[What's New in the New Year] Integration and Operation of 'Forest Disaster Response Unit'... Introduction of New Smart Forestry Farms

A new Forest Disaster Response Unit will be established and operated next year. The aim is to strengthen response capabilities by integrating previously dispersed functions into a single channel. Additionally, the introduction of new smart forestry farms will encourage young people to move to mountain villages.

Provided by the Korea Forest Service

On December 31, the Korea Forest Service announced these changes in forest policy for the new year. The updated policies focus on protecting the lives and property of citizens from forest disasters, promoting population inflow into mountain villages, and increasing forest owners' income to help overcome the risk of regional depopulation.

First, in order to respond swiftly and systematically to increasingly frequent and large-scale forest disasters throughout the year, the Korea Forest Service will integrate the forest fire prevention and suppression teams, special disaster response teams, landslide prevention teams, and forest pest monitoring teams-previously operated separately-into a single "Forest Disaster Response Unit."

To prevent forest disasters in advance, a new system will be introduced to review construction activities in areas adjacent to forests, allowing the Korea Forest Service to check for risk factors. The agency will also permit the discretionary removal of fire-prone trees located within 25 meters of the outer boundary of buildings adjacent to forests. This measure takes into account recent large-scale wildfires that caused significant damage to buildings near forests.

Next year, policies to address regional depopulation will also be strengthened. The Korea Forest Service explained that it will allow the creation of mountain village stay-type shelters to promote urban residents' experience of mountain life and encourage their relocation. In addition, new smart forestry farms will be introduced to attract young forestry workers and improve productivity in the sector.

Furthermore, to support the smooth progress of projects, the Korea Forest Service will rationalize mountain area regulations. For example, when converting forest land for the development of national high-tech strategic industries, the standard for the amount of standing timber will be excluded from the requirements.

Kim Inho, Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, stated, "The new forest policies for the coming year have been set to prioritize public safety and improve systems to meet on-site and societal changes. The Korea Forest Service will continue to actively discover and implement forest policies that the public can truly feel."