• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.4
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• pp.561-573
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• 2023

National forests have an advantage over private forests in terms of higher investment in capital, technology, and labor, allowing for more intensive management. As such, national forests are expected to serve not only as a strategic reserve of forest resources to address the long-term demand for timber but also to stably perform various essential forest functions demanded by society. However, most forest stands in the current national forests belong to the fourth age class or above, indicating an imminent timber harvesting period amid an imbalanced age class structure. Therefore, if timber harvesting is not conducted based on systematic management planning, it will become difficult to ensure the continuity of the national forests' diverse functions. This study was conducted to determine the optimal volume of timber production in the national forests to improve the age-class structure while sustainably maintaining their economic and public functions. To achieve this, the study first identified areas within the national forests suitable for timber production. Subsequently, a forest management planning model was developed using multi-objective linear programming, taking into account both the national forests' economic role and their public benefits. The findings suggest that approximately 488,000 hectares within the national forests are suitable for timber production. By focusing on management of these areas, it is possible to not only improve the age-class distribution but also to sustainably uphold the forests' public benefits. Furthermore, the potential volume of timber production from the national forests for the next 100 years would be around 2 million m³ per year, constituting about 44% of the annual domestic timber supply.