A 600-year-old pine tree in Mount Songni, North Chuncheong, national treasure no. 103, photo: JoongAng Ilbo
The JoongAng Ilbo recently ran an article that discusses how “Another National Treasure Is Decaying” — in light of what has happened recently with the burning down on one of the best-loved Korean cultural treasures. Perhaps there is more to consider when noting the struggle to preserve an old pine tree from bad weather and pine needle flies.
The interest in and admiration of such an old pine is natural since Korea has been renowned through time as being a “pine tree culture”:
There is a saying which says that we all (Koreans) are born in a pine tree, live in a pine tree, and die in a pine tree. Traditionally, when a child was born, a rope was hung across the main gate to prevent evil spirits and unwanted visitors from entering the home. Pine twigs and needles were attached to this rope to protect the baby. Traditional homes were made of pine. People heated their homes with pine branches, cooked with pine bark, and used pine pollen in cooking. When they died, they were placed in pine caskets and buried on hills covered with pine trees. It is no exaggeration to say that Koreans lived in a pine tree culture . . .
Though Korea has so far escaped the onslaught of the infestation that is slowing sweeping America and Canada, as time passes, the chance of such a tree parasite is more than likely. Mainly due to global warming, the lowly pine tree and other trees in North America and Europe, like the Ash and Spruce, are coming under threat:
From Alaska to Arizona and South Dakota to California, several kinds of bark beetles are killing large swaths of ponderosa, piñon and lodgepole pines and other trees. Much of the kill is taking place in publicly owned forests, but many private landowners who built homes in the forest are also watching as the trees around them die. “The outbreak we’re seeing in Arizona and New Mexico is unprecedented,” said Dr. Karen Clancy, a research entomologist with the United States Forest Service in Flagstaff, Ariz., who is studying bark beetle damage to the ponderosa and piñon pines. ”In some piñon pine forests the mortality rate is 100 percent.” Over all, 2 to 3 percent of the forest is affected in those states.Some experts worry that the widespread damage may be part of a vast ecological shift in response to warming temperatures. ”As the climate is changing, these ecosystems are rearranging themselves,” said Dr. Craig Allen, a research ecologist with the United States Geological Survey in New Mexico. ”Massive forest die-back is one way these systems will reassemble.” In a similar drought in the 1950’s, two-thirds of the trees were killed and seedlings grew to take their place. But with mortality near 100 percent, there are no new piñons coming up; they may be leaving the ecosystem. “This is an indication of big, fast changes in forests that’s predicted by climate change models.”
The above was back in 2004 and now the beetle plague is spreading still. Per scientists’ reports, warming weather is allowing tree parasites to enjoy longer breeding seasons, thus their spread is greater than ever:
from the NY Times, June 2002: . . . Temperatures in Alaska have risen sharply in the last 30 years, causing sea ice to break up off the northern coastlines, some glaciers to recede and permafrost to melt. But until Dr. Berg began matching rising temperatures to the number of trees killed by beetles, no one had tied the death of a forest nearly twice the size of Yellowstone National Park to warming temperatures. . . . If Dr. Berg is correct (probably is) — and he has won many converts as well as some skeptics — then the dead spruce forest of Alaska may well be one of the world’s most visible monuments to climate change. On the Kenai, nearly 95 percent of spruce trees have fallen to the beetle. Now, conditions are ripe for a large fire and could lead to bigger changes in the ecosystem, affecting moose, bear, salmon and other creatures that have made the peninsula, just a few hours’ drive from Anchorage, a tourist mecca.
The effects of tree parasites, like beetles, is now more so a global problem that can lead to problems with many things we take for granted and enjoy, including baseball (a very American sport). As per an article on the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle that has invaded America from Asia, it could lead to the end of Louisville Sluggers made from Ash wood:
It just doesn’t look good,” Dan Herms, an associate professor of entomology at Ohio State University, said of the prospect of stopping the beetle in this country. “The current technology won’t be able to stop it.” (Dr. Herms does not see a link between this and climate change however)
Consider also the fate of “myeongtae” or Alaskan Pollack, the fish that was once so abundant around Korea. Due to years of over-fishing and now a warmer sea temperature, the fish has almost completely disappeared from the nets of Korean fishermen:
. . . during the Kim Dae-jung administration, it was hard to catch myeongtae even with the fishing lines. Just four or five years ago, there were none to catch,” Kim said. In 1986, 20,046 tons of myeongtae were caught in Goseong County, South Gyeongsang. . . “In the long run, the rising temperature may force local fish to migrate north, but low stocks in the East Sea are more likely due to reckless over-fishing”.
