# The Red Forest (DD-105)

> The Red Forest is the roughly 10 km² (4 sq mi) area of woodland around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Exclusion Zone, in Polesia in The Ukraine. After reactor 4 exploded on April 26, 1986, the pine trees there absorbed very high doses of radiation and died, turning a ginger-brown color that gave the forest its name. During the cleanup the dead trees were bulldozed and buried in trenches. The area remains among the most contaminated in the zone, and wildfires there have raised concern about radioactive smoke. The footage shows the plant and red-tinted forest imagery.

- Department: Nature (also History)
- First published: 2023-12-03
- Last updated: 2023-12-03
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-red-forest/
- Original Reel title: he Red Forest
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **April 26, 1986**: Reactor 4 at Chernobyl explodes

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=the-red-forest

## Quick facts

- **DD-105-F01**: It covers about 10 km² around the Chernobyl plant. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Around the plant))_
- **DD-105-F02**: Reactor 4 exploded on April 26, 1986. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (April 26, 1986))_

## Write-up

Radiation from Chernobyl turned a pine forest ginger-brown. The Red Forest covers about 10 km² around the plant.

1. **Around the plant**: It covers about 10 km² around the Chernobyl plant.
2. **April 26, 1986**: Reactor 4 exploded on April 26, 1986.
3. **Ginger-brown**: The pines died and turned ginger-brown.
4. **Buried trees**: Cleanup crews bulldozed and buried the dead trees.
5. **Still contaminated**: It remains among the most contaminated areas.

## Related case files

- [NUCLEAR DISASTER (DD-297)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/nuclear-disaster/): I linked the same disaster from another angle

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: 'Turned red': the dead pines were ginger-brown; the Reel's footage is color-tinted. I kept the Reel's own wording for the location in the transcript.

## Video: The Red Forest: Radiation From Chernobyl Turned a Pine Forest Ginger-Brown

- Duration: 25.9 s · Published: 2023-12-03
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/C0Zp9PZpSes.mp4

### Transcript

This is the Red Forest an area near the Chernobyl reactor where pine trees turned red and died due to high levels of radiation. DID YOU KNOW? The intense radiation caused the chlorophyll in the trees to break down leading to this eerie and vivid transformation. The Red Forest serves as a lasting and visible reminder of the environmental impact of the catastrophic nuclear event that occurred on April 26th, 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: About how large is the Red Forest?**  
A: About 4 sq mi. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Around the plant) · Wikipedia: Red Forest)_

**Q: When did the Chernobyl explosion happen?**  
A: Reactor 4. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (April 26, 1986) · Wikipedia: Chernobyl disaster)_

**Q: What color were the dead pines?**  
A: That gave it its name. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Ginger-brown) · Wikipedia: Red Forest)_

**Q: What happened to the dead trees?**  
A: Bulldozed into trenches. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Buried trees) · Wikipedia: Red Forest)_

**Q: Is the area still contaminated?**  
A: Among the worst in the zone. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Still contaminated) · Wikipedia: Red Forest)_

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Red Forest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Forest)
- [Wikipedia: Chernobyl disaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "The Red Forest." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-105, last updated Dec 3, 2023. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-red-forest/