Gapyeong County to build 3 billion won forest resource recycling center

Gapyeong County has been selected for the ‘2027 Unused Forest Resource Recycling Center Construction’ project led by Gyeonggi Province. The selection secures 1.8 billion won in national and provincial funds, contributing to a total project budget of 3 billion won shared with the Gapyeong Forestry Cooperative.

Scheduled for construction between 2027 and 2028 in Sangsaek-ri, Gapyeong-eup, the center will focus on repurposing forest byproducts, such as branches and wood damaged by pine wilt disease. Since the first outbreak in 2013, the entire county has been designated as a pine species export prohibition zone, making it difficult to use damaged wood for traditional lumber. This has previously forced the disposal of wood as low-value sawdust.

The new facility will include two buildings for wood chip and sawdust production and storage, along with specialized forestry machinery and transport vehicles. The Gapyeong Forestry Cooperative plans to process thousands of tons of forest resources annually into wood chips and pellets to supply local livestock farms and power plants, fostering a sustainable local energy and timber industry.