Stinky ginkgo trees, gathering the fruit before they fall: Seoul, “Already on it”

Workers harvest ginkgo fruit using a vibrating harvesting machine in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Government

This year, workers began harvesting ginkgo fruits from trees in Seoul early this month, a month earlier than usual. The city is collecting the ginkgo fruits when they start to turn yellow in an effort to minimize the inconvenience of citizens, who suffer from the smell and stains on the sidewalk from the ginkgo fruit that fall to the ground.

On September 14, the Seoul metropolitan government announced that the 25 local districts have begun forming and operating a team to gather ginkgo fruit from September 1. Only female ginkgo trees bear fruit, and in Seoul 25.4% of the 103,959 gingko trees lining the streets, in other words 26,417 trees are female. They account for 8.9% of all roadside trees in the city (295,852).

The ginkgo tree provides beautiful foliage in the fall and are excellent air purifiers. The tree is also resistant to many diseases and pests and has been regarded as having optimal features for roadside trees. However, the city receives a stream of civil complaints due to the stench from the fruit that begins to fall in mid-September. The falling fruit also stains the sidewalks and streets, ruining the urban landscape.

The city of Seoul began harvesting the ginkgo fruits in mid-September. The autonomous districts are collecting the fruit starting from busy areas that attract a large population. They will also use high-altitude operation vehicles and vibratory fruit-harvesting devices attached to excavators and install nets. The vibratory fruit-harvesting machine is an application of a vibratory walnut-harvesting device developed by the National Institute of Forest Science, and it can collect all the fruit from a tree by creating over 800 vibrations per minute.

The local districts will also provide services to immediately collect and handle ginkgo fruit. If there is any inconvenience due to the ginkgo fruit, citizens can call the Seoul Eungdapso (120) or the local district office (parks and green spaces dept. and green city dept.), and the districts will handle the issue within 24 hours.

Seoul plans to donate the fruit to community centers for senior citizens and social welfare facilities after testing them for heavy metal at the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment’s test center for agricultural products in Gangbuk.

Yoo Young-bong, director general of Seoul’s Parks and Recreation Bureau said, “We are responding preemptively to minimize citizens’ inconvenience due to the ginkgo fruit,” and added, “We will continue to provide a pleasant environment for pedestrians so citizens can enjoy the autumn colors.”