Korea Forest Service to Accept Applications for 'Forestry Direct Payment' Next Month

Provided by Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Korea Forest Service announced on the 22nd that it will accept applications for the ‘2022 Forestry and Forest Public Interest Direct Payment (hereinafter referred to as Forestry Direct Payment)’ from August 1 to 31.

Applications can be made by forestry operators and agricultural corporations who are actually managing forestry in forest areas where forestry management entity registration is completed by the end of this month.

The Korea Forest Service plans to finalize the recipients through eligibility verification after the application period (August), conduct compliance inspections of mandatory requirements (August to September), and calculate and pay the final payment amount based on the results (November to December).

Recipients of the Forestry Direct Payment will be inspected for compliance with obligations such as maintaining the shape and function of the forest area, completing public interest function enhancement education, pesticide and soil (chemical fertilizer) testing, and sustainable forest resource management. Any non-compliance will result in a reduction of the payment, according to the Korea Forest Service.

Forestry operators wishing to apply should submit (in person) the Forestry Direct Payment registration application form and related documents to the local town, township, or neighborhood office with jurisdiction over the forest area during the application period.

For more detailed information regarding the Forestry Direct Payment application, please refer to the Korea Forest Service, local government websites, the forestry management entity support portal ‘Forestry-in’, or the project implementation guidelines.

Major Won, head of the Korea Forest Service’s Forestry Direct Payment Emergency Response Team, said, “The Forestry Direct Payment system is a newly introduced program this year and is expected to contribute, even if slightly, to increasing forestry household income. The Korea Forest Service will strive to ensure the system is smoothly established in the field.”

Meanwhile, the Forestry Direct Payment system is a program that allows annual direct payments to qualified forestry operators as defined by the ‘Forestry Direct Payment Act’ to promote the public interest functions of forestry and forests and to compensate for the low income of forestry operators.