‘Environment and Healing’ Two Birds with One Stone... Busan Gijang-gun, Urban Forest Creation

Busan Gijang-gun is undertaking an urban forest creation project within the Osiria scenic green space to respond to carbon-neutral climate goals and create healing spaces for residents.

The "Climate Response Urban Forest" involves establishing large-scale forests within the city to block fine dust from entering living areas and planting forests around paved areas such as plazas and roads to mitigate the urban heat island effect.

Accordingly, Gijang-gun is expanding the urban forest creation project focusing on living areas and regions around the city center within its jurisdiction.

Last year, it was selected for a project by the Korea Forest Service and received 2 billion KRW in funding. Using this budget, the county intensively planted about 40,000 trees of over 20 species, including cypress and Cornus officinalis, across 2 hectares of green space in Cheonbyeon Park and Naeri area of Gijang-eup.

Gijang County Office.

This year, with a budget of approximately 2 billion KRW, Gijang-gun plans to create a 2-hectare climate response urban forest in the Osiria scenic green space, a large-scale tourist complex, by planting trees that can block fine dust and lower urban temperatures.

Gijang-gun stated that once the "Climate Response Urban Forest" is established in the Osiria tourist complex's scenic green space, it is expected to block fine dust inflow and supply clean air, thereby improving air quality.

The county also plans to create beautiful and refreshing landscapes in the nearby Dangsa Village and Yanggyeong Village to provide healing spaces for local residents.

A Gijang-gun official said, "Through the creation of urban forests that block fine dust, we will not only promote residents' health but also contribute to improving their quality of life by creating healing spaces with trees and forests."