Gyeonggi Province to Promote Tree-Planting Initiative Covering 956 Hectares This Year...Investing 8 Billion Won
Suwon NewsPublished 2020.03.04 06:17
'Economic Tree Afforestation Project' promoted on 820-hectare scale with larch, Paulownia, and honey source species'Large Tree Afforestation Project' on 46-hectare scale to enhance landscape and public valuePromoting diverse forest-related projects including lifestyle-friendly forest management and desertification prevention project in China's Kubuqi Desert
[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 4th that it will implement a full-scale tree-planting project on a 956-hectare scale in 2020, investing a total of 8.028 billion won, consisting of 4.563 billion won in national funding and 1.106 billion won in provincial funding, together with 31 cities and counties in the province as spring arrives.
First, to promote timber production with high economic value, the province will implement the ‘Economic Tree Afforestation Project’, planting 2.43 million trees on a total area of 820 hectares.
As main afforestation species, economic trees such as larch and Paulownia, which also grow at a fast rate, will be prioritized, and 730,000 trees including Hovenia dulcis and Paulownia, which are honey source species beneficial to beekeeping farms, will be planted on 244 hectares.
Additionally, the ‘Large Tree Afforestation Project’ will be implemented on a 460,000 scale covering 46 hectares, planting ornamental tree species with beautiful flowers and fruits such as Prunus serrulata and Chionanthus retusus along major roadsides, tourist attractions, and areas surrounding residential zones to enhance landscape and increase public value.
In particular, to provide clean air free from fine dust and a green environment, the province plans to implement the ‘Fine Dust Reduction Afforestation Project’ on a scale of 90 hectares with 135,000 trees, focusing on urban outskirts, residential areas, and industrial complexes. Evergreen trees such as Strobus pine, pine, and Chamaecyparis obtusa, which are effective in reducing fine dust, will be prioritized for planting.
In addition to the afforestation projects mentioned above, the province plans to implement various forest-related projects this year for purposes such as fine dust reduction, decrease in atmospheric pollutants, mitigation of urban heat island effect, and landscape improvement.
First, with an investment of 10.9 billion won in project costs, the province plans to implement the ‘Lifestyle-Friendly Forest Management Project’ on a 7,170-hectare scale, enhancing public functions through systematic management of forests both inside and outside cities through activities such as thinning and vine removal.
Meanwhile, to reduce yellow dust and fine dust flowing in from abroad, together with the Korea-China Cultural Youth Association and the China International Youth Exchange Center, the province plans to plant 84,000 trees on 35 hectares of the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia, China this year.
Previously, the province planted a total of 1.21 million trees through this project from 2009 to 2018, and concluded a third agreement in March of last year to plant an additional 420,000 trees by 2023.
Additionally, at 18 tree markets operated by forest cooperatives in the province, seedlings of various species including fruit trees, flowering trees, and shrubs will be sold from March onwards.
Lee Seong-gyu, Director of the Forest Division, said, “Planting and cultivating trees is an effective means to respond to fine dust reduction and an investment for future generations,” and added, “We will do our best to return the benefits of forests to the residents of the province.”
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