'Ginkgo Nut Collection Nets' Proposed... Jeonnam-Gwangju Seo-gu Council Offers Alternative

Assemblywoman Lim Sua also calls for gradually replacing female ginkgo trees with male trees.

The Seo-gu Council in Jeonnam-Gwangju has proposed installing devices to prevent ginkgo nuts from falling and collection nets to reduce the inconvenience they cause pedestrians in autumn. The proposal reflects an urgent need for fundamental measures to keep the nuts from falling onto roads, in addition to the existing nut-removal program.

On October 16, Assemblywoman Lim Sua highlighted the foul odor and pedestrian safety issues caused by ginkgo nuts at the first plenary session of the 344th council meeting and called for measures to address them.

Lim Sua, member of the Seo-gu Council

Lim explained that "ginkgo trees account for 18.7% of the street trees in Seo-gu." She added that nuts falling onto roads can burst, causing foul odors and mess, and increasing the risk of slip-and-fall accidents for pedestrians with limited mobility.

As countermeasures, she proposed installing devices to prevent fallen nuts and collection nets, drawing on examples from other local governments. She said the current nut-removal program alone has limitations in preventing the damage.

She also called for female trees to be replaced gradually with male trees in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic and a high concentration of shops. She further proposed using the collected nuts to make eco-friendly natural fertilizer.

Lim said, "Street tree maintenance is an important public service directly linked to residents' quality of life," and urged the district to "take prompt action."

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