Urban forests have increasingly been recognized as nature-based solutions (NbS) that contribute to climate change mitigation by providing ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration. However, their potential within corporate climate strategies and climate-related financial disclosure frameworks remains insufficiently explored. This study evaluates the carbon sequestration function of urban forests by explicitly linking them to the core elements of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations, with a particular focus on the Strategy and Metrics and Targets pillars. Rather than positioning urban forests as substitutes for direct emission-reduction measures, this study examines their applicability as a complementary tool for managing residual emissions that persist despite corporate mitigation efforts. The analysis targets eight major Korean companies, classified into four industrial sectors: steel, semiconductors, chemical, and information technology (IT). Corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were examined by Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 categories to reflect differences in emission structures across industries. As a representative urban forest, the Seonjeongneung historical landscape forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in central Seoul, was selected as the study area. The i-Tree Eco Forecast model was applied to estimate carbon sequestration from 2024 to 2050 under multiple management scenarios, accounting for variations in tree mortality rates, management intensity, and planting expansion. Simulation results indicated that carbon sequestration potential is highly sensitive to long-term management conditions. When both management improvement and planting expansion are implemented simultaneously, annual carbon sequestration was projected to increase steadily, reaching a maximum of 158.4 tCO2 eq/yr by 2050. These findings demonstrate that enhanced management practices and strategic planting play a critical role in strengthening the long-term mitigation capacity of urban forests, even within spatially constrained historical landscapes. An offset ratio analysis was conducted by comparing projected urban forest carbon sequestration with corporate emissions. The results show that, for high—emission industries, such as steel and chemical manufacturing, the relative contribution of urban forest sequestration remains negligible, accounting for less than 0.001% of total emissions. In contrast, in the IT sector—characterized by relatively low Scope 1 emissions—the same level of carbon sequestration corresponds to a higher relative proportion, ranging from approximately 7% to 10%. This disparity highlights the importance of interpreting carbon sequestration indicators in relation to industry-specific emission structures rather than absolute mitigation capacity. Importantly, the results do not suggest that urban forests can replace formal carbon offset mechanisms or achieve direct emission reductions in carbon-intensive industries. Instead, they indicate that urban forest carbon sequestration can serve as a supplementary indicator for residual-emission management, particularly in sectors with limited direct emissions. From a TCFD perspective, urban forests may contribute to corporate climate disclosures by supporting narrative explanations of climate-related risks, adaptation strategies, and transition opportunities. Overall, this study provides empirical evidence that urban forests can function as a complementary NbS within TCFD–aligned climate strategies, while underscoring their limitations and context-dependent significance across different industrial sectors.
Ye-Jin et al. (Sun,) studied this question.