Hanwha Group Creates Solar Forest No. 11 'Carbon-Absorbing Forest: Uljin'

20,000 ㎡ Site in Nagok-ri, Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk
8,000 Trees Planted... Creation of Solar Forest No. 11

Hanwha Group employees are planting trees to create the Forest of the Sun. Photo by Hanwha Group

Hanwha Group is launching the 11th 'Hanwha Forest of the Sun' to restore the habitats of endangered flora and fauna that lost their homes due to wildfires.

The 11th Hanwha Forest of the Sun was established on April 19 at Nagok-ri in commemoration of Earth Day on April 22. The tree-planting event was attended by Hanwha Group employees, local residents, Uljin County officials, Korea Rural Community Corporation, Korea Beekeeping Association, university students, and representatives from Tree Planet. Approximately 8,000 various nectar-producing trees were planted on a site of about 20,000㎡.

The name of the 11th Forest of the Sun is ‘Carbon-absorbing Forest: Uljin.’ It aims to expand beyond the existing Forest of the Sun campaign’s focus on wildfire area restoration and carbon offsetting to find fundamental solutions for the healthy survival of diverse species and ecosystems, including endangered flora and fauna.

This year, to encourage consumer participation and interest, the forest was created in proportion to the approximately 8,000 virtual trees donated by consumers through the Forest of the Sun app.

First, to restore the habitat of the endangered wild animal ‘Sanyang’ (Korean goral), which lost its home due to the Uljin wildfire, trees of ‘Jindallae’ (azalea), the main food source of Sanyang, were planted. Additionally, the forest was created with Korean fir, which is endemic to Korea but now endangered, as well as nectar-producing trees such as lily trees and sawtooth oaks that protect honeybees and serve as pollinators, contributing to biodiversity conservation and leading ecosystem restoration.

Moreover, the nursery supplying saplings uses solar power equipment donated by Hanwha Q CELLS to produce electricity, minimizing the carbon emissions during sapling growth. The forest was also established focusing on species with strong carbon absorption capacity to achieve carbon neutrality. The forest, covering about 20,000㎡, is expected to absorb approximately 80 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

Hanwha Group has planted 530,000 trees since 2011 through the Forest of the Sun

Hanwha Group employees are taking a group photo in front of the site for the creation of the Forest of the Sun. Photo by Hanwha Group

Since 2011, Hanwha Group has been dedicated to the ‘Forest of the Sun’ campaign to restore our precious forests. In partnership with the social enterprise Tree Planet, Hanwha has created eco-friendly forests domestically and internationally, starting with the Tojin Nars desertification prevention forest in Mongolia in 2012, and has established a total of 10 forests in China, Korea, and other locations.

In total, this amounts to about 1.45 million square meters (approximately five times the size of Yeouido) and about 530,000 trees. Hanwha planted trees with high natural resilience to help forests destroyed by disasters recover naturally, selected plant species native to surrounding areas, and analyzed the soil of restoration sites in advance to create the most suitable soil environment.

In 2023, Hanwha Group became the first Korean company to join the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) ‘1t.org’ initiative, and this is the second forest established since then. ‘1t.org’ is an international effort involving companies, nonprofits, climate activists, and governments aiming to plant or conserve one trillion trees by 2030 to support the UN’s Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

A representative of the Forest of the Sun said, "Hanwha Forest of the Sun goes beyond forest restoration for carbon offsetting to present fundamental solutions for biodiversity restoration, creating a healthy virtuous cycle. We will continue to lead ecosystem restoration through the Forest of the Sun and ask for ongoing interest and support."

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