Unfazed by Typhoons! ... Yeongdeungpo-gu Intensively Maintains Street Trees

Autumn Typhoon and Heavy Rain Preparations: Nationwide Street Tree Maintenance to Prevent Uprooting Accidents and Casualties
Safety Inspections, Pruning, and Hazardous Tree Removal in Flood-Prone Areas

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it is focusing on the “street tree comprehensive maintenance,” including pruning street trees, to prepare for typhoons and the autumn rainy season, putting all efforts into ensuring the safety of residents.

The district will carry out pruning on about 4,000 trees around areas prone to frequent flooding by September. So far, pruning has been completed on 3,200 London plane trees planted along Singil-ro, Daebangcheon-ro, and Yeouidaebang-ro.

The main trees targeted for pruning are London plane trees and zelkova trees, while trees subject to removal include those at risk of toppling and dead trees. These species are commonly planted as street trees, but when typhoons accompanied by strong winds hit, they can fall onto sidewalks or roads, posing safety threats such as electrical accidents to residents.

In particular, since the district was selected as the top district in the “2024 Excellent Street Tree Management Competition,” pruning is conducted not uniformly but with comprehensive consideration of urban aesthetics, ecological environment, and surrounding scenery. This approach enhances not only functionality but also visual appeal.

Additionally, since the beginning of the year, the district has conducted a “tree safety diagnosis” service, including expert visual inspections, tree tomography, and detailed assessments. This is to prevent street tree overturning accidents by proactively maintaining hazardous trees before the peak summer wind and flood season. Through the safety diagnosis, trees with rotten trunks, holes, poor growth conditions, or risk of falling were identified and given stepwise evaluations based on risk levels. Trees with the highest risk were immediately removed and replaced with other species such as ginkgo or Japanese pagoda trees.

The district also operates a “street tree management task force” to inspect the condition of street trees along roadsides and carries out mowing and weeding to improve growth environments, continuing “systematic street tree management.”

Furthermore, to prevent casualties and property damage such as falling signs during typhoons or heavy rain, the district patrols and removes old or ownerless “hazardous signs.”

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “Since broken branches of street trees can cause casualties and safety accidents, we will minimize damage from autumn typhoons through street tree maintenance. We will always prioritize residents’ safety and thoroughly inspect hazardous facilities to do our best for the safe daily lives of our residents.”