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Forestry Project of North Korea

Biology Class

Melinda Joseph

February 12, 2012

Each year every year, the leadership of municipal or provincial forestry officials, schools, businesses, and other institutions in individual districts are given a task to order everyone in North Korea, young and old who are able, to plant trees. Each person carries larch, big cone pine, and acacia trees on their back and plants them in paddy fields and on the land in the mountains that is too poor to produce crops. However, paddy fields are used for growing rice or other crops for the farmers. This causes a major problem for the people of North Korea because it makes them have a food shortage without being able to keep the fields. Farmers and forestry officials go back and forth every year with cutting down and replanting trees. While farmers cut down trees illegally to grow their food, forestry officials make them rebuild the trees on tree-planting day each year. Farmers and other citizens of North Korea have relied on paddy fields since the 1900s when food was also in high demand. “Forestry officials, who wield considerable power, try everything to crack down on the paddies but are unable to stop North Koreans from getting food to survive.” (Kang, 2010) Another problem faced is with the charcoal and firewood. Charcoal is used for most vehicles including military personal, but an entire mountainside needs to be razed each year just to fuel one vehicle. Firewood is used for heat so while people are trying to stay warm, government officials are trying to keep their forestation project arise and not allow the use of it. It’s believed that if North Korea opens up to the rest of the world, then food and energy wouldn’t be such a problem and the forestation project could actually succeed. “North Korea needs coal and other energy assistance before any afforestation project takes place. The problems facing its people must be resolved first.” (Kang, 2010) So is this decision by the...