Kwak Ji Su, a Master's student in the Department of Climate Technology Convergence at our university's Graduate School (advisor: Professor Lee Chang Bae), received the Outstanding Poster Award at the “2025 Korean Society of Forest Science Summer General Meeting and Academic Conference” held from August 25 to 27.

This conference was held under the theme “A Paradigm Shift in Forest Management for Disaster Response.” Student Kwak Ji Su presented a poster titled “Identifying Controlling Factors for Above-Ground Biomass (AGB) and Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in Garisan Mountain, a Temperate Natural Forest in Korea.” This research was evaluated by the judges as an outstanding academic achievement for its integrated clarification of the biodiversity and carbon storage functions of both the aboveground and belowground parts of Korea's forests.

Student Kwak Ji Soo stated, “Forests are living systems with multiple functions, and biodiversity plays the most significant role in maintaining and balancing these functions. Researching how this biodiversity contributes to carbon, one of the forest's functions, is crucial as it provides clues for simultaneously enhancing two functions often perceived as conflicting.”

The research awarded the Excellence Prize in this competition was supported through the Korea Forest Service's ‘Graduate School for Carbon Sink Characterization (2023–2027)’ and ‘Center for Training Landslide Specialists (2024–2028)’.