The Role of Forests in the Climate Crisis Era... "Leading Wildfire Response and Carbon Neutrality through Integrated Management"

The Korean Association for Public Administration held a seminar on the 7th with the theme "The Role of Forests in the Era of Climate Crisis." (From left) Lim Sang-seop, Director of Forest Protection Bureau at the Korea Forest Service; Park Hyun, Director of the National Institute of Forest Science; Ryu Do-hyun, Deputy General Manager at MBC; Moon Hyun-chul, President of the Forest Fire Society; Noh Dong-woon, President of the Korean Climate Change Association; Yoon Soon-jin, Chairperson of the Carbon Neutrality Committee; Choi Byung-am, Administrator of the Korea Forest Service; Won Sook-yeon, President of the Korean Association for Public Administration; Hong Hyung-deuk, Former President of the Korean Policy Science Association; Wi Geum-sook, Director of the Crisis Management Research Institute; Choi Jeong-gi, President of the Korean Forest Science Society; Seo Jae-cheol, Senior Advisor of Green Alliance; Oh Soo-gil, Chairperson of the National Council for Sustainable Development; and Kim Eun-joo, Executive Director of the Korean Association for Public Administration, are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A total of 141 countries, including South Korea, announced the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties held last November. The core of the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration is the pledge to halt forest loss and land degradation by 2030. It reflects a shared recognition that forests are essential for carbon neutrality and a clear commitment by each country to actively engage in forest conservation and protection.

In line with this international movement, the Korean Association for Public Administration held a seminar on the 7th under the theme "The Role of Forests in the Era of Climate Crisis."

Organized by the Korean Association for Public Administration and supported by the Korean Society of Climate Change, the Korean Forest Science Society, and the Korea Forest Service, the seminar brought together NGOs, academia, and disaster experts to confirm a shared understanding of the importance of forests as a key carbon sink and to explore efficient management measures for wildfire response as a pillar of forest conservation and protection.

The event proceeded with an opening address by Won Suk-yeon, president of the Korean Association for Public Administration, a welcoming speech by Choi Byung-am, commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, a video congratulatory message from Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, followed by a keynote lecture by Yoon Soon-jin, chairperson of the Carbon Neutrality Committee, presentations, and discussions among stakeholders.

In his opening remarks, Won Suk-yeon stated, "In a recent public opinion survey, 91.9% of respondents said that climate crisis response should be a major agenda in the presidential election. This confirms public awareness of the climate crisis and carbon neutrality and underscores the need for integrated forest management efforts to take a step closer to solving the climate crisis."

In the keynote lecture that followed, Yoon Soon-jin, chairperson of the Carbon Neutrality Committee, emphasized, "Carbon neutrality is both a timely challenge and an international norm, and it will inevitably transition into an industrial and economic norm in the future. However, South Korea currently ranks 11th globally in carbon neutrality preparedness, making cooperation across all sectors crucial as we prepare for the carbon neutrality era centered on forests."

The seminar presentation was delivered by Park Hyun, director of the National Institute of Forest Science. Under the theme "Integrated Wildfire Management for Climate Crisis Response," Director Park stressed that wildfire management should be led by specialized forest institutions. Considering the current situation where wildfires are becoming year-round and larger due to climate change, it is important to respond to wildfires through forest-related agencies specialized in wildfire crisis management.

Provided by Korea Forest Service

Strengthening wildfire crisis response capabilities also emerged as a key topic during the expert discussions. Participants included Roh Dong-woon, president of the Korean Society of Climate Change; Ryu Do-hyun, deputy general manager at MBC; Moon Hyun-chul, president of the Korean Wildfire Society; Seo Jae-cheol, senior advisor at Green Korea United; Oh Soo-gil, policy committee chair of the National Council for Sustainable Development; Wi Geum-sook, director of the Crisis Management Research Institute; Lim Sang-seop, director of Forest Protection Bureau at the Korea Forest Service; Choi Jeong-gi, president of the Korean Forest Science Society; and Hong Hyung-deuk, former president of the Korean Association for Public Administration (in alphabetical order), who shared their views.

Lim Sang-seop, director of the Forest Protection Bureau at the Korea Forest Service, diagnosed, "63% of South Korea's land is forest, and 96% of the total forest area is classified as timberland exposed to potential wildfire damage. Recently, countries worldwide have been exposed to frequent and large-scale wildfires due to climate change and other factors, and South Korea is also entering this influence zone."

He added, "To prevent wildfires from escalating into national disasters, cooperation and efforts from related ministries, local governments, and the public are necessary. Above all, unnecessary competition and discord regarding wildfire jurisdiction should be avoided as they weaken disaster response capabilities."

Additionally, Hong Hyung-deuk, former president of the Korean Association for Public Administration, stressed, "It is important to establish an integrated command system centered on specialized forest management departments tailored to the characteristics of wildfire disasters, enabling systematic and comprehensive responses on the ground. Above all, in line with the era of digital transformation, it is essential to utilize advanced scientific technologies to monitor wildfires in real time and to systematically enhance systems necessary for wildfire prevention and response."

Oh Soo-gil, policy committee chair of the National Council for Sustainable Development, also emphasized, "Wildfires not only cause the loss of forests, which are key carbon sinks, but also trigger massive carbon emissions. In this context, wildfire management should not be approached merely as extinguishing flames but should involve integrated management of prevention, suppression, and restoration within a single organization."

Roh Dong-woon, president of the Korean Society of Climate Change, highlighted, "In the future, forests will not only absorb carbon dioxide to contribute to carbon neutrality but also serve as a major source of various forest welfare services, making efforts to protect them from wildfires important both domestically and internationally."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.