Korea Forest Service to Establish 197 New Urban Forests Nationwide This Year

The Korea Forest Service announced on the 24th that it will invest 243.4 billion won this year to newly create 197 urban forests in 17 cities and provinces nationwide.

A view of the fine dust blocking forest created near the Suwon Industrial Complex in Gyeonggi-do. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

According to the National Institute of Forest Science, urban forests effectively absorb and block fine dust in the air, reducing the average concentration of fine dust (PM10) by 25.6% and ultrafine dust (PM2.5) by 40.9% compared to surrounding urban areas.

Additionally, one hectare of forest area can absorb 46 kg of fine dust annually. This amount is equivalent to the fine dust emitted by 27 diesel vehicles in one year.

Accordingly, the Korea Forest Service aims to expand the urban forest area from 14㎡ in 2023 to 15㎡ by 2027. They plan to expand climate response urban forests, urban wind path forests, and child-safe green forests nationwide to effectively remove pollutants in the air and improve urban air quality.

Urban forests have been confirmed to have significant effects on the urban living environment, such as reducing fine dust and mitigating summer heat waves.

Geum Si-hoon, head of the Urban Forest Landscape Division at the Korea Forest Service, said, “We will strive to maximize the effects of fine dust reduction, climate change response, and ecosystem conservation through the expansion of urban forests and create a healthy urban environment.”