Jeonju City "Removal of 'Obstructive Trees' in Rivers... Promoting Reflection of Citizens' Opinions"

River Maintenance Manual, Compliance with Tree Planting and Management Standards

Jeonju City in Jeollabuk-do has decided to reflect various opinions in the process of river maintenance to be promoted for preventing damage to citizens caused by heavy summer rains.

According to Jeonju City on the 4th, in order to prevent indiscriminate tree removal, the removal of obstructive trees will be carried out in accordance with related government regulations such as the "River Maintenance Manual" and the "Standards for Planting and Managing Trees in Rivers."

Jeonju City Hall exterior view. [Photo provided by Jeonju City]

Guk Seung-cheol, Director of the Urban Construction and Safety Bureau, stated, "We plan to remove trees that obstruct river water flow before the rainy season," and promised, "In this process, we will gather opinions from citizens of all walks of life, hold discussion forums with the Ecological River Council, and promote river maintenance."

The promotion plan includes selecting trees to be removed such as ▲trees that obstruct the flow of river water ▲trees that adversely affect river facilities (revetments, embankments, etc.) ▲overcrowded trees ▲trees in areas where planting is not possible, and removing obstructive trees accordingly.

To this end, the city will listen to various opinions from the media, nearby merchants, and citizens. After on-site inspections, consultations, and discussions with the Ecological River Council, the removal of obstructive trees will be promoted. Discussions will also continue regarding trees near riverside walking paths or embankments that do not affect flood control safety.

The city explained that if trees break or fall due to swollen water during the summer, they can get caught on bridge piers along with floating debris from upstream, acting like a dam. This can rapidly raise river water levels, increasing the risk of bridge collapse, river flooding, and other river disasters, which is why the removal of obstructive trees is being promoted.

A Jeonju city official said, "We recently proceeded with the removal of obstructive trees with the mindset that citizens must understand river safety," and added, "In the future, the removal process will be carried out after discussions with the Ecological River Council."

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