Forests and harvested wood products (HWPs) play a critical role in climate change mitigation by absorbing and storing carbon, as well as substituting for carbon-intensive materials. Accordingly, the forest sector is recognized as an important contribu...
Forests and harvested wood products (HWPs) play a critical role in climate change mitigation by absorbing and storing carbon, as well as substituting for carbon-intensive materials. Accordingly, the forest sector is recognized as an important contributor to national greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategies and nationally determined contributions (NDC). However, the carbon sequestration potential of domestic forests is gradually declining, and the stable supply of HWPs remains constrained. Under these circumstances, enhancing the GHG reduction effects of the forest sector and improving the feasibility of achieving NDCs require the establishment of an integrated management system that links forests and HWPs.
In this context, this study aims to quantitatively assess the GHG reduction effects of forests and HWPs and to establish a Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) framework that balances these effects. Through this approach, the study systematically analyzes carbon flows in forests and HWPs and seeks to suggest national-scale forest management and GSCM strategies that maximize GHG reduction effects in the forest sector from a medium- to long-term perspective.
To this end, the domestic wood supply chain was defined as forest establishment – forest growth and management – timber harvesting – timber distribution – HWP processing – HWP distribution – HWP use – HWP disposal. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was employed to quantify the GHG mitigation and emission contributions at each stage. Based on approximately 3 million m3 of domestic roundwood utilization in 2023, the analysis estimated a cumulative net GHG reduction of 100,701.07 tCO2eq. over a 100-year period. Forest carbon sequestration accounted for approximately 74% of the total effect, while storage and substitution effects associated with the use and recycling of HWPs were found to significantly enhance the cumulative reduction effects across the supply chain. Although cumulative reduction temporarily decreased following timber harvesting, the combined effects of forest regrowth through reforestation and storage and substitution effects from HWP utilization led to a recovery of cumulative reduction approximately 31 years after harvesting, followed by a continuous strengthening of reduction effects in the long term. In particular, expanding the share of long-lived wood products increased the 100-year cumulative net reduction effect by 5.42% and shortened the recovery period by approximately three years, demonstrating that the expansion of long-lived product use is an effective strategy for enhancing the climate change mitigation contribution of the domestic wood supply chain.
Based on these analytical results, an optimization model for the GSCM of domestic wood was developed to enhance GHG reduction effects in the forest sector at the national level. The model comprehensively accounts for GHG absorption, storage, substitution, and emissions occurring at each stage of the domestic wood supply chain and derives optimal management plans that maximize overall reduction effects. The model consists of an interface module for data collection and visualization of optimization results, a formulation module defining variables and equations, and an optimization module that searches for optimal solutions and derives decision-making alternatives based on linear programming. In the planning process, the model was designed to simultaneously reflect ecological, technological, and policy constraints, including current forest structure, changes in species composition and age-class distribution, HWP demand and regional processing capacity, and national GHG reduction targets. The optimization results provide detailed, region- and period-specific implementation plans for forest establishment, timber harvesting and distribution, and wood product production, along with associated changes in GHG reduction effects and forest structure. Through this model, forest establishment timing and species selection, timber harvesting and supply, and HWP utilization strategies can be systematically determined to maximize national GHG reduction effects.
Using the developed model, GHG reduction effects of afforestation and enhanced forest growth were analyzed. The results indicate that expanding forest area by 1ha annually through afforestation over a 100-year period yields a cumulative GHG reduction of 36,451tCO2eq., while improving the growth rate of afforested and regenerated stands by 1% results in an additional cumulative reduction of 9,231,645tCO2eq. over the same period. The analysis further confirms that simultaneously achieving the national forest-sector GHG reduction targets for 2030 and 2050 requires a combined strategy of afforestation expansion, enhanced forest growth, and increased timber harvesting. Specifically, approximately 8,000ha of new afforestation per year and a 40% improvement in forest growth are required, along with an average annual timber harvesting area of approximately 75,000ha during the initial five years. These findings suggest that the current forest structure and management intensity alone are insufficient to achieve the 2030 and 2050 national reduction targets concurrently. Meanwhile, the effects of these management strategies accumulate over time, leading to long-term improvements in overall GHG reduction performance and sustainability.
This study is significant in that it conceptualizes the domestic wood supply chain as an integrated system encompassing both forests and HWPs and presents a strategic GSCM framework applicable at the national scale. By integrating LCA-based quantitative analysis with optimization approach, this study comprehensively evaluates carbon flows across forests and HWPs and derives optimal reduction pathways that simultaneously consider policy objectives and ecological and technical constraints. In particular, the optimization model developed for GSCM of domestic wood functions as a decision-support tool that systematically evaluates and adjusts GHG reduction effects across all stages of the supply chain and can be applied to achieving national GHG reduction targets and formulating sustainable domestic wood utilization strategies. The results of this study provide a scientific basis and a systematic framework for GSCM of domestic wood, contributing to the formulation of national forest management and GHG reduction pathway addressing climate change.