Nam Seong-hyun, Korea Forest Service Chief: "50th Anniversary of National Greening, the First Year of 'Forest Renaissance'"

Nam Seong-hyun, the Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, is presenting the '2023 Work Plan' at the Government Complex Daejeon on the 12th, outlining a blueprint for creating an 'Era of Forest Renaissance' through advanced forest management. Photo by Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] “To mark the 50th anniversary of national reforestation, we will make this year the inaugural year of the ‘Forest Renaissance’ era.” On the 12th, Nam Sung-hyun, Administrator of the Korea Forest Service, said this while announcing the ‘2023 Work Plan’ at the Government Complex Daejeon.

This year, the Korea Forest Service will pursue five key tasks under the vision of ‘Creating a Renaissance Era through Advanced Forest Management.’

The big picture envisioned by Administrator Nam is to open the Forest Renaissance era where forests serve as a sanctuary and resting place for the public, a livelihood for forestry workers, and a key means for the nation to respond to the climate crisis.

The five key tasks prepared to achieve this are: ▲Preparation for the three major forest disasters including wildfires, landslides, and forest pests and diseases ▲Promotion of economic forestry such as increasing wood utilization and improving forestry household income ▲Expansion of social forestry through activation of forest welfare including forest healing ▲Activation of environmental forestry centered on biodiversity and carbon neutrality ▲Development of international cooperation to share national reforestation technologies.

First, the Korea Forest Service plans to invest 11.4 trillion KRW from this year until 2030 to strengthen domestic and international forest activities.

The purpose of strengthening forest activities domestically and abroad is to enable a reduction of 32 million tons of greenhouse gases, which corresponds to 11% of the national greenhouse gas reduction target for 2030, through forests.

The main carbon sequestration activities and greenhouse gas reduction amounts are set as follows: ▲23.009 million tons (74.7%) reduction through expanded forest management and minimizing forest disasters ▲100,000 tons (0.3%) through creation of green spaces such as urban forests using leftover spaces ▲1.005 million tons (4.7%) through expanded use of domestic wood (carbon storage) ▲1.005 million tons (4.7%) through energy conversion and utilization of forest by-products ▲5 million tons (15.7%) through preventing deforestation in developing countries (REDD+).

This year, emphasis will also be placed on ensuring public safety and increasing forestry workers’ income. For example, a new eco-friendly wood harvesting system will be introduced (June 11) that adjusts the maximum harvestable area from the existing 50 hectares to 30 hectares. Additionally, the upper limit on purchase price standards and restrictions on shared ownership for the mountain pension system will be removed (January), and the purchase area will be significantly increased from 371 hectares to 3,700 hectares to enhance the system’s effectiveness.

The Korea Forest Service will also promote new projects to ensure that the public can equally enjoy forest benefits in daily life. To spread home gardening, a mobile companion plant clinic converted from a bus will operate from June, and part of the East-West Trail connecting Uljin to Taean Anmyeondo (316 km out of a total 849 km) will be completed this year to meet the demand for long-distance hiking trails.

In addition, the Korea Forest Service plans to improve the eligibility criteria for forestry direct payments to the level of agricultural direct payments, enabling about 30,000 forestry households (compared to about 20,000 households when implemented last October) to benefit this year.

Furthermore, to secure the public functions of forests, the Korea Forest Service is promoting the introduction of a new ‘Forest Public Value Conservation Payment System’ to compensate private forest owners (30,000 owners, 90,000 hectares) in forest protection zones where property rights are restricted. To support the activation of private forest management, including granting special exceptions and establishing regulations for professional foresters, the ‘Forestry Promotion Act’ will be comprehensively revised into the ‘Private Forest Management Act.’

Nam Sung-hyun, Administrator of the Korea Forest Service, said, “We will strive to open the ‘Forest Renaissance era’ where Korea prospers through forests with advanced forest management. Based on the achievements of the 50th anniversary of national reforestation, we ask for the public’s strong support so that the forestry sector can achieve future-oriented development.”

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