City targets 10,000 female trees out of 33,000 ginkgos along roadsides

About 200 collection nets to be installed along 282 routes, including Jungang-daero

Workers harvest ginkgo fruit using a vibrating harvester in autumn last year. [Busan city government]
Workers harvest ginkgo fruit using a vibrating harvester in autumn last year. [Busan city government]

Busan city announced Wednesday it will proactively harvest ginkgo fruit before it falls to prevent road contamination and foul odors that trouble residents each autumn. Of the roughly 33,000 ginkgo trees planted as street trees, 10,000 female trees — the ones that bear fruit — are targeted for the work.

Around 250 field workers will be deployed daily around the Chuseok holiday period, using vibrating harvesters and long poles to collect fruit by zone. About 200 collection nets will also be installed by the end of this month to keep fruit from dropping onto roads.

Earlier this year, the city completed injections of fruit-suppression agents and early fruit-drop spraying on more than 1,400 trees along 37 routes, including Haegwan-ro in Jung-gu. It has also replaced 118 female trees with male trees along nine routes, including Naengjeong-ro in Busanjin-gu, and plans to replace 25 more trees along Gwangan-ro in Suyeong-gu and other areas in October. The city intends to secure funding annually to continue replacing trees, focusing on stretches that generate the most complaints.

Meanwhile, of the 48,860 kilograms of ginkgo fruit collected between September and November last year, 3,000 kilograms that passed heavy-metal testing were donated to welfare facilities. Fruit harvested this year will be donated free of charge to welfare facilities upon request, disposed of internally, or used as fertilizer at tree nurseries.

Kim Chang-deok, director of the city's Green City Bureau, asked for residents' understanding, noting that the harvesting work takes place along roadsides using vibrating harvesters and other equipment, which may cause some disruption to traffic during working hours.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com