By Kim Hyelin and Yoon Sojung

The Korea Forest Service will plant 400,000 trees in the Kubuchi Desert in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of mainland China in order to help reduce damage from air pollution.

The Kubuchi Desert is the ninth largest desert in the world and is known to be one of the main sources of "yellow dust" air pollution across Northeast Asia.

About 40 percent of the particulate matter that blows across the Korean Peninsula is from deserts in Inner Mongolia, including the Kubuchi.

The Korea Forest Service has already planted approximately 4 million trees in the Kubuchi Desert between 2007 and 2017.

The trees that were planted in earlier years have already grown to more than 10 meters and have formed a forest. From this newly forested area, only between 5 and 10 percent of the particulate matter blows across to Korea, much less than in other parts of the desert.

According to an analysis of satellite footage, the vegetation index, which shows the relative vitality of green plants in planted areas, rose from 20 up to 80 percent compared to that of other parts of the desert after reforestation, said the forest authorities.

The Korean Forest Service will plant an additional 400,000 trees, such as poplar and desert willow, between April and the end of this May this year in order to continue its anti-desertification activities.

Ko Ki Yeon, director general at the forest service's International Affairs Bureau, said, “We will work hard to plant trees in the desert areas in order to reduce dust and fine particulate matter and to solve this environmental issue.”

“We will work together with the Chinese government and private organizations in order to improve the air quality in Korea,” said the officer.


kimhyelin211@korea.kr