Pohang City Provides Pleasant Green Spaces to Citizens through Smart Urban Forest Management!

Powering a 'Human-Centered Eco-Friendly Green Cultural City' Harmonizing People and Nature

Creating Pleasant and Healthy Urban Spaces through Diverse Flower Streets and Green Space Management

Establishing Forest Recreation Facilities Tailor

Commemorative photo of the Pohang Cheolgilsup Green Flag Award certification ceremony.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Pohang City is accelerating efforts to create a "people-centered eco-friendly city" by providing a pleasant environment and convenient living conditions through smart urban forest management throughout this year.

The city is creating a "green cultural city of Pohang where people and nature harmonize" by enhancing citizens' quality of life through various flower street creations, pine wilt disease control, and forest fire prevention to protect a healthy forest ecosystem and expand green spaces. Next year, it plans to focus on building a carbon-neutral city by creating urban forests to mitigate the heat island effect and reduce fine dust.

About 500 large permanent garden pots and approximately 100,000 flower seedlings are planted seasonally along four bridge railings with heavy traffic such as the POSCO Bridge, in front of City Hall, and at Yeongildae Beach, as well as supplying about 20,000 seedlings to towns, townships, and neighborhoods, accelerating the creation of "flower streets" that provide citizens with daily relaxation.

This year, flower sculptures celebrating the "60th Gyeongbuk Provincial Sports Festival" held in Pohang and the installation and operation of permanent outdoor gardens contributed to creating a beautiful urban landscape and the successful operation of the event.

By investing 800 million KRW in replacing decks in Sinjeji and Cheolgilsup and creating a premium night street in Cheolgilsup, the city upgraded urban forests by securing pedestrian safety and improving night scenery in green spaces covering 100 hectares. Next year, it plans to improve green space management in residential areas and increase citizen satisfaction through the creation of flower streets that bloom all year round, greenhouse expansion, and flower cultivation academies in urban forests and green spaces.

This year, to block the spread of pine wilt disease and foster healthy forest resources, the city deployed about 15,500 forestry experts and 500 heavy equipment units to remove approximately 41,000 pine trees killed by the disease. As a result, eight years after being classified as a severe area in 2012, Pohang was selected as an excellent institution for disease control by the Korea Forest Service and recognized as a model for disease control excellence.

Next year, the city will conduct surveillance across the entire region affected by pine wilt disease using drones and helicopters and will reestablish control strategies based on the types of damage observed.

The scene of pine wilt disease control being carried out in Pohang City.

This year, to build a "safe city Pohang through forest fire prevention," the city held a "Forest Fire Prevention Citizen Safety Resolution Rally," set up restricted entry zones during the forest fire caution period, and created forest fire safety spaces. Additionally, 325 forest fire monitoring personnel have been deployed to vulnerable areas to strengthen patrols and public awareness.

Utilizing ICT equipment such as thermal imaging drones and strengthening cooperation with related organizations including fire departments, police, and the Marine Corps, the city has designated 33,764 hectares of forest land as restricted entry zones until May next year. It also plans to lead efforts toward zero forest fires by creating forest fire safety spaces, pre-removing flammable materials, and expanding forest fire prevention forest management.

Facilities operated by the city such as Doeumsan Forest Culture Training Center, Jungmyeong Natural Ecology Park, and Unjesan Forest Bathing Area are gaining attention as nearby resting spots where citizens can enjoy forest bathing.

Bihaksan Natural Recreation Forest is popular among family tourists as it offers accommodation within the forest for relaxation, and Naeyeonsan Healing Forest has emerged as an experiential healing place that helps citizens' mental and physical recovery and health improvement.

In May this year, the city completed the construction of a pedestrian bridge in the first section of the "Urban Area Disconnected Forest Trail Connection Project" near the Pohang IC entrance road in Idong, providing convenience to forest trail users. Next year, it plans to connect the disconnected forest trail in the Yeonhwajae area of Yongheung-dong with a pedestrian bridge to offer convenience to citizens.

In the Seokbyeong-ri area of Guryongpo-eup, the "Homibando Forest Welfare Complex" project is scheduled for completion in 2025. This complex will allow visitors to experience forest recreation, healing, and forest sports in a dense forest with sea views, and it is expected to significantly contribute to expanding Pohang City's forest tourism infrastructure and revitalizing the local economy.

Mayor Kang-deok Lee emphasized, "The successful promotion of the Greenway Project depends on the successful creation of urban forests and healthy green space management," adding, "We will accelerate efforts to create a pleasant eco-friendly city so that citizens can share a sustainable green culture together."

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