Clearly, it is not just the ancient buildings or gates that need watching and consideration but also the natural resources of Korea; its pines, animals and land — the very things that have shaped the people and culture, though out the ages.
Now is the time — before it is too late — to recognize the importance of these resources and their intrinsic value which can not be measured in Won. Other than educating our children, leadership in this area of national interest is needed since, before now, wise leadership has been lacking, resulting in Korea’s resources being used more as a source of economic interest. If a deeper awareness of global environmental conditions and the importance of good resource management is not forthcoming, Korea will have worse problems to deal with than rebuilding a gate, rather there will be little to rebuild with.
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36 Comments
Good post. Hope the climate change denial crew won’t jump all over it.
The “climate change denial crew” doesn’t necessarily deny that climate is changing. What is questioned is whether human activity is the cause of climate change.
The Prophet Algore and his followers advocate, essentially, abandonment of a modern lifestyle and a return to the pre-industrial age (circa, say, 1850).
Well, in 1850 there were only about 1.2 billion people in the world, so 80% of us will have to stop living, and the rest may have to adjust their lifestyle expectations quite significantly. Before such a choice is crammed down on us by our betters, us denial-crew members would hope that Algore is not mistaken.
Being a fisherman and seeing how the local waters get treated each year, I’d say that “reckless over-fishing” is the main reason for the lack of fish. That goes for salt and fresh water. When people keep anything that they catch, no matter the size or quantity, then something’s going to give sooner or later. Also, this country has too many people, too few natural resources and the resources that are left aren’t being taken care of very well so that future generations will have something to enjoy.
Indeed—but not for all of us, mind you. The priestly caste of this new religion requires all the conveniences of modern technology and transportation (private jets, Chevy Suburban motorcades, massive mansions in Tennessee, etc.) in order to spread the gospel of man-made global warming. It’s the rest of us, the little people, who’d better start walking.
You mean the little people among the survivors of the great die-off after we abandon agriculture, don’t you?
Can’t speak for Al Gore, but a great many “believers” in global warming (me, for one) are convinced it is real, that there is compelling evidence human activity is involved, and that combining small measures, such as using public transport more often and turning your computer off at night, with good old capitalist innovation can help to avert what could be a catastrophe.
Oh, and they also think that right-wing attempts to paint global warming as some vast leftie conspiracy to bring down global capitalism are as absurd as, say, kooky theories blaming Jews/George Bush/bankers for 9/11.
Didn’t Pol Pot try out this experiment not too long ago?
“The “climate change denial crew” doesn’t necessarily deny that climate is changing. What is questioned is whether human activity is the cause of climate change.
Spot-on. The Gorebots want to change how we live our lives while they buy carbon credits. Only imbeciles glom on to how these hypocrites operate. Buy the Polar bears water-wings and spare me your bullshit.
The point of this thread is that there are many “gates” — resources as well as places and things of cultural value in Korea — and only one of them has burned down recently.
Which “gate” will burn next and for what reason?
Regarding the theory that man is the cause of global warming, though one should not attribute this solely to mankind, it is foolish to think that mankind does not affect everything that happens on this planet and foolish not to be a better steward of the place we call home. Waiting for conclusive proof that we should take action to limit greenhouse gas emissions is like finding something brown and soft that smells like dung. By the time test results come back, confirming that it *is* dung, one’s fingers would already stink, thus is too late.
Whether or not there is a man made component to Global Warming is almost beside the point.
The forces and cycles involved are far larger and set, and yes, we can can have some little influence, but the climate will change; the climate is changing; and no matter how much the Goracle and the Church of Anthropocentric Global Warming want to wail and cry and get rich over it, it is happening, and we can’t stop it.
