Shaun Ritchie, from Fraserburgh, was last seen with friends at a remote woodland area near Strichen at the end of October last year.
The operation is one of Police Scotland's longest-running missing persons inquiries.
The force said there was no evidence of a crime.
Det Ch Insp Matt Mackay said: "We are trying to bring closure to the family.
"It's one of the longest-running inquiries. It's such a vast area. It takes time."
Police say they want to help bring "closure" to the family of a missing Aberdeenshire man, one year after his disappearance.