Minister Kim Jae-hyun of Korea Forest Service. (Photo:KFS)

The Korea Forest Service (KFS) will establish 32 new forested areas around the country to help mitigate the negative effects of “fine dust,” including planning 11 forests within cities to help improve urban life around the country.

At a media briefing on Jan. 28 at the Daejeon Government Complex in Daejeon, Minister Kim Jae-hyun announced the 2019 plan to promote major projects for KFS in 2019, including boosting forest-type business models that utilize forestry assets which are geared to minimizing dust. It will also expand the forest service to create jobs around the country and at the same time upgrade the quality of life.

The major strategy for the promotion of the 2019 plan is centered on the separation of forest designated for preservation from forest assets that can help the economy, based on the new KFS plan for the management of the forests.

KFS will set up the new paradigm for new forestry management policies to establish the preservation policies against indiscriminate installation of the new recycled energy facilities. Under the production area preservation measures, forest assets will be transformed into energy for reformed growth.

KFS will give positive support to people in regional areas to find businesses related to forests to improve the quality of life in their towns, finding “national forests” along with tour programs to those forests, including famous tour routes and specialized assets, including interesting plants that grow in those forests.

KFS also plans to establish forests near residential areas so residents can visit with ease and enjoy the services provided, which would upgrade the quality of their lives.

KFS also will build four village gardens, and offer tour programs for the gardens, while strengthening the urban cluster network around the country. KFS will also develop a reservation system for nature forest recuperation and forest welfare facilities and youth forest education, among others, and expand the facilities for forest treatment, and other forest welfare and recuperation facilities for public enjoyment.

The overall theme of the Fourth Asia-Pacific Forestry Week (APFW2019) will be Forests for peace and well-being. This theme reflects the positive dimensions of forestry and suggests the need to proactively integrate forestry into the wider context of environment, society, and sustainable development, under which economic, social, human and cultural dimensions are considered in a holistic manner

Asia-Pacific Forestry Week (APFW2019) will be held in Songdo Convensia Convention Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea on 17-21 June 2019.

It will be one of the largest and most important forestry gatherings in the Asia-Pacific region in 2019. "Forests for peace and well-being" is the overall theme of APFW2019, which reflects the positive dimensions of forestry and suggests the need to proactively integrate forestry into the wider context of environment, society, and sustainable development, under which economic, social, human and cultural dimensions are considered in a holistic manner.

The Korea Forest Service (KFS) will host the event together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). We encourage participation and support of partner organizations and collaborators including government, civil society, research, academia, and the private sector.