Far better to understand it, plan for it, deal with it as it happens; or just stand there trying to stop the pine beetles (here in the PNW), and trying to keep the Gulf from flooding New Orleans. Best wear your hip waders, and watch for falling trees.e
Thanks to Mr. Elgin for raising this topic. The issue he raised is the dying pines of the northern hemisphere and particularly those in Korea, and what a potential tragedy this poses for not only the natural environment but the wellsprings of Korean culture. I’m very disappointed that some Hole responders choose to ignore or dismiss this issue- the dying pines and spruces, and what to do about them- because of their ideologically blinded and Rip Van Winkle views on global warming. Back in the early to mid 1990s there were still substantial grounds for reasonable scientists to be somewhat skeptical of not only global warming but the size of the human contribution to it. This has not been the case for the last 7-8 years at least, and the international scientific consensus is undeniable except by by people who understand neither what science is or how it works. It is not any longer a matter of your ‘belief’ any more than are gravity, electricity, or penicillin.
Based on the posts so far, the arguments seem to be: “Global warming is a lefty plot. Al Gore is a hypocrite. Anybody who wants to do somethng about global warming wants me to change my lifestyle- therefore, I am opposed!” To characterize everyone who is concerned about global warming and its effects (and wants to do something about it) as hypocrites, Luddites, people who want to return to 1850 (I thought that was a basically Republican idea, anyway) or even abolish agriculture (that’s a new one to me) is to refuse to engage in reasonable dialogue or acknowledge reality. Meanwhile the pines are dying… what to do? Forget Al Gore and whether you like him or not.. The planet is heating up, and problems related to it are multiplying inexorably, and our ‘lifestyle choices’ ARE a major contributor. But WHAT ABOUT THE PINE TREES, huh? Do you want your children and grandchildren to have pine trees or not? Or maybe you’re more interested in clinging to your ideologies (and SUV’s) than seriously considering this problem?
For every scientist that says humans are responsible, in large part, for global warming there are just as many that say the opposite. That’s a fact that cannot be denied. So get in line and chose your side, but don’t tell me that my group of scientists are wrong because I drive an SUV. I can see that the Earth is falling apart. I can also see greedy and dishonest political leaders twisting facts here and there for their own benefit. Really, who’s to be believed? Yes, something is happening. Some of the problem can be helped by managing the systems of the Earth in a better way. But what I see is the same old scare and blame guilt trip tactic that some like to to use to stop any debate. It’s like a witch hunt. It’s fear based. And any decisions based on fear will only add to the problem. I fully expect to be pulled out of my SUV before this is over and be accused of god only knows what. Have you ever considered that not every problem can be solved? That there is only so much human beings can do? That’s not to say that we shouldn’t try to do what’s right by our environment. But this wholesale blame game is out of control and dangerous…
Join the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement… only stupid people breed. Ha!
#13 & 15 …And why would you say that? What did I say that WASN’T true? Enlighten me…
Re #12:
“…For every scientist that says humans are responsible, in large part, for global warming there are just as many that say the opposite. That’s a fact that cannot be denied…”
Actually, I’m afraid that is a very easily denied ‘fact’. I don’t doubt that you may believe this, and the American mass media have not done a good job in reporting the scientific consensus, but please refer to the following Wikipedia article on the emerging scientific consensus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.....ate_change
This is quite a detailed entry and is worth reading if you are really interested. It also contains many links to the scientific organizations and surveys it reports on. Just a few short quotes:
US National Academy of Science: “In the judgment of most climate scientists, Earth’s warming in recent decades has been caused primarily by human activities that have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. … On climate change, [the National Academies’ reports] have assessed consensus findings on the science…”
It goes on to list the many, many national and international scientific bodies who have issued similar statements and quotes from those statements. Also, under ‘Dissenting Organizations’:
“With the July 2007 release of the revised statement by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, no remaining scientific body of national or international standing is known to reject the basic findings of human influence on recent climate.”
Yes, there are still some INDIVIDUAL climate scientists who are skeptics, but they are an ever-shrinking minority and the nature of their dissent, and their relative numbers, have been greatly over exaggerated in the popular press of the US (I don’t read enough S.Korean media to have a grasp on what’s happening there). Naturally there is ongoing debate about the rate of warming, its possible ultimate effects, and the exact proportion of the warming that is caused by human activity, but there is an overwhelming international consensus among scientists- not politicians, lobbyists, or oil company executives, but peer-reviewed scientists- on the basic problem. Time to stop living in denial on this one, folks.
