Forest Service to Cover Area Equivalent to 77 Times Namsan with 'Green Clothes' This Year

Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Korea Forest Service will cover an area equivalent to 77 times the size of Namsan in Seoul with greenery this year.

On the 20th, the Korea Forest Service announced the "2020 Tree Planting Promotion Plan." The tree planting initiative, scheduled ahead of the 75th Arbor Day on April 5, aims to plant approximately 50 million trees over about 23,000 hectares, including economic forest development complexes and areas damaged by forest fires and pine wilt disease.

In about 16,000 hectares such as economic forest development complexes, forest resources suited to regional characteristics, including economic tree species, special-purpose resources, and Geumgang pine, will be cultivated to enable short-term income and high added value creation. Additionally, afforestation projects to enhance the public functions of forests will be carried out over approximately 3,000 hectares in areas affected by forest fires and pine wilt disease, as well as along roadsides and residential areas to improve landscapes.

Tree planting to reduce fine dust under emergency reduction measures will also be promoted. The Korea Forest Service plans to create fine dust reduction forests over about 2,000 hectares in urban outskirts and establish 93 hectares of fine dust blocking forests near sources of fine dust emissions such as industrial complexes, along with 17 urban wind corridor forests.

This year, emphasis will also be placed on new projects such as restoring 921 hectares of forest damaged by large-scale forest fires on the east coast of Gangwon Province last April and creating nearby landscapes. Furthermore, 12 living-close forests, 5 national forest urban forests, 32 sharing forests, and 17 Mugunghwa gardens will be established to allow local residents to rest and engage in forest healing activities.

In addition, the Korea Forest Service will collaborate with local governments nationwide and national forest management offices to carry out the "My Tree Ownership Campaign," providing 750,000 seedlings of fruit trees and landscaping trees free of charge to the public. A "Tree Market" will also open at 167 forest cooperatives nationwide, where 8.5 million seedlings of forest species and landscaping trees can be purchased at affordable prices.

However, due to the recent signs of COVID-19 spreading, the implementation of events will be reviewed and decided according to the conditions of each institution. Detailed information such as seedling distribution locations by region, tree market operation sites, and tree planting event plans can be found on the Korea Forest Service website.

Han Chang-sul, Director of the Forest Resources Division at the Korea Forest Service, said, "We will create an atmosphere where the public participates in tree planting through various tree planting activities and the My Tree Ownership Campaign," adding, "We plan to encourage more people to participate in tree planting to experience and enjoy planting trees with their own hands."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.