The Korea Forest Service will plant 36 million trees across 18,000 hectares nationwide this year through a nationwide public participation initiative.
Korea Forest Service Minister Park Eun-sik announced the "2026 Nationwide Tree Planting Implementation Plan" at a press briefing held at the Government Daejeon Complex on the 4th.
The Korea Forest Service has designated 2026 as the "inaugural year of nationwide tree planting" and plans to promote tree planting projects that link forest resource development programs with nationwide tree planting campaigns.
Marking the first year of implementing the 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for greenhouse gas reduction, the agency focused on expanding the existing government-led afforestation policy into a public action movement.
Forests serve as the core means accounting for 97% of Korea's total carbon sinks. One ton of trees can absorb and store approximately 1.84 tons of carbon dioxide over their lifetime.
Accordingly, the Korea Forest Service views tree planting as the most concrete and actionable carbon neutrality policy and plans to further strengthen forests' carbon absorption function by expanding public participation.
To this end, a nationwide tree planting task force involving 12 ministries has been operating since January, spreading participation momentum for NDC implementation and identifying new carbon sinks utilizing idle land across ministries.
The Korea Forest Service will plant 36 million trees across 18,000 hectares this year. This covers an area approximately 60 times the size of Seoul's Namsan Mountain and is expected to absorb 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
The agency will expand the industrial timber supply base across 9,891 hectares including commercial forest development zones and enhance the economic value of forests through honey plant forests and regionally specialized afforestation.
Additionally, the agency will promote public benefit afforestation across 7,893 hectares through large tree planting and fire-resistant forest development, while tripling wildfire damage restoration and disaster prevention afforestation compared to the previous year to transition to climate disaster-resilient forests.
Furthermore, a total of 260 urban forests will be created, including 90 climate-responsive urban forests, 15 urban wind corridor forests, and 82 community-adjacent forests, expanding green spaces in residential areas and strengthening urban carbon storage functions.
Starting this year, the Korea Forest Service will expand the existing "Own My Tree Campaign" into the "Nationwide Tree Planting Campaign," promoting it as a national tree planting movement. Through this, the agency plans to establish tree planting as an everyday practice movement involving all citizens, beyond a government project.
The nationwide tree planting campaign will operate through four programs: public participation tree planting, corporate and civic organization-linked tree planting, inter-government collaborative tree planting, and tree distribution.
Public participation tree planting events will be held at 220 locations nationwide, and 460,000 seedlings will be distributed free of charge at 133 locations across the country.
The agency plans to broaden the foundation for nationwide participation by promoting tree planting that reflects regional characteristics, enabling everyone living in Korea—from young children to youth and adults—to participate in tree planting events.
In particular, through cooperation with the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, participants in tree planting events can apply for carbon action points, creating a virtuous cycle where participation becomes action and action leads to rewards, encouraging voluntary public participation.
The spring tree planting period runs from late February in southern regions to early May in northern regions. Planting will be conducted flexibly considering regional climate and soil moisture conditions to increase survival rates and create ecologically healthy forests.
The Korea Forest Service plans to expand new carbon sinks through nationwide tree planting and achieve tangible results for citizens, including climate crisis response and balanced regional development.
Korea Forest Service Minister Park Eun-sik said, "Responding to the climate crisis is not a task for the government alone but something that can only be achieved when all citizens practice together," adding, "I ask for the public's keen interest and participation in the nationwide tree planting initiative."