Gwangyang City Selects Street Trees: "Munnamu" and "Gasinamu"

Selected by the Tree Species Selection Review Committee

On the 27th, Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do held the 'Street Tree Species Selection Deliberation Committee' and announced that the main street tree species will be 'Munnamu' (Koelreuteria paniculata), and the outskirts of the city will be planted with 'Gasinamu' (Rhamnus), embarking on the creation of a green and lush city.

The committee meeting was chaired by Mayor Jeong Inhwa and attended by 10 deliberation committee members, including Professor Lee Sangseok from the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Seoul, five experts from academia, Gwangyang city council members, the chairman of the Urban Forest Cultivation Promotion Committee, and related officials.

[Photo provided by Gwangyang-si]

The committee was convened because the street trees in Gwangyang City are diverse with 28 species, making it difficult to represent the region. The goal was to select representative street tree species considering climate, soil, and geographical characteristics.

Gwangyang City is located in the central part of the southern coast, at the boundary between subtropical and temperate zones, with a warm climate maintaining an average winter temperature above 4.7℃.

Considering this, the city reviewed the suitability of 15 recommended evergreen broadleaf species for the warm-temperate zone from the Korea Forest Service’s street tree creation and management manual to create a green city throughout all four seasons.

After careful consideration from various perspectives?including expert proposals, citizen representation, and administrative viewpoints?the committee selected 'Munnamu' as the main street tree species and 'Gasinamu' for the outskirts. Additionally, they agreed to create planting beds between street trees to improve the urban landscape.

Mayor Jeong Inhwa of Gwangyang said, “We recognize that street trees are an important element in creating urban landscapes and symbolizing the city. I thank the committee members for selecting species suitable for our city’s climate and environment. Through the planting of the selected street trees, we will expand green infrastructure and realize a sustainable city.”

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