Forest Management Act (Act No. 35 of 2018).

This Act is enacted to promote the integrated promotion of the efficiency and optimization of forest management, by establishing a business management right accumulation plan, acquiring business management rights from forest owners, and taking measures such as conducting business management on their own, or assigning business management licenses to private operators, etc., thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the forestry sector and the fulfilment of the multifaceted functions of forests. The Act consists of 8 Chapters: General Provisions (I); Aggregation of Management Rights in Municipalities (II); Forest Management by Municipalities(III); Licenses to Private Business Operators(IV); Orders for Measures to Prevent Disasters, etc. (V); Support Measures for Forestry Business Operators (VI); Miscellaneous Provisions (VII); Penal Provisions (VIII).
In this law, the term management rights refers to rights entrusted by forest owners in order for municipalities to manage manage forests that forest owners should perform.
Municipalities shall, with regard to all or part of the forests within their region, take into consideration the state of management of said forests, the actual situation of the region in which said forests exist, and other circumstances, and determine the right to manage said forests. In cases where it is deemed necessary and appropriate to accumulate the management rights in the relevant municipality, a business management right accumulation plan shall be established.
Municipalities shall follow the provisions of Ordinances of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries when they intend to assign management licenses to private business operators for forests for which they have management rights, and shall establish a business management license allocation plan.
Municipalities may request forestry business operators to report on the status of management and other necessary matters concerning the forests for which the management licenses have been granted.