ABSTRACT
Following more than 50 years of social and political upheaval in the early twentieth century, the Republic of Korea (ROK) faced massive environmental problems of forest degradation and severe soil erosion. Moreover, rural populations looked to the remaining forests to supply fuelwood for domestic heating and cooking needs. The government responded with a series of 10-year Forest Development Plans that attempted to meet the most pressing immediate needs and begin the long-term restoration of the country’s forests. Beginning with the rst and second Forest Development Plans, fuelwood plantations were successfully established and most of the degraded forests rehabilitated. The rst functional improvements in the environment have already appeared, such as erosion control, improvement of soil quality, and increasing biodiversity. Nevertheless, the full effects of the forest restoration will not be seen for at least another 50 years. Increasingly, rehabilitation has shifted from an emphasis on plantations and exotic species toward native species and natural regeneration.
