Review of Slope Criteria and Forestland Restoration Plan in North Korea

북한의 산림복원계획과 기준 경사도 고찰

The objectives of this study were to establish the slope criteria and analyze the forest land restoration plan in North Korea. Reviewing the literature of the countries, the relationships among the climate, erosion controls, and slope criteria with forest restoration programmes, implemented were analyzed. Comparison of forest land management policies was conducted between South and North Korea. The soil erosion controls using biological barriers were at $15{\sim}20^{\circ}$slopes in arid climate regions and $25{\sim}30^{\circ}$ in humid climate regions. In the case of South Korea, an afforestation policy from the "Act on Clearance Project of Slash-and Burn Agriculture" of 1966 was enforced on mountains with slope greater than $20^{\circ}$, however, at present, the "Marginal Cropping Land Policy" recommends cropping lands with slope bigger than $8.5^{\circ}$ to forest land. In 1961, in "Land Reclamation of One Million Hectare", North Korea reclaimed additional cropping lands with slope bigger than $8.5^{\circ}$, and currently, the "Act on Forestry" states to enforce reforestation with slope bigger than $20^{\circ}$. This study recommends that South Korea aids for forest land restoration in North Korea based on the different stages of their development on reconciliation and cooperation between South and North Korea.