Pohang City Expands Climate-Responsive Urban Forests to Create a Sustainable Urban Ecosystem

Temporary Opening of Urban Forest at Pohang-Gyeongju Gateway Area...
Full Opening Planned in First Half of the Year
A Total of 33 Hectares of Climate Response Urban Forests Created in 38 Districts Since 2019

Pohang City is transforming into a city where people want to walk by expanding urban forests to realize the government’s ‘2050 Carbon Neutral City’ and respond to the climate crisis.

Before the creation of Gwanmun Forest in Pohang. Provided by Pohang City

The city has created a large-scale climate response urban forest covering 25,300㎡ around the gateway area between Pohang and Gyeongju, temporarily opened it to citizens in November last year for monitoring, and plans to fully open it in the first half of this year after identifying and improving any inconveniences.

The appearance after the creation of Pohang Gateway Forest. Provided by Pohang City

This area is about a 1 km section between Yegang Water Purification Plant’s 2nd water source and Yegang Crossing, located between National Road No. 7 and the Donghae Nambu Line railway in Yeonil-eup, Yugang-ri. For over 20 years, it remained an unexecuted urban planning facility (buffer green space), which was significantly damaging the landscape around the city boundary due to unauthorized farming, illegal buildings, and wetlands.

Accordingly, since 2023, Pohang City has started detailed plans to improve the landscape of the site and create an urban forest along National Road No. 7 to reduce fine dust.

Subsequently, through a railway idle land utilization contest project, the city obtained free use approval for 4,538㎡ of railway land from the Korea National Railway Corporation and secured the project site after consultations with relevant departments regarding the use of 14,200㎡ of national and public land.

This area has been developed into a climate response urban forest with functions such as fine dust reduction, urban heat island and heatwave mitigation, and carbon absorption.

Within the 25,300㎡, 1 km section, there is a Metasequoia forest trail, 24,000 seasonal trees of 63 species including Ipop trees, as well as convenience facilities such as a 2 km barefoot forest trail, exercise equipment, and shelters for user convenience.

In addition to this area, Pohang City has created urban forests totaling 40,000㎡ in three other districts (Jigok, Uhyun, Yeonam) outside the Steel 4 Complex last year, and since 2019, has developed climate response urban forests covering 330,000㎡ across 38 districts including Haedo Urban Forest.

Moreover, for five locations including the Lifelong Learning Center Urban Forest, the city received approval from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for participation in the greenhouse gas emissions trading system for 30 years, enabling annual carbon credit trading of 88 tons and 2,640 tons over 30 years.

Accordingly, urban forests are generating not only functional benefits such as fine dust reduction but also economic effects, and the city plans to continuously expand registration for carbon credit trading for completed urban forest sites in the future.

Shin Gang-su, head of the Green City Project Group, said, “To proactively respond to increasingly severe climate change, heatwaves, and urban heat islands, we will expand various urban forests including climate response urban forests, child-safe green forests, and life-friendly urban forests.”

According to research by the National Institute of Forest Science, 1 hectare of urban forest absorbs an average of 168 kg of pollutants annually, and 47 street trees absorb 1,680 g of fine dust annually, which is equivalent to the amount emitted by one diesel vehicle. Urban forests also reduce fine dust concentration by an average of 25.6%.

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