Kookmin University (President JEONG, SEUNG RYUL) was newly designated by the Korea Forest Service on March 8 (Friday) as a training institution for tree doctors in Seoul.

Tree doctors are responsible for diagnosing, prescribing, and preventing or treating damage to trees, and the system was introduced to protect public health from improper use of medicines by non-professionals.

Until now, there has been a shortage of training centers in Seoul compared to the demand for training, and those in Gyeongbuk have had to travel to other regions to receive training. To improve the inconvenience of these trainees, the Korea Forest Service has designated two additional institutions (Kookmin University and National Andong University) as tree doctor training centers, one in Seoul and one in Gyeongbuk. With this designation, the number of tree doctor training centers has increased to 15 nationwide.

To become a tree doctor, candidates must meet the qualifications such as education, certification, or experience related to tree care, complete more than 150 hours of training at a training center, and pass the national certification exam.

Kookmin University's Department of Forest and Environmental Systems, which hosts the tree doctor training institute, plans to provide high-quality tree care training courses from the second half of this year based on its expertise in forest protection, urban forests, and tree management, as well as cooperation with external experts.