[News Today] Burned trees used for construction

[LEAD]
This spring's massive wildfires in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province left behind not only destruction, but also piles of damaged timber with little use. The Korea Forest Service is turning to wooden architecture as a solution, saying it could even serve as a carbon sink.

[REPORT]
This is the National Forest Satellite Information Technology Center completed last year. From the framework to walls and exterior materials, it was all built with wood.

About three quarters of the wood used were from trees burned in the 2022 wild fire in Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

Im Jung-bin / Nat'l Institute of Forest Science
Research shows burned timber from wildfires can still be reused. To test this, a center was set up using pine trees damaged in the 2022 Uljin and Gangwon wildfires.

Less damaged trees can be processed and used as construction materials after the burned external layer is removed.

They are as strong as regular timber and can be used for the framework and exterior materials of buildings. But their price is about a quarter cheaper.

Ha Sang-han / Nat'l Forestry Cooperative Federation
It’s same as regular wood. The surface may be fire-damaged, but inner wood is solid and usable. They can be reborn as useful timber with no twists and splits.

The Korea Forest Service stresses that it also helps reduce carbon emissions, as carbon stored in the trees can be locked as long as the building's life.

The wood used for the center stores about 30 tons of carbon, which is equivalent to the amount of carbon emitted by 74 vehicles in a year.

The Korea Forest Service says it will process some of the burned timber into lumber and use them for constructing public buildings in the capital area and Chungcheongbuk-do Province.