#16…..Thanks for the information. I WILL read it all.
Wikipedia adds to global warming, spurious bullshit. Vicki is spot on here!
When I was very little I met my great grand mother before she died. She use to call cigarettes coffin-nails long before the surgeon general came down on them and before all the scientific evidence. It just made sense that if you take that many pollutants into your lungs damage will ensue. Those people trying to sue because they say they weren’t well enough informed about the possible dangers are just fooling themselves. Either that or they are a race of people with exceedingly small amounts of common sense.
Same here. Even GW is coming out and saying it’s a serious issue. Some scientists continue to cling to the fact that we don’t know the impact of water-vapor on the model because we only have the earth to experiment on. They can’t make a model in a scientific environment that allows for water-vapor to factor in. What they are saying is that the fact that you can navigate the Northern passage above the American continent and that glaciers are simply gone is coincidence, all that CO2 that we are pumping out is not the reason. Other factors are involved. It seems rather self-serving doesn’t it? If you cause that drastic a change to the basic components of the atmosphere and expect everything to stay the same you are being myopic. I understand the urge to grasp at excuses to remain complacent because nobody wants to give up their comfort level. It’s likely too late anyway. We should at least give it a shot. Do a few things in the hopes that earth really is self-equalizing.
It’s too late to look to blame. What would it accomplish anyway? It would merely take time and research away from a much more pressing issue.
Saying “let’s save the planet” is a bit self-inflated. The planet will be just fine. Evaporation is not a closed system. We are losing water into space. The Earth is becoming more dissicant and slowly resembling Mars. But it doesn’t have the same prejudice to Mars that we have. The planet is not going anywhere. Pack your things cause it’s we that are going away. Or, at least every other creature here.
Let’s hope we figure out this education thing. If we can make some really smart people really fast and hope for a miracle…?
#19. The people who bang the green drum are not interested in saving the planet. They are using fear and disinformation as their currency. Let’s take a look at ethanol for instance. The Iowa corn farmer and the politicians are the only people who profit. It takes more energy to produce the corn than the output of fuel. The price of corn goes up; the waterways get more fertilizer and soil infestation, and the fool’s errand rolls on. Gore and his minion has a great deal of the American public hoodwinked.
On a more practical note, that is what Korea needs to do: focus upon what is a part of its cultural heritage (I do not mean internet, game or cellphone content either!) and aggressively develop ways to preserve and safe keep them. It is really only a matter of time before pines in Korea face such on onslaught of beetles as is in the U.S. and Canada.
Regarding over-fishing? . . . as per the bible, the handwriting is on the wall, who will dare read it or will they ignore it, claiming that it is not important because the writing is not in Hangul!?
If LMB is *really* a “bulldozer”, let him also demonstrate his love for his country and his wisdom, starting with this idea. Instead of building his “grand” idea of the future, he should not forget the greatness of these seemingly little things that, without such, there can only be a barren future for Korea.
About the pine trees: Governments might tell the bugs that they are over-fishing but the bugs won’t care. They will eat themselves right out of a habitat, die out and still feel no remorse.
Because the people who “bang the green drum” are hypocrites doesn’t mean that the earth isn’t going to shit because of man’s indifference. I’m sure you can come up with a nice latin term for that as an illogical argument.
Americans are famous for criticising the rest of the world for their impact yet move only marginally on things which wouldn’t make a hell of alot of difference anyway. They criticise Joao in Brasil for strip burning his land which contributes to the decimation of the rain forest simply because it’s the only way he knows to feed his family, yet think little of being run off the road by logging trucks in Humbolt county. They are screaming, “Save the planet”, when the planet doesn’t need saving. We do!
Just because they are full of shit doesn’t mean that we aren’t taking the little umbrella that envelops the earth and turning it to poison. A lying thief sitting in a jail cell somewhere can still come up with a statement that has veracity.
It really is a beautiful pine tree. I’m sorry to hear that it’s sick. I can only hope that I look half as good when I’m 600 years old, though.
#23. There is no question that we need to be good stewards of our natural resources. We should not over-fish or rape the rain forests however, Gore and his merry band of thieves is not the answer. The whole notion of carbon credits? Come on!
If anyone wants to take a picture of a beautiful white lace bark pine the Constitutional Court has one that is in very good shape. It is also 600 years old. The one in the picture above was struck by lighting a number of times (story told to me when I visited).
