JBNU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Academic Forest Division and the Jeonbuk Life Forest Association launched an effort to create a carbon-neutral urban forest with citizens ahead of Arbor Day.

The two organizations held a 'Tree-Planting With Citizens' event on March 28 at JBNU's Deokjin Academic Forest. They planted a total of 400 trees, including hinoki (Japanese cypress), on nearby unauthorized cultivation sites where forest had not been established and near the Traditional Culture Experience Center.

About 150 citizens participated in the event, including members of the Jeonbuk Bank Volunteer Group, the Jeonbuk Environmental Movement Federation, Yanghyeon Middle School, and Kokkiri Kindergarten, supporting forest care efforts in the Geonjisan area.

This activity is particularly meaningful because it took place at Geonjisan, an academic forest of JBNU that citizens use in their daily lives. Participants not only planted trees but also took part in forest maintenance activities such as vine removal, contributing to the restoration of the urban forest's health and enhancement of its ecological value.

In particular, the tree-planting event ahead of Arbor Day served as an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of carbon neutrality as a daily practice in response to the climate crisis. Through hands-on experience planting trees and caring for the forest, citizens shared the understanding that urban forests are an important foundation that not only provide spaces for rest but also absorb carbon and sustain biodiversity.

Kang Hak-mo, Director of JBNU's Academic Forest (Professor, Department of Forest Environmental Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences), said, "As the academic forest is a precious urban forest that Jeonju citizens visit in their daily lives, this tree-planting activity is significant not only as planting but as a process in which citizens and the university jointly create the value of the forest. We will continue to contribute to practicing carbon neutrality and building a healthy urban ecosystem through citizen-participatory forest stewardship activities."

Meanwhile, JBNU and the Jeonbuk Life Forest Association plan to continue cooperating to systematically manage the urban forest in the Geonjisan area and to expand citizen-participatory forest stewardship activities.