Creating a 'Pollution-Blocking Forest' on Idle Factory Land... Incheon City Accepts Corporate Applications to Support Tree Planting

Incheon City’s fine dust blocking forest along the 3rd Gyeongin Expressway created this year [Photo provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City is promoting a project to create pollution-blocking forests and rest areas by utilizing idle land in industrial complexes and factories within the region.

The city announced on the 11th that it will recruit companies to participate in this project by the 29th of next month and will start supporting tree planting from next year.

Since 2019, the city has been creating fine dust-blocking forests around industrial complexes and highways. To maximize the effect, it has decided to plant trees on idle land within factories, which are sources of pollution such as fine dust, noise, dust, and odor. It also expects the additional benefit of providing rest areas for workers.

The city plans to support approximately 690,000 trees grown at five nurseries (230,000㎡) to industrial complexes or large-scale factories. In addition to tall trees (large trees) that are effective in reducing fine dust, flowering shrubs such as azaleas will also be supported to create rest areas for workers in the industrial complexes.

According to the 'Incheon City Ordinance on Greenery Conservation and Promotion,' the trees supported become the property of the business (factory), but they cannot be cut down or disposed of within 10 years. If there are reasons such as changes in factory use or reconstruction, they can be handled through consultation with the city.

The city plans to support efficient creation and management of pollution-blocking forests through pre-consultation, from selecting suitable trees for each company to watering, fertilization, and pest control.

The city invested 10.9 billion KRW in the fine dust-blocking forest creation project last year and 3.5 billion KRW this year, and plans to secure 9 billion KRW next year.

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