산림의 갱(gang) 송충이 대발생과 식민정부의 대응

Abstract

During the Japanese colonial period, the pine-caterpillar (Dendrolimus spectabilis) had already been causing damage to pine trees annually, and the colonial authorities had been paying attention to this problem from the beginning. Among the forest disasters, disease and insect damage and wildfires were the most damaging to the Korean forest. In particular, focusing on insect damage was due to the belief that natural disasters like pine-caterpillar can be resolved to some extent by the power of modern scientific knowledge and technology. Also, these achievements could show off the necessity for a colonial rule. For this reason, the colonial authorities had tried various ways to eliminate pine-caterpillar and reduce forest damage. The method used to be the most popular in Korean was continuously implemented by catching pine-caterpillar, and also attempted to use drugs and light traps. However, the effects of the human being on pest control were insignificant and consequently it was concluded that the most appropriate method of pest control was to change the forest structure of Korea. It was true that mixed forests are more effective than pine forests in preventing pests. However, emphasizing the basic principles of afforestation in this way meant eventually giving up pest control. Especially during the wartime, the goal of forest policy was to secure more timber, so the pest control, which did not have immediate effect, was subordinated. Finally, although not fully mentioned in this article, the destruction of the balance of forest ecosystems causing insect pests emphasized on the responsibility of Koreans entirely, on the other hand forest development during the colonial period wasnt rarely mentioned.