Thousands of Native Plants Planted: Highway 61 Creates First Highway Ecological Tree Island
The Highway Bureau partnered with Yulon Motor to plant 1,000 native Taiwanese plants along Highway 61, creating the first ecological tree island to promote sustainable infrastructure and biodiversity.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 20:40
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 21:02 (21 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 21:08 (6 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA Reporter Kuan Jui-ping, Miaoli, 23rd) To promote the sustainable development of highway environments and ecology, the Central Region Branch of the Highway Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, partnered with enterprises and groups to plant 1,000 native Taiwanese plants along the Tongxiao-Xinpu section of Highway 61. Through restoration and diverse planting, they have created the first ecological tree island along a highway.
The Central Region Branch issued a press release stating that it has collaborated with Yulon Motor and the Taiwan Reforestation Association to promote the Miaoli Highway Ecological Tree Island project. They selected an important coastal hilly area in Miaoli, located above the tunnel on the Tongxiao-Xinpu section of Highway 61, to be "Highway Ecological Tree Island No. 001." Today, they jointly planted 1,000 plants representing 59 local shallow-mountain species of Miaoli.
According to research by Su Meng-huai, academic advisor to the Taiwan Reforestation Association, the Tongxiao-Xinpu area features coastal hilly terrain. Long-term exposure to the northeast monsoon and coastal environment makes the local climate drier than inland areas, with frequent strong winds in winter, resulting in mostly sparse forest landscapes.
The Central Region Branch stated that this project selected representative ecological indicator species tailored to the local environment. Among them, the Taiwan snowbell (Styrax formosanus) and the Daimyo oak (Quercus aliena) are threatened species listed in the "2017 Red List of Vascular Plants of Taiwan." Additionally, species like the rhombic-leaved hackberry, Ryukyu wild rose, and cork oak, which are relatively rare in neighboring mountainous areas, gain a chance for population preservation and expansion through this restoration effort.
Yulon Motor noted that the company has long focused on corporate sustainability and local environmental issues. The seedlings planted for this project all came from the "Yulon Mountain-Taiwan Native Forest Restoration Center," established at the Sanyi plant in recent years in cooperation with the Taiwan Reforestation Association. Through corporate ESG actions combined with professional ecological restoration, they are doing their part to conserve Taiwan's shallow-mountain forests and biodiversity.
"The highways of the future will not just be transportation infrastructure, but green corridors for ecological restoration," stated the Central Region Branch. They hope that through public-private collaboration and long-term restoration efforts, highway ecological tree islands will become crucial nodes connecting surrounding forest habitats, promoting biodiversity recovery, and taking an important step toward restoring Taiwan's shallow-mountain forests and constructing a national ecological green network. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150423
(CNA Reporter Kuan Jui-ping, Miaoli, 23rd) To promote the sustainable development of highway environments and ecology, the Central Region Branch of the Highway Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, partnered with enterprises and groups to plant 1,000 native Taiwanese plants along the Tongxiao-Xinpu section of Highway 61. Through restoration and diverse planting, they have created the first ecological tree island along a highway.
The Central Region Branch issued a press release stating that it has collaborated with Yulon Motor and the Taiwan Reforestation Association to promote the Miaoli Highway Ecological Tree Island project. They selected an important coastal hilly area in Miaoli, located above the tunnel on the Tongxiao-Xinpu section of Highway 61, to be "Highway Ecological Tree Island No. 001." Today, they jointly planted 1,000 plants representing 59 local shallow-mountain species of Miaoli.
According to research by Su Meng-huai, academic advisor to the Taiwan Reforestation Association, the Tongxiao-Xinpu area features coastal hilly terrain. Long-term exposure to the northeast monsoon and coastal environment makes the local climate drier than inland areas, with frequent strong winds in winter, resulting in mostly sparse forest landscapes.
The Central Region Branch stated that this project selected representative ecological indicator species tailored to the local environment. Among them, the Taiwan snowbell (Styrax formosanus) and the Daimyo oak (Quercus aliena) are threatened species listed in the "2017 Red List of Vascular Plants of Taiwan." Additionally, species like the rhombic-leaved hackberry, Ryukyu wild rose, and cork oak, which are relatively rare in neighboring mountainous areas, gain a chance for population preservation and expansion through this restoration effort.
Yulon Motor noted that the company has long focused on corporate sustainability and local environmental issues. The seedlings planted for this project all came from the "Yulon Mountain-Taiwan Native Forest Restoration Center," established at the Sanyi plant in recent years in cooperation with the Taiwan Reforestation Association. Through corporate ESG actions combined with professional ecological restoration, they are doing their part to conserve Taiwan's shallow-mountain forests and biodiversity.
"The highways of the future will not just be transportation infrastructure, but green corridors for ecological restoration," stated the Central Region Branch. They hope that through public-private collaboration and long-term restoration efforts, highway ecological tree islands will become crucial nodes connecting surrounding forest habitats, promoting biodiversity recovery, and taking an important step toward restoring Taiwan's shallow-mountain forests and constructing a national ecological green network. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150423