The Central Regional Forest Service (Director Ahn Byung-ki) announced that it is operating a ‘Mobile Agricultural By-product Collection and Shredding Support Team’ to proactively reduce the risk of forest fires and alleviate the burden on farmers. The ‘Mobile Agricultural By-product Collection and Shredding Support Team’ is a project promoted in cooperation with the Forest Service, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and local governments in response to the increase in forest fires caused by illegal burning of agricultural by-products, which accounts for about 20% of recent forest fires.
The Central Regional Forest Service explained that to reduce forest fires caused by burning during the spring farming preparation period and after the autumn harvest season, they have organized 10 teams with 76 members for the collection and shredding of agricultural by-products in four affiliated national forest management offices. They are focusing on supporting the collection and shredding of agricultural by-products in agricultural lands adjacent to forests.
Director Ahn Byung-ki of the Central Regional Forest Service said, “We hope that this support project will contribute to forest fire prevention, reduction of fine dust, and carbon neutrality.” He added, “We will actively support farmers to stop the practice of burning agricultural by-products and to focus on safe farming activities.”