Realizing climate resilient development pathways in forestry: A focus on carbon management in Republic of Korea

Overcoming the climate crisis and achieving the 1.5 °C target requires the exploration of climate-resilient development pathways (CRDPs), as emphasized in the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) AR6 report. Republic of Korea has aligned itself with the international context by setting nationally determined contributions (NDC) and long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LEDS) goals. In addition, the country has announced plans to enhance carbon sink in the forestry sector. This study explored the CRDP in the forestry sector using an advanced Korean forest dynamic growth model (AKO-G-Dynamic model) with refined management algorithms. We utilized this model and applied various options for forest management based on the available detailed data, including climate change scenarios and policies reflecting possible CRDPs in the Republic of Korea. As a result, CO₂ sequestration in the 2050s was predicted to be 23.08 million tCO₂ year⁻¹ if climate change SSP 5–8.5 and the current forest management level are maintained and 28.49 million tCO₂ year⁻¹ if climate change SSP 1–2.6 and resilient level of forest management are applied. Furthermore, from the perspective of the age class of the forest, the proportion of over-matured forests decreased, leading to an improvement in the imbalance of age classes as climate change mitigation and sustainable forest management were implemented. Therefore, this study demonstrated realizable CRDPs and their implementation in decision-making concerning the NDC and LEDS. This comprehensive analysis of climate change and forest management, exploring the CRDP from various perspectives, can contribute to the development of forest management policies for climate adaptation strategies and carbon sink enhancement, thereby influencing the allocation of the carbon budget.