IISD RS @ XXIII IUFRO World Congress, 23-28 August 2010, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Digital Coverage/Summary
IISD Reporting Services (IISD RS) has produced daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary report from this meeting. To download our repots, please click below on the HTML or PDF icons.


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31 August

XXIII IUFRO World Congress

23-28 August 2010 | Seoul, Republic of Korea

Highlights for Thursday, 26 August 2010

Daily web highlights

IUFRO participants in an excursion to the World Cup Park, a landfill site turned Eco-Park.

On Thursday, participants had a chance to brave the elements and experience innovative and inspiring forest-related projects in and around the Republic of Korea. Of the eight field trips, IISD Reporting Services was there to cover two of them, on Landscape Restoration and Sub-alpine Forest, and Old-aged Natural Forests and Landfill Restoration. Remaining field trips included excursions to learn about: a protected area for biological diversity; non-timber forest products; conservation and utilization of forest genetic resources; forests and human health; sustainable forest management and the ecosystem approach; and the wood processing industry.

IUFRO Congress field trips

Old-aged Natural Forests and Landfill Restoration

The old-aged Natural Forests and Landfill Restoration trip visited the World Cup Eco-Park, a former landfill transformed into an environmentally friendly park, where wind energy, and biogas from waste stored there is produced. Next buses travelled to Taereung Royal Tomb, the burial mound of Queen Munjeong (1501-1565) of the Joseon Dynasty, after which participants travelled to the Korean National Arboretum and Forest Museum, where participants were welcomed by Yong Ha Kim, Director-General of the Korea National Arboretum. Finally, the train of tour buses motored to the Gwangneung Experimental Forest, registered as a international Long-Term Ecological Research for biodiversity studies in 1998.

Participants boarding the buses to the field trips.

IUFRO field trip guide briefing participants on the history of the transfromation of the landfill to an eco-park.

Participants hiking around the park.

Wind energy producing turbines.

Methane collectors around the park serves as important energy source from wastes in the landfill.

The site's name became the "World Cup Eco-Park.

Participants heard park staff explain how Poplar trees are used as phytoremediation, a process whereby plants absorb chemicals in polluted soils.

Participants being shown around by park staff.

Arriving at the Royal Tomb Museum of the Joseon Dynasty.

View of the pathway to the hillside tomb.

IUFRO guide explaining the history of the site.

View of the burial mound that encased the Royal Tomb of Queen Munjeong (1501-1565).

Participants exploring the burial mound.

Arriving at the Korean National Arboretum.

Participants at the Forest Museum.

Yong Ha Kim, Director-General of the Korea National Arboretum, welcomed and accompanied IUFRO Congress participants at the Gwangneung Experimental Forest.

Participants in their element looking at various forest biodiversity.

Participants looking around the experimental forest site.

Hiking back to the arboretum.

Boarding bus back to the COEX Convention Center.

Landscape Restoration and Sub-alpine Forest

The Landscape Restoration field trip brought participants to Mt. Balwang in the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range of the Gangwon province where they observed a typical Korean sub-alpine forest ecosystem. Participants also viewed the Daegwallyeong plantation project, which illustrated various stages of forest restoration, including an incredible stand of 20 meter conifer sentinels on land which had been a literal desert only 40 years ago. Though the weather limited mountain views, Congress-goers enjoyed the chance to see the bit of the Korean landscape they could during the excursion. A trip to the Mok-A Buddhist museum rounded out the day and gave participants a better understanding of Korea’s relationship with nature. Photos by Aaron Leopold and Graeme Auld

A look into the foggy Daegwallyeong special plantation, which had been reduced to a desert by 1968 due to slash-and-burn farming practices.

Dedicated participants listening to a presentation in drizzly weather on the challenges of successfully reforesting Daegwallyeong.

Posters illustrating first the sad, and then inspiring history of one of the Daegwallyeong hilltops.

Two participants discussing results of a newer section of Daegwallyeong reforestation project.

Windbreak necessary to combat high winds on Daegwallyeong, which otherwise prevent reforestation efforts in the area.

Graeme Auld unsuccessfully trying to peer through the fog to see the otherwise beautiful view of the Baekdudaegan mountain range from Mt. Balwang.

Mt. Balwang is accessible by a cable car system.

Buddhist wooden mural at the Mok-A Buddist Museum.

Wooden dragon sculpture at the Mok-A Buddist Museum.

Participants listened to a presentation on the planting techniques used to establish the Daegwallyeong special plantation.

The fleet of buses waiting to pick up participants from their visit to the Mok-A Buddhist museum.