Problems and Challenges: A Private Forest Purchase Method for National Forest Expansion in South Korea

This study analyzes the appraisal procedure for government purchasing of privately-owned forests in Korea, in terms of current status, existing procedures, and appraisal cases. The method is a widely conducted instrument of national forest expansion policy. For the purchase status, the purchase targets of private forests, unit price, and purchase records are analyzed. The purchase procedure is to analyze the process from the sale agreement submission of the owner to the transfer of ownership after completion of sales. The appraisal cases analyze the appraisal results according to the actual purchase of private forests. Three of the procedure’s most problematic aspects are identified: The selection of appraisal companies, the failure to include the value of standing trees, and ambiguities in appraisal criteria. The study suggests some ways of improving the continuing implementation of the national forest expansion program through ongoing purchases of privately-owned forests. Firstly, the selection process for appraisal companies needs to be improved by independent third-party institutions or a competitive bidding system. Secondly, since forests are classified into standing trees and forest land, these two categories need to be appraised separately rather than together, as is often currently the case. Thirdly, since appraisal factors are currently based primarily on appraisers’ subjective experience and knowledge, there is a need both for developing more objective appraisal criteria as well as for improving the training of appraisers themselves, to increase their level of expertise and ensure greater objectivity in forest appraisal.