Because of the fragile nature of the tree braces are supporting it, but otherwise it is in very good shape. Visitors can enter the Court property and if you have any problems just have the guards call my office.
You can also visit the courtroom. It is a good example of where Korea gets its wood. Some of the wood is for Canada, some from China, and some was locally grown. The interior of the Court is a western style court with Korean styling elements.
The Court also planted some other nice native and exotic trees and plants. I suggest a visit when you are near Insa Dong. Not a must see, but a good visit when you are in the Insa Dong area and a great place to have a quiet lunch.
#24: Aye, when 600 years you reach, look (half) as good, you will not…
I believe Mr. Elgin’s main point is that much of the natural legacy that nurtured traditional Korean culture, (which some of us expats have a deep appreciation of)- and specifically pine trees and all they represent- has been seriously degraded, and some of it is in danger of irreparable loss due to a variety of factors, among which are rampant industrial development, pollution, overfishing (which does not impinge directly on specifically Pine Trees of course!), the spread of car culture, and yes, global warming… not to mention good old fashioned greed, neglect, and corruption. We could, and should, argue the details, but anybody who has spent any time in Korea who would dispute that basic scenario is a blind ignoramus not worthy of engaging in serious debate. The question is, in the case of Korea, can anything be done, what can be done, what should be done? And is there a constituency in Korea that cares about these things… is there any ‘leadership’ likely to be shown… or, are we in for more boondoggles like Saemanggeum (a crime against nature IMHO), because the people who think they are patriots only think of progress in terms of endlessly pouring more and more concrete?
Apparently some posters either feel these issues not worthy of concern, or things nothing can be done about anyway, so why bother? I don’t feel that way, I don’t think that Mr. Elgin or Maddlew feel that way… I’m hoping many Koreans don’t feel that way.
The one (and only) thing I heartily agree with Railwaycharm about is that yes, ethanol as some kind of ‘environmentally friendly’ energy strategy is a monstrous and destructive scam… but it’s one that has been pushed by politicians and agribusiness people from corn-growing regions, not by climate scientists, and to throw that into this discussion is a red herring… except that it illustrates how, more than ever, it is necessary to be well informed on the scientific background of these choices and realities, so before you dismiss that Wikipedia article as ‘more hot air’ I suggest you actually read it, check the sources, and see just how many American and international scientific bodies- not political think tanks, lobbyist groups, or industry associations, but scientific bodies- are on board on the issue of human contribution to climate change. But to tell the truth, I’m not really interested in continuing that particular discussion with people who won’t do their homework or check their sources. Don’t ask me why, but I do care about the pines and the remaining patches of mixed hardwood forests, the birds and wetlands and riverbanks, the fish and the crustaceans and the seaweeds that all formed the material and spiritual underpinning of traditional Korean culture. Not just Korea… I actually have far more experience in Japan, the US Pacific Northwest, the northern Appalachians, California, and British Columbia. But I fell in love with Korea long ago… before the computer games, cell phones, internet, or Hallyu dramas, before the Seoul subways… and it hurts my heart that THAT Korea has apparently so few defenders among its political elite, and among a resident expat community who should know better but can’t be bothered.
Elgin, I like how your post brings attention to preserving Korea’s natural heritage. Back in the states, I am struck by how we take for granted the presence of large wildlife. Who hasn’t seen deer while living in the US or Canada? Our national, state, and provincial parks and forests are teeming with black bears, moose, wolves, and other animals that you don’t need binoculars and a field guide to identify. Koreans are rightfully proud of the natural beauty of their mountains, made accessible through user-friendly, affordable national parks, yet seem to have done little to protect native fauna.
#28. “I’m not really interested in continuing that particular discussion with people who won’t do their homework or check their sources.”
I assume that you are directing this at me. I have done my homework on this and in-fact, have studied the subject extensively. For all of the arguments that have been stated in the Wikipedia sources, there are counter arguments that leave far too many unanswered/ unexplained phenomena. The fact of the matter is scientists with the green agenda are Imagineering results and answers that suit their purposes.
“Back in the states, I am struck by how we take for granted the presence of large wildlife. Who hasn’t seen deer while living in the US or Canada? Our national, state, and provincial parks and forests are teeming with black bears, moose, wolves, and other animals that you don’t need binoculars and a field guide to identify.”
