Forest Aviation Headquarters was established with three small helicopters as the Forest Aviation Center of Korea Forest Service in April 1971, with the aim of protecting Korea’s forest resources from forest diseases and pests. But as inflammable materials including fallen leaves increased in the forests, the damages related to wildfire grew. The government concluded that the Forest Aviation Center was no longer capable of effectively responding to wildfire, and revised the system of Korea Forest Service and its sub-organizations. Starting with the Forest Aviation Office, which was established in May 1991, Forest Aviation Headquarters has secured 48 helicopters and emerged as the nation’s largest forest aviation service provider.
Forest Aviation Headquarters is protecting the public and national properties from various natural disasters and accidents, including wildfire, forest diseases and pests, natural disasters and distress. With the climate change caused by global warming and the changes in Korean society, including the national income growth, the number of disasters and
accidents is growing. Forest Aviation Headquarters also safely transports the various materials necessary for the recovery and protection of national and public facilities, including Sungnyemun Gate. In particular, Forest Aviation Headquarters does its utmost to prevent and respond to various disasters 365 days a year through the shared efforts of all members, including pilots, mechanic, wildfire fighters and members of support divisions, in order to prevent safety accidents, as most services are operated in the air and the conditions for operating services are not favorable. With the relocation of our office building to Wonju in 2013, Forest Aviation Headquarters will work to promptly respond to new changes and emerge as the nation’s best and most central aviation organization.