North Gyeongsang Province designates Andong's Baekja-ri as No. 2 forest management special zone

Baekja-ri in Gilan-myeon, Andong — a village whose pine mushroom forests, the community's main source of income, were wiped out in a massive wildfire — is set to be transformed into a new economic hub built around sustainable forest use.

North Gyeongsang Province on Monday designated 372 hectares in the Baekja-ri area of Gilan-myeon, Andong as the No. 2 forest management special zone.

The designation is the second of its kind, following the No. 1 forest management special zone established in March in the Jeomgok-myeon area of Uiseong-gun.

The initiative goes beyond simple restoration of wildfire-damaged forest, focusing instead on building an integrated forest management system that links timber production, processing and retail with mountain village tourism to create a sustainable income base for residents.

Gilan-myeon is a mountainous area where forests cover about 80 percent of the total land, and it is one of the main pine mushroom production areas in eastern Andong.

Baekja-ri in particular had been an active producer of wild pine mushrooms, thanks to its high-quality pine forests. But a massive wildfire in 2025 destroyed most of those mushroom-producing forests, dealing a severe blow to residents' livelihoods.

The special zone spans a total of 50 parcels of land, with the Andong City Forestry Cooperative serving as the implementing body. The site is accessible via a two-lane road and has about 4 kilometers of farm roads running through the forest interior — conditions assessed as favorable for carrying out forestry projects.

"Through this forest management special zone designation, we will work to develop new income sources to replace the pine mushroom production base lost to the wildfire and ensure that residents see real, tangible benefits," said Choi Sun-go, director of the forest resources bureau at North Gyeongsang Province.