Seoul City to Early Harvest Ginkgo Fruits to Prevent Odor Nuisance

Early Harvest of 26,981 Ginkgo Trees' Fruits Starting from the 15th
Operation of Mobile Teams for Ginkgo Fruit Harvest to Collect All Fruits Before Falling and Immediate Handling of Complaints Service Implemented

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 14th that starting from the 15th, it will make every effort to minimize citizen inconvenience by early harvesting the ginkgo tree fruits, an unwelcome guest in autumn.

The target for the operation is 26,981 female trees bearing fruit, accounting for 25.4% of the total 106,205 ginkgo street trees.

The harvesting operation will be organized and operated as a ‘Ginkgo Fruit Harvesting Task Force’ together with 25 autonomous districts to collect the ginkgo fruits before they fall and to respond promptly to complaints. Each district prioritizes harvesting ginkgo fruits in areas with high foot traffic, deploying various equipment such as aerial work vehicles, excavator-attached vibration harvesters, and net installations to harvest the fruits more efficiently.

The ‘Immediate Ginkgo Fruit Collection Service’ will also be conducted. If there is any inconvenience caused by ginkgo fruits, citizens can report by phone to the Seoul City Response Center or the autonomous district, and the issue will be addressed within 24 hours.

The harvested ginkgo fruits will be sent to the Gangbuk Agricultural and Marine Products Inspection Office of the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment for heavy metal testing, and only fruits confirmed to be safe will be donated to senior centers and social welfare facilities.

Yoo Young-bong, Director of the Seoul City Green City Bureau, said, “Seoul City is proactively responding to minimize citizen inconvenience caused by ginkgo tree fruits,” and added, “We will continue to create a pleasant walking environment for citizens so that they can enjoy the autumn foliage.”

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