○ Gyeonggi Province accelerates recreational forest amenity expansion projects for 2021
– KRW 31.7 billion investment to promote 11 projects this year (11 new sites, 21 supplementary projects)

○ Aimed at expanding number of recreational forest amenities from 200 to 230 by 2023
– Contributes to creation of 271 jobs in forest sector, including forest therapists and guides

With green welfare having recently emerged as an alternative to alleviate the COVID blues—that is, situational depression as opposed to clinical depression—Gyeonggi Province announced on September 1 that it is accelerating efforts to enhance recreational forest amenities by investing a total of KRW 31.7 billion this year and promoting 11 related projects.

Gyeonggi Province plans to offer forest welfare services and expand recreational forest amenities for residents who are physically and mentally fatigued by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic by establishing and maintaining recreational forests, arboretums, wood culture centers, forest centers for infants, and hiking trails.

Specifically, a total of 11 new sites are being established in places readily accessible from residential districts in city centers, including the Mubongsan Recreational Forest in Hwaseong City, an arboretum in Suwon City, the Cheonggyesan Forest Park in Seongnam City, the Wood Culture Center in Icheon City, the Healing Forest in Dongducheon City, a forest center for infants in Anyang City, and a woodworking center in Goyang City.

Gyeonggi Province will also provide its residents with comfortable and continuously available recreational forest environments by promoting supplemental projects at 21 existing recreational forest facilities, including a recreational forest in Yongin City, the Hwanghaksan Arboretum in Yeoju City, and the Daebudo Forest Park in Ansan City as well as a woodworking center.

Of particular note, as more and more people visit forests and mountains due to social distancing, the province is carrying out a maintenance project along 273 kilometers of hiking trails, including Gwanggyo Mountain, so as to establish safe and enjoyable hiking environments. Additionally, a new budget of KRW 4.3 billion has been allocated for the implementation of projects to maintain hiking trail signposts and create shelters on 27 famous mountains of Gyeonggi Province.

Moreover, in order to provide forest welfare services for residents, the province is expanding the operation of various customized experiential programs—ranging from forest therapy and woodworking to forest experiences—that reflect resident needs and provide opportunities to heal both body and mind.

Since last year, a variety of contactless experiential forest programs, such as the operation of video programs, the production and distribution of experiential forest kits, and on-site forest education programs, have been initiated to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

To this end, a total of 271 forest welfare professionals—including 20 forest therapists, 124 forest instructors for children, 29 woodworking instructors and 27 forest guides—are now working at healing forests, recreational forests, arboretums, experiential forest centers for children, and forest parks in Gyeonggi Province.

Gyeonggi Province plans to increase the number of recreational forest facilities from 200 this year to 230 in 2023 and will gradually expand the number of jobs in the forest recreation sector to 300 so as to realize the continuous extension of recreational forest services.

Currently, there are a total of 200 recreational forest facilities in Gyeonggi Province, including 18 recreational forests, 20 arboretums, 5 healing forests, 41 forest parks, 92 experiential forest centers for children, 1 forest campsite, 2 wood culture centers, 3 forest education centers and 1 forest ecological culture complex.

Lee Sung-kyu, Director of Gyeonggi Province’s Forestry Division, said, “We are endeavoring to expand convenient recreational forest facilities that can be accessed by all provincial residents from city centers and neighboring areas in line with future recreational forest trends. We will strive to promote such projects for our residents, whose bodies and minds have grown weary due to COVID-19, so they can take a break and enjoy leisure time.”