ID :
53715
Fri, 04/03/2009 - 18:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/53715
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S. Korea`s forestry resources up 9 fold since 1973: report
By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's forestry resources have increased nearly
nine-fold since the country launched a reforestation program in 1973, a
government report said Friday.
The Korea Forest Service (KFS) said the country's so-called growing stock reached
659.1 million cubic meters in 2008 compared to just 74.4 million cubic meters
when Seoul started its nationwide tree-planting campaign more than three decades
ago.
Growing stock refers to the volume of living trees in a given forested or wooded
region that have more than a certain specified diameter and height.
It also said there was a gain of 5.5 percent in the total number of trees from 2007.
The country began a systematic reforestation campaign to control flooding and
prevent the washing away of top soil that has a negative impact on farm
production. The recent increase in the number of trees also has the added benefit
of absorbing and holding more carbon dioxide in the environment.
South Korea is the world's ninth largest producer of carbon dioxide and other
gases cited as a major cause of global warming and is under mounting pressure to
play a more active part in worldwide efforts to reduce output in the coming
years.
The KSF said while the country's growing stock density is still not as high as
Japan and Germany, numbers have been gaining steadily in past decades.
For a hectare of forest land, growing stock density reached 103.39 cubic meters
in 2008 from 97.83 cubic meters the previous year. For Japan and Germany, growing
stock reached 176 cubic meters and 320 cubic meters, respectively, in 2008.
South Korea is widely hailed as a global role model in terms of its reforestation
efforts. Large numbers of trees were cut or destroyed in the last century as a
result of Japan's colonial occupation, the Korean War and a lack of fuel which
forced people to use wood for cooking and heating.
When the country first designated Arbor Day in 1946, one year after being
liberated from Japanese colonial rule, its growing stock stood at 56.4 million
cubic meters.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's forestry resources have increased nearly
nine-fold since the country launched a reforestation program in 1973, a
government report said Friday.
The Korea Forest Service (KFS) said the country's so-called growing stock reached
659.1 million cubic meters in 2008 compared to just 74.4 million cubic meters
when Seoul started its nationwide tree-planting campaign more than three decades
ago.
Growing stock refers to the volume of living trees in a given forested or wooded
region that have more than a certain specified diameter and height.
It also said there was a gain of 5.5 percent in the total number of trees from 2007.
The country began a systematic reforestation campaign to control flooding and
prevent the washing away of top soil that has a negative impact on farm
production. The recent increase in the number of trees also has the added benefit
of absorbing and holding more carbon dioxide in the environment.
South Korea is the world's ninth largest producer of carbon dioxide and other
gases cited as a major cause of global warming and is under mounting pressure to
play a more active part in worldwide efforts to reduce output in the coming
years.
The KSF said while the country's growing stock density is still not as high as
Japan and Germany, numbers have been gaining steadily in past decades.
For a hectare of forest land, growing stock density reached 103.39 cubic meters
in 2008 from 97.83 cubic meters the previous year. For Japan and Germany, growing
stock reached 176 cubic meters and 320 cubic meters, respectively, in 2008.
South Korea is widely hailed as a global role model in terms of its reforestation
efforts. Large numbers of trees were cut or destroyed in the last century as a
result of Japan's colonial occupation, the Korean War and a lack of fuel which
forced people to use wood for cooking and heating.
When the country first designated Arbor Day in 1946, one year after being
liberated from Japanese colonial rule, its growing stock stood at 56.4 million
cubic meters.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)
