In Taiwan’s big cities, trees can be seen almost everywhere. These trees provide shade, purify the air, and even reduce noise pollution. But street trees can also be hazards to the people around them. They’ve caused a number of issues in recent years, whether it’s by buckling sidewalks with their roots or by falling onto roads. Is it possible to have all the benefits of street trees and none of the risks? We find out in our Sunday special report.

Here in Kaohsiung, next to Chung-cheng Industrial High School, a row of roadside trees has been cut down. This stump belonged to a towering Bodhi tree and is now covered with cloth.

Looking back with Google Street View, in 2022, this Bodhi tree stood five stories tall, and three people were needed to encircle its trunk. But as the tree grew, its roots cracked the sidewalk. Putting pedestrians first, officials cut the row of trees to create a safe space for walking.

Zhuang Jie-ren
Forest City Association, Taiwan head
So, when this tree was first planted, it was still very small, so they create a tree pit of 1 square meter. Then the tree grew into a giant, so of course it burst out from that space.

Confining big trees to small shoes not only ruins the shoes, but also makes the trees unsteady, so that they can easily topple over onto people and vehicles. And these aren’t the only problems that can be caused by street trees.

Some trees drop flowers that make surfaces slippery or that emit unpleasant odors. Other trees shed leaves or fruits that can cause injuries. The question officials grapple with is whether such trees should be removed.

This issue is at play here in Xindian District’s Meitan Borough. The borough warden, Chien Ming-feng, is concerned about a group of 60-year-old breadfruit trees. They stand unsteadily under the sidewalk, and are especially hazardous in the summer when their fruits ripen.

Chien Ming-feng
Meitan borough warden
The fruit of the breadfruit tree is about this big. You can imagine what would happen if it fell from a great height.


The borough warden furnishes a stack of information on the trees. Discussions on relocating the trees began 10 years ago. Opinions were sharply divided, and 10 years later, the trees remain, with locals still lodging complaints.

Chien Ming-feng
Meitan borough warden
The main problem is that the trees endanger that path by the school. It’s a pedestrian safety problem. Navigating that path is already challenging enough for able-bodied people, let alone for someone in a wheelchair.

Despite the presence of a sidewalk, locals are forced to walk on the road and compete with passing vehicles. Why has it been so hard to relocate six breadfruit trees? What’s the case for leaving them in place?

Hsu Mei-hui is an urban planner and a resident of Meitan Borough. Today she’s measuring the cooling effect of tree shade.

In winter, tree shade can provide cooling of 3.6 degrees Celsius. In summer, the cooling effect is as much as 13 degrees. Hsu is an advocate of retaining the trees, saying they’re needed to mitigate heat waves amid climate change.

Hsu Mei-hui
Urban planner
Summer is arriving earlier these days. I remember that in 2016, in 2014, temperatures were already as high as 38 degrees Celsius in May. It’s especially bad in greater Taipei, where there’s a significant urban heat island effect.

Trees lower temperatures, reduce noise pollution, absorb carbon dioxide, and improve air flow to disperse air pollution. They also play an important role in pedestrian and vehicle safety.

Hsu Mei-hui
Urban planner
Look at the median strips of roads. They are mainly composed of shrubs, and that’s a safety consideration. They reduce the headlight glare of oncoming vehicles. Trees can also serve as a divider. On sidewalks, because people walk slower, large trees that provide shade are used.

Street trees enhance safety by separating pedestrians from vehicles. Their green leaves can reduce eye fatigue for drivers and provide a calming oasis for urban dwellers.

Shen Shu-chiao
Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency official
The planting design is multilayered, for instance, there are large trees at the top, followed by shrubs, and then flowers or grass at the bottom. This creates a rich visual effect that is more pleasing to the eye. The other thing is that this design attracts insects, butterflies, bees, and birds, creating an unfiltered and accessible natural landscape for the public.

Zhuang Jie-ren
Forest City Association, Taiwan head
If you look at it from a variety of angles, you’ll find that these trees can help to lower health insurance costs. They can save us the cost of building power plants, of installing infrastructure like air purifiers and air conditioning. You
#台灣新聞 #TaiwanNews #民視新聞 #FTV新聞 #Taiwan