괴이한 가지치기, 청주 ‘하트 가로수길’…“이게 우수 사례라니”

The Korea Forest Service and Chungcheongbuk-do Chungju City have deemed the 'Chungju Heart Street' a model case for tree maintenance. However, the environmental group is criticizing excessive pruning of the street's trees. In a recent announcement, the forest service and city revealed that the 'Chungju Heart Street' earned second place in the Forest Service's nationwide 'Top 5 Tree Care' competition.

The competition featured the 'Citizen Participation and Named Spot Tree Maintenance' of Jeju-si (1st), 'Beautiful Street Scenery in APEC Capital City' in Gyeongsangbuk-do (3rd), 'Pedestrian-Friendly Poços da Indústria Avenue' in Pohang City (4th), and 'Citizen-led Street Tree Care' in Sejong City (5th).

The heart-shaped street is located in Chungju-si Central District, spanning 350 meters near Chungju City Hall. A total of 41 bankias (bankia mollis) were planted to create the heart-shaped pattern. The city contracted a tree cultivation company for the project, which reportedly spent 14 million won. Arborist Jeong Hee-jun expressed concern over the excessive pruning, stating that while the pruned heart-shaped tree may appear healthy now, it could face issues with photosynthesis and disease vulnerability.

Choe Il-woong, from the Chungju-Chungbuk Environmental Union, warned that the excessively pruned 'heart-shaped street' might discourage other local governments from following suit, and could negatively impact the city's residents. However, Chungju City is considering turning the adjacent 10 bankias into the '2nd Heart Tree Street,' as the bankias are a sturdy species that can withstand pruning.

City officials express an understanding of the environmental groups' concerns but are evaluating interest in additional heart-shaped tree plantings due to the street's popularity.