Gwangyang City Wins Top Award for 'Chadan Forest' as an Excellent Green City Case by Korea Forest Service

Highly praised for considering user convenience by newly opening 400m linked to the existing walking trail

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik] Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do announced on the 2nd that it received the grand prize in the ‘Barrier Forest’ category of the 2022 Green City Best Practices contest held nationwide by the Korea Forest Service, and was awarded an institutional commendation.

The Korea Forest Service’s Green City Best Practices contest awards local governments that have created green cities where urban forests and street trees demonstrate ecological health and effectively reduce fine dust. This year, Gwangyang City, selected as an excellent institution in Jeollanam-do’s self-evaluation, participated in the contest and was chosen as the top institution nationwide in the ‘Barrier Forest’ category.

The area around Yudang Park, which includes Gwangyang-eupsu, Natural Monument No. 235, and Ipap trees, along a 4.0 km section of the disused Gyeongjeon Line railway, had been neglected for a long time since the line’s closure in July 2016, detracting from the city’s aesthetics.

The city planted seven species of large trees such as Ipap and Zelkova, two species of shrubs including azaleas and red holly, and herbaceous plants like Liriope and Lycoris, based on traditional tree species distributed within Yudang Park, creating the atmosphere of a traditional forest.

Additionally, by newly establishing a 400m trail connected to the existing walkway and considering visitor convenience with benches and information boards, the project received high evaluations from Korea Forest Service officials and judges.

Kim Jaebok, Director of the Greenery Division, said, “Through urban forests including barrier forests, we will do our best to create a city where citizens live happily beyond mere survival, and to build a warm and inspiring Gwangyang City in the 8th local government administration.” He added, “We will focus administrative efforts on the 2023 Gwangyang City Wind Path Forest and climate response urban forest projects to continuously build green infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, one hectare of urban forest removes 168 kg of pollutants, and one tree absorbs 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide and releases 1.8 tons of oxygen annually, playing a crucial role in providing the most basic environment where humans and nature can coexist.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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