• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.4
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• pp.451-458
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• 2023

As forest fires continue to increase in scale worldwide, the importance of forest roads in relation to forest fire prevention and suppression has become increasingly evident. To ensure effective functioning during a forest fire disaster, it is crucial to apply appropriate road planning and ensure roads' structural integrity. However, previous studies have predominantly focused on the impact of forest fires on firebreak efficacy and road placement, meaning that insufficient attention has been paid to ensuring the safety of these facilities. Therefore, this study sought to compare the strength of concrete facilities within areas damaged by forest fires over the past three years by using the rebound hammer test to identify signs of thermal degradation. The results revealed that concrete facilities damaged by forest fires exhibited significantly lower strength (15.6 MPa) when compared with undamaged facilities (18.0 MPa) (p<0.001), and this trend was consistent across all the target facilities. Consequently, it is recommended that safety assessment criteria for concrete forest road facilities be established to prevent secondary disasters following forest fire damage. Moreover, continuous monitoring and research involving indoor experiments are imperative in terms of enhancing the stability of forest road structures. It is expected that such research will lead to the development of more effective strategies for forest fire prevention and suppression.