Jeonnam Province Secures 35.9 Billion Won for 'Climate Response Urban Forest Creation' Project Funding

Nationwide Highest Count

Jeonnam Province will create a large-scale forest to establish pleasant green spaces around residential areas by 2025.

The province announced on the 23rd that it secured 35.9 billion KRW in funding from the Korea Forest Service's climate response urban forest creation project. This is the largest amount nationwide.

The "Climate Response Urban Forest" project aims to create large-scale forests in urban residential areas and surrounding city regions to address the climate crisis by mitigating urban heat islands and heatwaves, absorbing carbon, and reducing fine dust.

The selected areas include ▲ Mokpo Daeang Industrial Complex and others, 2 hectares ▲ Yeosu Ungcheon District, 1 hectare ▲ Suncheon Baekgang-ro and others, 7 hectares ▲ Gwangyang Iksin-Chonam Industrial Complex, 2 hectares ▲ Boseong Joseong Agricultural and Industrial Complex, 1.9 hectares ▲ Hwasun Namsan Park and others, 7 hectares ▲ Jangheung Bio Food Industrial Complex, 2.8 hectares ▲ Yeongam Seoho IC, 1 hectare ▲ Muan Namaek New Town, 2 hectares ▲ Wando Wondong Intersection, 2.2 hectares ▲ Sinan Jaeun District, 7 hectares.

To ensure a solid and systematic project implementation, experts are consulting on species selection and planting methods for the selected sites.

In particular, at the beginning of each year, education is provided to all cities and counties on the Korea Forest Service's project evaluation procedures and site selection, resulting in the highest number of selected sites annually.

In fact, Jeonnam Province's urban forest achievements and excellence were recognized by winning the grand prize in 2022 for the "Gwangyang Abandoned Railroad Fine Dust Blocking Forest" and two excellence awards in 2021 for "Suncheon Urban Forest" and "Sinan Street Trees" in the nationwide green city best practice contest hosted by the Korea Forest Service.

According to the National Institute of Forest Science, urban forests reduce fine dust (PM 10) concentrations by 25.6% and ultrafine dust (PM 2.5) concentrations by 40.9%. One hectare of forest can reduce 168 kg of pollutants annually emitted by 27 diesel vehicles.

Moon Mi-ran, head of the Forest Recreation Division of Jeonnam Province, said, “The importance of forests is increasingly emphasized in realizing carbon neutrality in the era of the climate crisis. We will continue to do our best to create large-scale forests in residential areas to respond to the climate crisis by absorbing carbon and reducing fine dust.”

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