I’m not defending South Korea, but the peninsula is in a completely different situation. Yellowstone N.P. is nearly 1/10 the entire size of the ROK. Add up the other national parks (Yosemite, Rocky Mountain Glacier, etc) and you have a giant area with very little human settlement and virtually no hunting, farming or other encroachment.
“Koreans are rightfully proud of the natural beauty of their mountains, made accessible through user-friendly, affordable national parks, yet seem to have done little to protect native fauna.”
South Korea has forty times the population density of the United States, with few pockets that have escaped human encroachment (animal habitats need wider areas than Korea’s national parks). The war and starvation must have also dealt a major blow to wildlife, and they never bounced back.
Much better management is necessary, but how many deer, black bears, moose, wolves, and other animals would you see if the US had 4.8 billion people (same area but with ROK’s population density) in a not long ago war-ravaged land?
It’s a monumental task to protect any kind of wildlife in Korea. Making it anything like the U.S. would require everyone leaving.
You make valid points, User-81, but you left out one significant cause of the depletion of wildlife - Hanyak. While living in Korea, I recall reading in the paper a story about a man who found a rare white snake in the wild. What did he plan to do with this amazing creature? Sell it to a Hanyak pharmacist.
Wolves, once thought to be pests, were hunted to extinction in Yellowstone. The present population is descended from a small pack brought in from Canada.
Bears and wolves need a lot of space to roam and hunt, but deer don’t. Outside of hunting season, deer are quite happy to share living space with humans, eating from gardens and garbage cans, leaving lyme disease-bearing ticks behind.
Despite Korea’s high population density, its national parks are large enough to support large wildlife with proper population management and a willingness from Koreans not to hunt unlawfully.
Sonagi clearly shows one real problem in how Koreans of older generations regard things in nature or almost anything around them: as a means to profit. Just how much are the pines, the fish or any gate worth and, if worthy, how does one go about protecting them? I’m only advocating better stewardship of these things and it can not wait until the older generations pass for then it would be too late for quite a few things.
As a sidenote: out in the country here, when I take trips, I notice that many people have left the countryside, leaving quite a few deserted houses. As a result, quite a few animals have really flourished, though some like wild pigs have become more of a menace to people walking around. They were the main source of food for tigers and leopards, once upon a time, for there are no tigers down south now.
To be fair, Elgin, North Americans have been quite voracious in pillaging our natural resources for profit. If there were a general market for deer antlers, bear paws, and the like in North America, there’d be a lot more poaching.
For more on the linkage between Korean pines, cultural treasures, and the Sungnyemun disaster, see this article in the (English) Chosun Ilbo:
http://english.chosun.com/w21d.....20017.html
“Japan’s Hinoki Forests vs. Korea’s Pine Forests” which contains an unflattering comparison with the East Sea neighbors. Of course the comparisons are not ‘fair’ if you consider the state of Korean forests in the late 19th century, when the countryside and mountians were almost entirely denuded except in the far north. Under the Japanese occupation there were initially substantial programs aimed at reforestation, but from the early 1930s onward the whole emphasis shifted to bleeding Korean resources dry, including the remaining forests, to supply the Japanese expansion into China and the Pacific, and the many rural people who had been displaced by Japanese land policies and fled to the mountains to practise slash and burn agriculture (hwajeonmin) also contributed to further forest degradation. Great efforts were made to plant pine trees in the 1960s and 70s and most of the pines in Korea today date from that time. And Japanese forest management in general is no paragon of wise stewardship… however, they have taken very good care of those hinoki forests that were meant to be used in the periodic rebuilding of shrines and temples.
Also, re Sonagi #34:
“To be fair, Elgin, North Americans have been quite voracious in pillaging our natural resources for profit. If there were a general market for deer antlers, bear paws, and the like in North America, there’d be a lot more poaching.”
There has been in fact large-scale and systematic poaching of bears in the Great Smoky Mtns. National Park and surrounding national forest areas in the US… the bears are killed only for their gall bladders, which are sold by the white hunters to mostly Korean and Korean-American hanyak brokers.
#34. When you have Black Bears breaking into homes in New Jersey, I would say you can spare a few gall bladders.