Trail, set up and it's over?Causes of Acceleration of Deforestation

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You've used the trail created in the national park at least once.

It is also made for the convenience of hikers, but more importantly, it is to preserve nature.

Some trails have not been managed, causing forest damage.

Reporter Hong Sung-wook covered the scene.

[Reporter]
Mt. Seorak's five-colored trail.

Wherever hikers visit, tree roots and rocks are exposed as they are.

Severe places are in danger as if they are about to collapse.

Forest damage caused by the creation of trails is repeated. The soil was swept down and the roots stuck out, and some even cut it like this because it interfered with traffic.

The same goes for trails that begin at the top of the Marginal Decree.

The more hikers visited, the more severe the erosion of the floor as well as the exposure of roots and rocks.

Some sections are deeply dug on the side of the trail, so restoration is urgent.

[Seo Jae-cheol / Green Korea expert: The soil is flowing down, and the rainwater is dragging it down, so now the soil layer is floating away, so this tree is almost dying.]

As the soil is lost, the stone steps of the trail are not properly fixed, increasing the risk of falls.

[Shin Ye-ju / Hiker: The distance between the stones is so high that it's dangerous when going up and down.]

The situation at the top of the mountain, where hikers flock, is worse.

It was the southernmost habitat of northern plants, the "Agosandae Ecosystem," but it is full of rubble and the devastation is accelerating.

After setting up a trail, forest restoration does not take place, and the soil is gradually lost and trees disappear.

[Seo Jae-cheol / Green Korea Association expert: There is some regret that the Ministry of Environment or the Korea National Park Service is not willing to do damage to the hiking trail that only goes up vertically]

While the cable car construction to be installed in the five colors of Seoraksan Mountain is underway with the aim of completing it next year, the forest damage at the top is more worrisome.

Measures are needed to disperse visitors to trails crowded with hikers and restore damaged forests.

I'm YTN's Hong Sung Wook.

Reporter for shooting
: Sung Do-hyun