Impacts of Mt. Bongeui on Atmospheric Purification in Chuncheon

Mt. Bongeui is a neighborhood park of 66.4 ha as a major natural landscape resource located in the center of Chuncheon City. This study quantified the reduction of carbon, $SO_2$, $NO_2$, $O_3$, and $PM_{2.5}$, and the production of $O_2$ to explore the role for Mt. Bongeui to contribute to annual atmospheric purification. The main forest types and age classes of the study site included age-class III broadleaved forest at 35.8%, age-class VI coniferous forest at 17.2%, and age-class IV broadleaved forest at 15.7%. The annual atmospheric purification effect per unit area was as follows: 7.6 t carbon/ha/yr, 16.6 kg $SO_2/ha/yr$, 40.4 kg $NO_2/ha/yr$, 41.5 kg $O_3/ha/yr$, 53.7 kg $PM_{2.5}/ha/yr$, and 20.2 t $O_2/ha/yr$. The economic value of these effects was equivalent to about 12.9 million KRW/ha/yr. The study site annually offset carbon emissions of about 300 citizens, $SO_2$ emissions of 220 citizens, and $NO_2$ emissions of 92 citizens in Chuncheon. It also played an important role in annually producing 1.5% of the amount of $O_2$ necessary for the respiration of Chuncheon's total population. This study pioneers in comprehensively quantifying the atmospheric purification effect and could be useful in guiding the planning and management to improve the effect.