Oxygen Cafe Cheongsong-gun Opens the Era of 'Forest Renaissance' for Better Living in the Woods!

Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, announced its 2023 forest policy direction to open a renaissance era of prosperous forests by cultivating premium forests that provide rest and healing, under the city brand "Oxygen Cafe Cheongsong-gun," which expresses clear air and a clean image.

Oxygen Cafe Cheongsong Garden.

This year's forest policy direction for Cheongsong is, first, ▲‘Economic Forest’ that economically benefits forest owners and forestry workers; second, ▲‘Welfare Forest’ that embraces the lives of residents; and lastly, ▲‘Ecological Forest’ that is healthy and safe.

To achieve this, the county plans to actively implement various policies such as social contribution-type forest carbon offset projects to proactively respond to the transition to a carbon-neutral society by 2050, while revitalizing the local economy through the creation of premium forests and providing forest welfare.

To achieve an economic forest that economically benefits forest owners and forestry workers, a stable production, processing, and distribution system for forest products will be established, and forest income projects will be supported to improve forestry workers' income and enhance external competitiveness.

Additionally, to develop the forest industry and strengthen the capabilities of forestry workers, the Cheongsong Forest Products University is being operated with regionally tailored forestry education, and continuous nurturing of forestry workers will be pursued to promote forest industry development.

Furthermore, to compensate for the low income of local forestry workers and promote the public functions of forestry and forests, promotion and guidance education on the forestry direct payment system will be conducted to ensure that more forestry workers owning eligible forest lands can benefit.

Next, to achieve a welfare forest that everyone can enjoy, administrative efforts will focus on expanding forest recreation facilities, operating the forest experience center for young children, and maintaining hiking trails in residential areas, providing various forest welfare services.

The county has been operating a forest library within the Cheongsong Natural Recreation Forest since 2021, stocking about 1,000 children's and general cultural books, providing visitors and local residents with a space to read in the pristine nature.

This year, plans are in place to offer recreational services that provide special value in line with new consumption trends, and continuous improvements will be made going forward.

Moreover, forest welfare services will be provided so that vulnerable groups in welfare blind spots can use forest welfare vouchers, and customized forest experience programs utilizing excellent forest resources will be offered at the Cheongsong Forest Experience Center for young children to contribute to fostering creative thinking and emotional development.

In addition, with a secured budget of 200 million KRW for the 2023 transition project, hiking trails in residential areas such as the birch forest in Hwajang-ri, Bunam-myeon, and Bibongsan in Jinbo-myeon will be maintained. This project aims to prevent mountain safety accidents due to increased hiking populations and create premium forest trails where residents can enjoy recreation, healing, and leisure activities without inconvenience.

Thirdly, to build a healthy and safe forest ecosystem, forest tending projects and afforestation projects will be implemented, and full efforts will be made to prevent forest fires and control forest pests and diseases to nurture ecologically healthy and sustainable forests.

First, with a total budget of 43.88 million KRW this year, the county will manage 1,442 hectares of forest tending projects (including public forest tending, natural forest improvement, and young tree tending) and 80 hectares of afforestation projects to care for the entire forest area of Cheongsong-gun.

Particularly, the county will focus on cracking down on and promoting the prohibition of arbitrary burning near forest edges to prevent forest fires in advance. Based on various experiences such as winning the 2022 Gyeongbuk Province ground forest fire suppression competition and participating in large-scale forest fire suppression operations in Uljin, the county is prepared to respond actively with rapid fire suppression operations in case of forest fires.

To protect Cheongsong's beautiful forests from pests and diseases, a forest pest monitoring and control team is operated, and aerial surveillance using drones will be introduced.

Additionally, with a project budget of 1.1 billion KRW, the county will carry out anti-landslide projects in landslide-prone areas to prevent landslides and remove hazardous trees near residential areas, striving to prevent and minimize damage to residents' lives and property from forest disasters. Through sterilization treatment of 65 protected trees and old-growth trees with high preservation value, surgical treatments, and restoration projects of traditional village forests, the county plans to create forests where people and nature can coexist harmoniously.

Cheongsong-gun, the winner of the Gyeongbuk Wildfire Ground Suppression Competition.

Moreover, to contribute to national greenhouse gas reduction policies, in 2022, the county promoted a non-tradable forest carbon offset project through forest management (such as forest tending), becoming the first local government in Gyeongbuk Province to complete registration (area 101.07 hectares, expected forest carbon absorption 18,094 tCO2). In 2023, the county plans to promote a tradable forest carbon offset project through vegetation restoration (such as urban forest creation) to generate revenue and maintain and enhance the forest's carbon absorption function, actively responding to climate change.

Along with creating premium forests, the operation of Oxygen Cafe Cheongsong Garden and Cheongsong Solbit Garden provides attractions for tourists, and flower paths and various flower beds around walking trails frequently used by local residents will be created to improve the landscape and offer residents a healing space in their everyday lives.

In particular, the 'Oxygen Cafe Cheongsong Garden' in the Shingi-ri area of Pacheon-myeon, the largest cockscomb flower garden in the nation, has received favorable reviews for providing a healing space fitting the image of the regional city brand "Oxygen Cafe Cheongsong-gun" to residents and tourists.

After a pilot complex opening in 2021 and an official opening in 2022, more than 100,000 visitors came during the roughly two-month operation period last year, establishing it as a new tourist attraction in Cheongsong.

Based on last year's operation results, this year plans include adding various sculptures, creating a wedding landmark, and expanding various attractions and convenience facilities to attract more visitors.

Seasonal diverse landscapes will be created by operating the Cheongbori barley field in May and the cockscomb garden in September, and various performances and events will be hosted to provide local residents and visitors with a true space for rest and healing.

County Governor Yoon Kyung-hee expressed her ambition, saying, "We will lead local economic revitalization through the realization of forest commercialization and cultivate more beautiful and abundant forests with advanced forest management to open a renaissance era of prosperous forests."