Selected as '50 Beautiful Urban Forests'... Korea Forest Service "Continuous Expansion of Urban Forests"

The Korea Forest Service announced the selection of the "50 Most Beautiful Urban Forests" on the 1st. The "50 Most Beautiful Urban Forests" were selected with the purpose of widely raising public awareness of the value of urban forests and the functions and roles of urban forests in each city.

Earlier, in April, the Korea Forest Service received recommendations for 916 urban forests nationwide as beautiful urban forests from the public, local governments, and others. Subsequently, through a public preference survey and evaluations of accessibility, ecological health, usage level, scenic value, and distinctiveness, 50 urban forests were finally selected.

Chungbuk Cheongju Wonheung Ecological Park Urban Forest (Resident Participation Type) Panorama. Provided by Korea Forest Service

The selected urban forests are categorized into five types according to their functions and roles: ▲Climate Change Response Type ▲Economic Effect Enhancement Type ▲Scenic Improvement Type ▲Resident Health Promotion Type ▲Resident Participation Type.

The Climate Change Response Type refers to forests that absorb carbon dioxide generated in urban areas and mitigate the urban heat island effect. Considering the topographical characteristics of mountainous areas located on the outskirts of cities, eight sites, including the "Ulsan Metropolitan City Jung-gu Baramgil Danim Forest," which channels cool winds into the city center, fall under this category.

The Economic Effect Enhancement Type refers to cases where urban forests have been utilized as tourism resources to contribute to revitalizing the local economy. Five sites, including the "Pohang-si Nam-gu Pohang Railway Forest," which connected the city center previously divided by railway tracks, were named as Economic Effect Enhancement Type urban forests.

The Scenic Improvement Type includes places that have enhanced the city's aesthetics by expanding green spaces. Twelve sites, including the "Daejeon-si Jung-gu Temi Park Urban Forest," where cherry blossom trees cover the entire hill creating a magnificent view, were selected.

The Resident Health Promotion Type refers to forests equipped with exercise facilities and walking trails that promote physical activity and help relieve stress among local residents. This type includes twelve sites such as the "Incheon-si Namdong-gu Mansusan Barrier-Free Urban Forest."

The Resident Participation Type includes forests where citizens directly participate in tree planting, gardening, and maintenance. Thirteen sites, including the "Cheongju-si Wonheung Ecological Park Urban Forest," which is used as an ecological education center for infants and elementary school students, were included in the list of Resident Participation Type urban forests.

The results of the selection of the 50 Most Beautiful Urban Forests can also be viewed as an e-book on the Korea Forest Service website (Forest Policy → e-Forest Policy Library).

'List of 50 Beautiful Urban Forests'. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

Separately from the selection of the 50 Most Beautiful Urban Forests, the Korea Forest Service also announced a plan to expand the urban forest area per capita to 15㎡ by 2027. The blueprint is to create and expand urban forests that reflect the characteristics of local governments and regions so that urban forests can be widely used as regional tourism resources and cultural spaces for residents.

Urban forests play a role in mitigating urban heat islands by lowering the average midday summer temperature by 3 to 7℃ compared to city centers and increasing average humidity by 9 to 23%. They also reduce fine dust by an average of 25.6% and ultrafine dust by an average of 40.9%.

In particular, it is analyzed that one hectare of urban forest (10 years old) absorbs an average of 6.9 tons of carbon dioxide annually, directly contributing to climate change response. Additionally, the Korea Forest Service emphasized that the trees comprising urban forests absorb traffic noise with their leaves or physically block the spread of noise, contributing to creating a comfortable living environment for city residents.

However, the domestic "urban forest area per capita in living zones" averages 11.48㎡ nationwide, which is still insufficient compared to major cities in advanced countries such as New York with 23㎡ and London with 27㎡. This is one of the reasons why the Korea Forest Service is working to expand urban forests.

Lim Sang-seop, Administrator of the Korea Forest Service, said, "The Korea Forest Service will nurture urban forests as forest assets that contribute to responding to the climate crisis and revitalizing the local economy," and added, "We ask for the public's great interest and affection for urban forests, which will be natural resting places for city residents."

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