SK Telecom plants 10,000 trees in Andong with AI, drones to restore wildfire-hit forest

SK Telecom has launched a forest restoration effort in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, which was devastated by a major wildfire last year. The initiative combines tree planting with AI- and drone-based seed dispersal and AI-powered monitoring of the forest ecosystem.

SK Telecom said Friday it held a seminar Thursday with Yuhan-Kimberly, the nonprofit Peace Forest and startup Inverlab to share progress on the restoration and outline future plans. The Andong wildfire began in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, in March last year and spread to Andong and surrounding areas.

The seminar highlighted progress on the "Andong Forest of Peace" project, a collaborative effort by the four organizations — SK Telecom, Yuhan-Kimberly, Peace Forest and Inverlab — to restore the forest ecosystem in the affected area.

Since March, SK Telecom, Yuhan-Kimberly and Peace Forest have planted a total of 10,000 trees across 4.4 hectares of wildfire-damaged land, including wild cherry, Japanese raisin, linden, painted maple and Japanese snowbell trees.

In addition, SK Telecom and Inverlab used AI and drone technology to extend restoration efforts to areas difficult for people to reach. After analyzing terrain, solar radiation and other environmental conditions with AI, drones dispersed 10,000 "seed balls" — a mixture of native plant seeds and nutrients. The partners also monitored environmental conditions in the affected areas to identify spots requiring additional planting.

The four organizations plan to continue tracking changes in the Andong wildfire zone while refining a data-driven forest management system.

Meanwhile, SK Telecom and Yuhan-Kimberly signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding in September last year to advance their environmental, social and governance commitments. The two companies have been cooperating across four areas: restoring forests in wildfire-damaged zones, resource recycling, biodiversity conservation and employee-driven environmental activities.

Last month, the two companies jointly ran an electronic-waste recycling campaign and a tree-planting event at a bee habitat forest in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. On Saturday, they took part in a tree and green-space restoration project in the Changgyeonggung palace precinct, holding a palace forest care event.

"We will pursue the long-term restoration of the Andong wildfire area by combining SK Telecom's AI capabilities with Yuhan-Kimberly's expertise in the environment and forestry," said Eom Jong-hwan, head of SK Telecom's sustainability management division. "We will expand ESG cooperation where the two companies can generate synergy."