SEOUL, May 10 (Korea Bizwire) — The government plans to introduce a new policy to prevent the reckless pruning of street trees.
The Ministry of Environment and the National Institute of Biological Resources announced Monday the development of new instructions on the selection and pruning of street trees.
Street trees are often pruned excessively before the leaves grow, with all of their branches cut off except for the trunk.
Due to numerous complaints that tree branches and leaves cover up store signs, and the costly task of bringing in workers for a slight trim every time a complaint is made, many municipal workers seem to opt for cutting off all the branches at once.
While the law stipulates when, how, and how often a street tree needs to be pruned, there are no limitations on how much trees can be pruned.
Experts point out that pruning more than 25 percent of the leaves undermines the tree’s energy production capabilities, shortening its lifespan.
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