Gapyeong County Recovers Damaged Forestland to Preempt Disasters

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Um In-yong] Gapyeong County announced on the 29th that it is undertaking large-scale restoration work to prevent disasters in forestland that has been damaged and left neglected for extended periods following forest use permit issuance.

According to the county, permanent restoration is underway in areas that suffered significant damage from flooding last summer. In connection with this, the necessity of restoration work in neglected forestland as a disaster prevention measure has grown.

Accordingly, the county is implementing restoration work at 42 sites encompassing approximately 16 hectares of unrestored forestland this year.

This project is a system whereby, when permit holders are unable to restore land on their own under the Forestland Management Act, local governments perform restoration using previously deposited forestland recovery funds.

The county prioritizes regions with high disaster concerns through safety inspections of permitted sites and is sequentially carrying out restoration focused on unrestored land where permit validity has expired or terms have lapsed.

In addition, through ‘advance notification of forestland recovery fee billing,’ the county aims to reduce the burden on permit holders and encourage voluntary restoration, while concentrating administrative efforts on minimizing abandoned forestland.

Permits Department Director Nam Wal-jun stated, “Through large-scale restoration of unrestored forest use sites, we will reduce disaster risks and ease residents' anxieties,” and added, “We will continue to promote government-led forestland restoration as part of systematic management of damaged forests.”