North Korea continues to struggle with vanishing forests despite annual nationwide mobilization campaigns intended to restore degraded hillsides. Every spring and autumn, the government orders citizens from factories, schools, and women’s organizations to plant trees across designated zones. However, many hillsides remain barren, and frustration is growing among participants.
Residents in Ryanggang province say the government mobilized the public twice this autumn, repeating the same areas from earlier campaigns. People planting trees expressed doubt about whether the work matters because the saplings never survive long enough to grow. Many workers claim the process feels symbolic and not a real environmental solution.
Locals report that the saplings disappear quickly because families use them as firewood during harsh winters. Many households lack electricity, so firewood remains a primary heating source. As a result, the cycle of vanishing forests continues, and environmental goals clash with basic survival needs.
Residents also say corruption fuels the problem. Individuals with financial resources reportedly bribe guards at checkpoints to transport large amounts of larch logs into Hyesan. Truckloads of wood enter the city regularly despite official bans, further weakening the reforestation campaign and accelerating erosion.
Authorities have attempted to remove small farming plots on mountain slopes and replace them with planted trees. However, many people refuse because the farmland helps them avoid hunger. Residents say they cannot follow environmental rules when food insecurity remains severe.
To avoid penalties, some people plant trees only near visible public areas, while deeper parts of the mountains remain logged and cultivated. These patterns reinforce the steady spread of vanishing forests across the region, despite the government narrative of success.
State media continues to praise land restoration campaigns and describes them as patriotic duties tied to national development and loyalty. Officials insist the projects demonstrate progress, even as public doubt grows.
Looking ahead, analysts argue the reforestation effort will continue failing without reliable energy alternatives, reduced corruption, and stronger food support systems. Until those systemic issues shift, vanishing forests will remain a defining environmental challenge in North Korea.
