A few weeks ago, I was chatting with a co-worker before a meeting when she asked me if I was familiar with Beijing’s “furry tree” problem. I was not, so she went on to tell me that each spring, Beijing is temporarily inundated with small “furry balls” released from poplar and willow trees. A few weeks later, it looked like a cotton factory had exploded and spewed it’s contents across the city. Spring had sprung.
How did it begin?
In the 1960’s, the Chinese government wanted to add some green to Beijing’s concrete landscape; approximately 120 million trees worth of green. Poplars and willows were chosen for their fast-growing nature and ability to sustain harsh climates and pests. This is great for Beijing because, in the eight months I’ve lived here, it’s rained less than ten times.
So what’s the problem?
There is an unequal ratio of male to female…trees. When the planting project began, officials did not pay attention to the sex of the tree. This resulted in significantly more female trees being planted than male. More females, more shedding.
A brief lesson in pollination
A catkin is a wind-pollinated flower that is cylindrical in shape. It actually got it’s name from the Dutch word “kitten tail”. For a short time in spring, adult female poplar and willow trees shed their catkin seeds. This is the white “fluff” that is seen floating like soft cotton across the city. With so many female trees planted and shedding at the same time, Beijing becomes a white wonderland for a few weeks each spring.
At first site, the fluff has a a soft whimsical feel to it. From our apartment window, it looked like snow flurries had arrived in April.
It may be hard to tell from the clip, but the air was filled with catkins. I can only imagine how the city looked before efforts were made to reduce this annual nuisance.
But there is a dark side to this white fluff. It’s highly flammable. Hundreds of fires have started from the seemingly innocuous fluff shedding. According to one source, a woman was messing around with the fluff and decided it would be funny to light it on fire. The fire quickly spread to burn down a bus and two cars. Many other accidental fires were started by lit cigarette butts.
So what are you gonna do about it, China?
In the 1990’s, Beijing launched a project called “Millions of Male Poplars” with the goal of planting 10 million male tree species. In addition to planting male trees, some female trees were to be uprooted and replaced. The project has had modest success, but is still far from reaching it’s goal of 10 million trees planted. Another explored option is [“sex reassignment surgery”] (http://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2016/04/07/curse-catkins-brief-history-cottonwood-poplars-beijing), which appears to involve cutting off branches from the female tree and attaching male branches. I couldn’t find any more information on this technique.
As for the adorable cat name, an animal rescue organization in Park Falls, Wisconsin has already staked claim. They accept donations.
source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtEhX7mhDJc via http://www.tastefullyoffensive.com/2015/12/year-of-monkey-cat.html