Gwangyang City Selected as an Excellent Institution for 'Chadan Forest' Two Years in a Row

Gwangyang City’s ‘Jungma District Buffer Forest’ Recognized as an Outstanding Case in the Province

Building Sustainable Green Infrastructure

Gwangyang City announced on the 4th that it was selected as an excellent institution for two consecutive years in the ‘Fine Dust Blocking Forest (hereinafter referred to as Blocking Forest)’ category in the urban forest excellence case contest hosted by Jeollanam-do.

The ‘Urban Forest Excellence Case Contest’ is held annually to discover urban forests and street trees created over the past 10 years that have demonstrated ecological health and fine dust reduction functions well, in order to promote and spread the value of forests.

[Photo by Gwangyang City]

Gwangyang City received an excellence award last year for the fine dust blocking forest created using an abandoned railway site, and this year was selected as an excellent institution for the ‘Jungma District Blocking Forest,’ making it two consecutive years as an excellent institution.

The city promoted the Korea Forest Service’s 「Fine Dust Blocking Forest Creation Project」 in 2022 because Jungma-dong, a major urban area with a population of about 60,000, is a central hub for commercial, cultural, and transportation functions, but relatively lacks green spaces.

The ‘Jungma District Blocking Forest’ was created over two years, with 4 hectares in 2022 and 3 hectares in 2023, with a total project cost of 7 billion KRW including 3.5 billion KRW in national funding. Along the main roads with heavy vehicle traffic, the forest was densely planted in a multi-layered structure with tree species recommended by the Korea Forest Service for excellent fine dust reduction ability, and about 400 Metasequoia trees were planted along popular walking paths to improve the walking environment pleasantly.

Additionally, the large green area (2 hectares) opposite Wau Ecological Park was replanted with tall trees such as pine trees that remain green all year round, Pujonamu and Zelkova trees that act as natural air conditioners during scorching heat, cherry blossoms that fill the spring with brightness, crape myrtle with striking red flowers in summer, and large oak and tulip trees that offer colorful autumn foliage, transforming the area into a healthy space for rest and healing where people can experience the beautiful changes of nature.

Kim Jaebok, Director of the Greenery Division, said, “This excellent institution selection was highly evaluated because the ‘Jungma District Blocking Forest’ protects citizens from disaster factors and provides various benefits of the forest to citizens,” adding, “We will strive harder to create a beautiful ‘Forest in Gwangyang’ where people, ecology, and culture harmonize through sustainable green infrastructure such as living area urban forests, street trees, and gardens.”

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

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