Gwangju city in Gyeonggi Province has unveiled a mid- to long-term blueprint for forest welfare leveraging its abundant woodland resources.
The city announced Monday that it has established the "Gwangju-type Comprehensive Forest Welfare Plan from 2026 to 2035," based on forests that account for 65.5% of its total area.
The plan focuses on creating a forest welfare environment that residents can experience in daily life and systematically expanding related services and infrastructure. Targeting a "sustainable carbon-neutral city," Gwangju plans to build four key hubs centered on forest welfare and wood culture and carry out 24 priority projects in phases.
First, the city will develop hubs combining forest recreation and healing functions. It plans to invest 47.9 billion won ($35 million) in the Usan-ri area of Toechon-myeon to build "Neoreungol Natural Forest Retreat (Healing Town)," equipped with lodging, experiential programs and educational facilities, by June 2027. In parallel, the city aims to attract a "National Healing Forest" that includes a 11 billion won forest therapy education center and woodland trails, strengthening its healing-centered forest welfare foundation.
Accessibility to forest welfare within residential areas will also be enhanced. Barrier-free shared trails and a children's forest experience center will be created in the Taehwasan Academic Forest area. In the city center, a 5 billion won community-oriented local garden will be built to promote residents' health. The city also plans to create "cool breeze corridor forests" to mitigate urban heat island effects and improve air quality.
Cultural and educational infrastructure utilizing wood will be expanded as well. The city will invest 45.5 billion won to build a "Carbon-Neutral Wood Education Center" focused on domestic timber in the Mokhyeon-dong area by 2027. Linked to this, a wood culture experience center and a forest arboretum will be developed as forest tourism hubs. Additionally, an eco-friendly wooden observation deck worth 13.1 billion won will be installed in the Namhansanseong area for use as a tourism resource.
The city will also pursue a "wood-friendly city" initiative to bring wood utilization into everyday spaces. In the Songjeong-dong area, 5 billion won will be spent to install wooden walkways. Indoor wood finishing at multi-use facilities and wood construction at children's facilities will expand the use of domestic timber. A timber industry complex will also be developed to build the related industrial base.
After 2027, the city plans to shift policy focus from simple facility expansion to inter-hub connectivity and operational vitalization. Through this, it aims to raise the quality of forest welfare services and build a sustainable operational system.
"Through this comprehensive plan, Gwangju will leap forward as a forest welfare city, shifting from tourism-centered to healing-centered approaches and expanding from appreciation to education," Mayor Bang Se-hwan said. "We will simultaneously revitalize the local economy and achieve carbon neutrality through forest infrastructure expansion."