Method Recorded by Kimcheon Baramjae

The broken ridge of the Baekdudaegan, at an altitude of 800m, has returned the breath of the forest. This is the story of 'Kimcheon Baramjae', which was severely damaged by military facilities and road construction in the 1970s.

On September 15th, the Korea Forest Service selected this site as the 'Best Case (Award)' among the forest ecological restoration projects over the past 20 years. This is not just a news of an award, but a vivid record of how 20 years healed deep wounds.

Disconnected Land, Record of Wounds

The construction of military facilities and road openings in the 1970s severely damaged the ridge of the Baekdudaegan. This area on the southeastern slope of Hwangaksan was a 'scar' rather than a 'forest'. Steep rocky surfaces were exposed, and most of the soil was eroded. Even the remaining soil was acidified, making it difficult for plants to grow.

This was the site of 'disconnection', where the waist of the massive ecological axis known as the Baekdudaegan was severed. It was a dead land where plants could not take root, and thus the movement of wildlife was also blocked.

The First Step to Healing: Creating a 'Foundation'

The first step of restoration was not planting trees. The priority was to 'stabilize' the area so that the wounds would not worsen.

The restoration team conducted stabilization work to prevent the slopes from collapsing. They brought in healthy soil from outside to cover the area and worked to neutralize the acidic soil.

The Key is the 'Power to Recover Itself'

True recovery began thereafter. What kind of life should be invited to this barren land? Instead of pine or oak, the restoration team chose 'pioneer species' that take root first even in harsh environments.

Birch trees, and especially 'willows', were the main characters.

Willows have the power to enrich the soil themselves. The 'root nodule bacteria' that symbiotically live with willow roots have the ability to absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it into nitrogen fertilizer that plants can use. Willows not only survive on their own but also play a role in transforming barren land where other plants cannot grow into 'living soil'.

20 Years Later, the Return of Circulation

Now, after 20 years, Kimcheon Baramjae has become a self-circulating forest. As the first generation of willows and birches formed a proper forest, new changes began to emerge beneath their shade.

Seeds brought by birds and carried by the wind, especially 'climax species' like oaks, began to sprout naturally. On the foundation created by pioneer species, a process of 'succession' is occurring, where the forest prepares for the next generation on its own.

As the forest thickened, animals returned. Signs of wild boars, roe deer, and deer have been confirmed. This proves that Baramjae has recovered as a 'functional forest' that reconnects the severed ecological axis of the Baekdudaegan, rather than just being a 'reforestation site'.

The 20 years of Kimcheon Baramjae show how 'time', not 'speed', and 'assistance', not 'intervention', can restore nature. Humans created the foundation of the land and invited the first healers, while the rest was filled by nature with its own power. This quiet cycle is the essence of sustainable recovery.