Jeonnam Province Accelerates Creation of 'Fine Dust Blocking Forest' with 35 Billion Won Investment This Year

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province is accelerating efforts to block the inflow of fine dust and create pleasant green spaces.

The province announced on the 19th that it will invest 35 billion KRW this year to create fine dust blocking forests.

The fine dust blocking forests serve to suppress the inflow of fine dust generated from old industrial complexes, waste disposal sites, and major roads in residential areas, and to supply clean air to urban areas.

This year's project budget is a total of 35 billion KRW, the highest nationwide. It has more than doubled compared to last year's 15 billion KRW, accounting for the largest 24% of the national budget of 147.1 billion KRW this year.

The project will be carried out on 37 hectares across 12 locations in the province, including by city and county: ▲ Mokpo Okam waterfront area (2 ha) ▲ Yeosu old Jeolla Line abandoned railway, etc. (7 ha) ▲ Suncheon Yulchon industrial complex, etc. (7 ha) ▲ Gwangyang abandoned railway, etc. (7 ha) ▲ Gokseong Gyeommyeon agricultural industrial complex (3 ha) ▲ Boseong abandoned national road (2 ha).

Additionally, projects will be conducted at ▲ Hwasun Hwasuncheon (1 ha) ▲ Gangjin landfill site (1 ha) ▲ Yeongam Daebul industrial complex (1 ha) ▲ Muan Namaek new town (2 ha) ▲ Hampyeong livestock agricultural industrial complex (1 ha) ▲ Sinan Jaeun waste incineration plant (3 ha).

To ensure a solid project implementation, expert consultations on tree species selection and planting methods were conducted from October last year until the end of the year, completing preliminary designs for the target sites, with construction scheduled to begin next month.

In particular, evergreen broadleaf trees with high fine dust reduction effects such as Litsea japonica, Ilex integra, and Rhododendron indicum, along with species excellent in landscape, have been reflected in the design, promising to create healing forests that can soothe the bodies and minds of residents exhausted by COVID-19.

Furthermore, it is expected that the 37 hectares of fine dust blocking forests will reduce atmospheric pollutants by 6.2 tons annually.

In fact, the National Institute of Forest Science announced in 2017 that one hectare of forest can reduce 168 kg of pollutants annually emitted by 27 diesel vehicles. Also, a study on the reduction effects of urban forests on suspended dust and fine dust showed decreases of 25.6% in suspended dust and 40.9% in fine dust.

Park Hyungho, Director of the Forestry and Recreation Division of Jeonnam Province, said, “We will expand the creation of fine dust blocking forests centered on residential areas to realize the Jeonnam-type Green New Deal and provide residents with a green living environment,” adding, “We will also make every effort to secure national budget from the Korea Forest Service to ensure smooth implementation.”

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