Busan to preemptively harvest ginkgo fruits to reduce autumn odors

Busan Metropolitan City is launching a preemptive collection initiative for ginkgo tree fruits to mitigate odors and sidewalk pollution during the autumn season. The project targets 10,000 female ginkgo trees out of a total of 33,000 street trees in the city.

Approximately 250 workers per day will be deployed around the Chuseok holiday period, utilizing equipment such as vibration harvesters and poles to collect the fruit. To prevent fruit from falling onto walkways, the city plans to install roughly 200 collection nets by the end of September.

In addition to harvesting, the city is implementing long-term solutions, including replacing female trees with male trees in high-complaint areas and applying fruit-suppression agents. Collected fruits will undergo heavy metal testing; those deemed safe may be donated to welfare facilities, used as fertilizer, or disposed of locally.