POSCO Energy Creates 'Incheon Pori Park Fine Dust Reduction Forest'

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] A safe and comfortable fine dust reduction forest has been established in Pori Park, located in Cheongna International City, Seo-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City.

Posco Energy (President Jeong Gi-seop), Incheon Seo-gu Office (Mayor Lee Jae-hyun), and the Korea Standards Association (Chairman Lee Sang-jin) held the "Incheon Pori Park Fine Dust Reduction Forest Establishment Commemorative Event" to support healthy urban living for citizens.

The commemorative event was briefly held as a planting ceremony where representatives of the three organizations gathered to share the effects and significance of the reduction forest establishment, in accordance with government policies responding to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The newly established Pori Park reduction forest was created over a total area of 2,000㎡ (600 pyeong) with 1,019 Zelkova trees and Euonymus japonicus, which are effective in blocking fine dust, considering the regional characteristics of fine dust inflow from the West Sea. Additionally, a resting area was installed for residents to relax comfortably.

According to research by the National Institute of Forest Science, reduction forests appropriately guide air flow within the forest to prevent fine dust and maximize the structural functions of the forest and the characteristics of each tree species. The three organizations expect that with the establishment of the Pori Park reduction forest, fine dust and ultrafine dust will be reduced by approximately 26% and 41%, respectively, compared to urban areas, and the average daytime temperature in summer will decrease by 3 to 7℃.

Since last year, Posco Energy and Seo-gu Office have been cooperating to improve the urban environment and support residents' lives in Seo-gu, Incheon, through the creation of Pori Park. Last year, they carried out a project to improve the park's nighttime lighting environment to enhance crime prevention and the safety of park users.

This year, in September, they launched an "Online Tree Planting Campaign" on social networking services (SNS) such as Facebook and Instagram to announce in advance the creation of a comfortable and safe park and to share the meaning of developing the community together with residents. To commemorate the 4,334 supportive comments received during the campaign, Posco Energy invested approximately 44 million KRW to establish the fine dust reduction forest in Pori Park.

The Zelkova trees used in the reduction forest are among the 246 landscaping tree species designated by the Korea Forest Service as fine dust reduction species, and are the most effective deciduous trees for this purpose.

Jeong Gi-seop, President of Posco Energy, emphasized, "Going forward, Posco Energy, as a company based in the Incheon community, will continue to practice various social contribution activities such as forest creation and river maintenance to fulfill our corporate citizenship management philosophy."

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