Gapyeong County Pursues Forest Circular Management and Future City Model

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Um In-yong] Gapyeong County is embarking in earnest on building a future city model through forest circular management and carbon-neutral timber construction together with National Assembly Member Kim Yong-tae and others.

On the 27th, the county signed a business agreement for the 'Gapyeong Wood City Consortium' at the National Assembly with Rep. Kim Yong-tae, the National Institute of Forest Science, and the Forest Science Division at Seoul National University. The agreement included participation from Supro and Unidplus, timber and forestry specialists; FundingBox, an international funding organization; and K-Funding Partners.

Through the agreement, the county plans to research sustainable timber utilization technology and carbon-neutral forest circular management models utilizing timber from the Gapyeong region, while also exploring regional development measures.

Furthermore, using this agreement as a springboard, the county plans to apply for 'International Joint Research on Carbon-Neutral Timber Cities' to the 'Horizon Europe Project,' the European Union's largest research and innovation program. Horizon Europe is the world's largest multilateral research and innovation project with a total budget of 95.5 billion euros (approximately 140 trillion won) to be invested over seven years from 2021 to 2027.

Rep. Kim Yong-tae stated, "This agreement is an attempt to address issues that the timber industry currently faces, such as damaged trees from climate change and underutilized forest resources, at the regional level," and emphasized, "Starting with this agreement, through demonstration research centered on timber utilization, we will create a new model for sustainable cycling of the forest resources the region possesses."

Gapyeong County Governor Seo Tae-won stated, "Through the creation of 'Gapyeong Wood City' utilizing timber from the Gapyeong region, we will respond to the climate crisis and foster an image of a timber-friendly city," and emphasized, "We will realize sustainable forest management and achieve landmark progress in the timber industry through regional economic revitalization."