‘Achieving both logging and ecological conservation’—South Chungcheong Province supports ‘eco-friendly logging’

[Financial News, Hongseong = Reporter Kim Won-jun] South Chungcheong Province will begin providing direct support to forest owners to promote eco-friendly logging, which minimizes damage to ecosystems and natural landscapes during timber harvesting. The aim is to establish a sustainable, cyclical forest management system that balances timber production with forest conservation.
South Chungcheong Province announced on the 19th that it will provide a subsidy of 18,532 won per cubic meter, based on the standard value of standing timber, to forest owners who meet eco-friendly logging standards.
Eco-friendly logging involves leaving some trees in clusters or strips of forest when harvesting timber, instead of clear-cutting an entire forest. This can reduce disaster risks, including the destruction of wildlife habitats and soil runoff, and prevent damage to the landscape.
Eligible recipients are forest owners who meet eco-friendly logging standards under relevant laws and regulations, including retaining at least 20% of the total area in clusters of trees or strips of forest in logging areas of at least 5 hectares.
The subsidy will be calculated after an on-site inspection, taking into account factors including the volume of standing trees eligible for preservation and payment. Forest owners wishing to apply can submit an application to the forestry department of their jurisdictional city or county within six months of the day after their standing timber harvesting permit expires.
South Chungcheong Province plans to further strengthen the virtuous cycle of planting, tending, harvesting and replanting by planting and managing new tree species suited to site conditions after eco-friendly logging.
Ahn Gyu-won, head of South Chungcheong Province’s Forest Land Management Division, said, “Eco-friendly logging is an advanced approach that produces timber resources while also taking into comprehensive consideration the forest’s ecological value and the landscape we leave for future generations.” He added, “We will work closely with each city and county to strengthen policy guidance and do our utmost to ensure sustainable forest management takes root on the ground at an early date.”
Meanwhile, eco-friendly logging does more than simply leave some of the forest standing; it serves as a buffer against the sharp decline in carbon absorption capacity that can occur immediately after logging. When all the trees are cut down, organic matter in the soil rapidly decomposes, releasing large amounts of carbon. But the remaining forest, left in clusters or strips, maintains soil resources and microbial ecosystems, continuing to store carbon.
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