Urban Forests Offer Significant Fine Dust Reduction Benefits

DAEJEON, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent experiment has confirmed that trees planted along major thoroughfares did a better job of reducing fine dust compared to bare ground (revetment blocks).

The Urban Forest Research Center at the National Institute of Forest Science measured the density of fine dust around forested areas and bare ground adjacent to major roadways in March and June.

In March, there was no significant difference in terms of the density of fine dust between the two. In June, however, the fine dust reduction rate of the forested areas was 28.8 percent higher than that of bare ground.

March is when tree leaves start to grow, but their absorption of fine dust remains minimal, thereby resulting in no significant effect on the reduction of fine dust.

In June, however, when trees have dense foliage, the leaves, stems and branches of the trees actively absorb fine dust, contributing to increasing the fine dust reduction rate of forested sites compared to bare ground.

Of special note, the average fine dust reduction rate at the forested sites was 33.1 percent higher in the early morning hours, when wind speeds are typically low and the air is stagnant.

Image Credit: National Institute of Forest Science / photonews@koreabizwire.com