CHEONAN ― A mountain full of trees and a subsidiary firm named SK Forest were the results of a project spearheaded 40 years ago by former SK chairman Chey Jong-hyon.

The SK founder had planted a 30-centimeter-high tree on Mount Gwangdeok in 1972 to demonstrate the company’s plan to nurture its people in the same way it raises its trees.

Now SK Forest, which celebrated its 40th anniversary on Nov. 1, has a total of 3.8 million different trees, including 80 landscape plants, which are growing on the 4,100 hectares owned by the company.

The firm has also been leading environmental preservation efforts, according to SK Group officials.

It has been taking part in Afforestation and Reforestation Clean Development Mechanism project activities with the Korea Forest Service in Goseong, Gangwon Province, since January of this year. The project enables the trading of the saved amount of greenhouse gas that the trees absorb during the afforestation or reforestation stages.

SK Forest is also in the process of registering for the A/R CDM project at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, SK officials said. If this is carried forward, the company will become the first in Korea to have the right to make international carbon trades with its reforestation projects.

On top of such efforts, SK Forest built a factory for wood pellets ― a type of wood fuel ― in Hwasun, South Jeolla Province, in 2009, the first such factory in the nation.

Last year, it won another order to restore wasteland in Cambodia together with a Korean government task force.

“It’s meaningful since this will mark the first time for us to pass on our expertise which we have learned over the past several years,” said Park In-kyu, president of SK Forest.

SK Group, its parent firm, has also been participating in the forestation tasks; it donated 50 billion won ($45 million) to Sejong City in 2010 to construct an environment-friendly funeral facility.

Going a step further, SK Group enabled the design and execution of Ulsan Grand Park at no charge with the help of SK Forest.

“We will continue to develop renewable energy sources through SK Forest’s projects as we have already raised the firm into an eco-friendly forest-focused firm over the past 40 years,” said an SK Group official.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)