Gyeonggi Province to Develop 'Saerop Forest' at Ansan-Sihwa Landfill; Tree Planting Begins in November

Gyeonggi Province will begin planting trees in November at Saerop Forest, a provincial garden under development in Bono-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan.

Saerop Forest is the former Ansan-Sihwa landfill, where household waste was once buried. Gyeonggi Province is developing the site into an ecological and cultural space where flowers and trees come together. Unlike conventional gardens that make use of existing forests, Saerop Forest will create a new woodland by planting trees on land that served as a landfill for many years.

Reflecting Saerop Forest's history and ecological characteristics, Gyeonggi Province has selected five representative tree species: London plane, black locust, red maple, Japanese zelkova, and katsura. It has assigned each a meaning: overcoming, recovery, growth, memory, and emotion, respectively.

View of Saerosup

In particular, the Japanese zelkova that has stood on the site since it was used as a waste sorting center will serve as the "tree of memory," preserving Saerop Forest's history. The black locust, which enriches poor soil, has been designated the "tree of recovery," while the katsura, whose fallen leaves give off a sweet scent in autumn, will be the "tree of emotion." The London plane and red maple will represent overcoming and growth, respectively, showing how Saerop Forest is changing.

Starting with this planting, Gyeonggi Province plans to expand the garden area by area, creating a place where trees grow and greenery becomes more abundant over time. The province expects the project to transform the former landfill into a green space where residents can relax and enjoy leisure time in nature, while also improving the urban environment by absorbing carbon dioxide and reducing fine dust.

Gyeonggi Province is investing a total of 98.9 billion won to develop Saerop Forest, which will cover 450,000 square meters. Construction began in July 2025, and the project is targeting an opening in 2028. The garden will also be connected with the neighboring Ansan Reed Wetland, creating a continuous green space that links the garden and wetland.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.