The Photosynthesis Engine
The Juknokwon bamboo forest in Damyang is a 160,000 square meter biological engine designed for rapid growth. The dominant species here is likely a type of timber bamboo, Phyllostachys bambusoides or a similar variant, known for its extreme growth rates. During the late spring shooting period, new culms—the proper term for bamboo stalks—can elongate by as much as one meter in a single 24-hour period. This is not growth in the conventional sense of cell division, but rather the rapid expansion of cells in the culm's segments, or internodes. The plant draws on energy stored in its vast underground rhizome system to fuel this explosive vertical expansion, a strategy to reach the forest canopy and access sunlight before competitors can.
This phenomenal growth rate drives a correspondingly high rate of carbon dioxide absorption. A study by South Korea's National Institute of Forest Science found that a single hectare of bamboo forest can absorb 35.5 tons of carbon dioxide annually. This is significantly higher than other native forests, such as those dominated by Korean red pines (9.7 tons) or sawtooth oaks (16.5 tons). The immense biomass production—three to four times more than other trees each year—makes bamboo groves one of the country's most efficient carbon sinks. The entire ecosystem, including the soil and extensive root system, stores a large amount of carbon.