Gyeonggi Province's Factory Greening Project to Reduce Fine Dust Progresses Smoothly

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 17th that the 'Forest Factory Development Initiative,' which plants trees at major business sites throughout the province to reduce fine dust, is proceeding smoothly.

The 'Forest Factory Development Initiative' is a project that plants trees with strong air-purifying effects—such as pine, Japanese cedar, Korean pine, and fir—on idle land around business sites to reduce fine dust, improve air quality, and expand rest areas.

Following a mid-term review of tree-planting progress at provincial companies that signed the 'Forest Factory Development Agreement' last year, the province announced that 99 factories have planted a total of 62,752 trees as of late July. This represents an approximately 91% excess of the target of 32,824 trees at the halfway point of the agreement period (2019-2021).

Considering plans to plant an additional 19,256 trees by the end of next year, the province is expected to plant approximately 82,000 trees total, reaching 250% of the agreed target.

The province previously signed a 'Forest Factory Development Agreement' on March 26 last year with 121 companies throughout the province, including major corporations such as Samsung Electronics, Kia Motors, and SK Hynix. Since then, 30 exemplary project sites are selected annually based on business performance, with the provincial governor presenting commendations and plaques.

With outdoor activities made difficult by COVID-19, some companies have reported high employee satisfaction with the forest rest areas, leading to efforts by some firms to purchase large-scale nearby land separately to develop forest parks, according to the province.

The province plans to coordinate with major corporations to allow local residents to use the currently developed rest areas as recreational spaces. Additionally, the province plans to implement a separate 'One Company, One Tree' tree-planting campaign targeting approximately 12,000 air pollution emission businesses this year and all business sites in the province next year.

The leaves of pine, Japanese cedar, Korean pine, and fir trees used in 'Forest Factory' development have the function of adsorbing and absorbing fine dust particles, while branches and trunks block fine dust that settles to the ground. These trees are known to reduce average fine dust by 25.6% and ultrafine dust by 40.9%.

Gang Jung-ho, Director of Gyeonggi Province's Regional Environmental Management Project Office, said, "We are grateful to the many companies that actively participated to ensure smooth project implementation," and added, "Going forward, we will continue to make greater efforts in reducing fine dust and improving the environment throughout the province through various policies including the 'One Company, One Tree' tree-planting campaign."