Catch the 'Mischief Makers' of the Autumn Streets... Sangju-si, Gyeongbuk to Deploy 'Vibration Harvester' Against Ginkgo Nut Odor

Minimizing Citizen Discomfort from Odor and Aesthetics by Short-Term Harvesting

Sangju City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Let's reduce citizen inconvenience with swift action! To eliminate the foul odor emitted from ginkgo tree fruits in autumn, Sangju City in Gyeongbuk has devised a solution.

Starting this year, Sangju City plans to harvest ginkgo tree fruits using a vibration harvester.

The ginkgo tree, which colors the city yellow in autumn, is popular as a street tree due to its resistance to pests and pollution. However, when fruits fall from female ginkgo trees, they emit a strong unpleasant smell.

This causes discomfort to citizens, and the fallen fruits on the ground are considered an eyesore that damages the urban landscape, leading to a surge in complaints around this time every year.

Sangju City decided to shorten the harvesting period by introducing a vibration harvester. The harvester is a device that shakes the tree to drop the fruits, causing minimal damage to the tree and significantly reducing the working time compared to manual harvesting.

Sangju City plans to deploy the vibration harvester first in areas where citizen inconvenience is expected, such as along Sangsan-ro and Gyeongsang-daero in the city center, around the bus terminal, crosswalks, and commercial districts.

Kim Sang-young, head of the Forest and Greenery Division, said, “We will harvest the ginkgo fruits in advance to minimize citizen inconvenience caused by the fruit odor and to preserve the urban landscape.”

Among the approximately 33,500 street trees in Sangju City, about 4,600 are ginkgo trees, accounting for 14%. Of the 1,524 trees targeted for harvesting in nine sections this time, 593 are female trees bearing fruit, making up 39%.

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