Beijingers may soon be able to say "zaijian" to those pesky catkins, as city authorities announced plans to get rid of the fluffy tree seeds by 2020.
Catkins, which resemble fluffy, floating white balls, signify the beginning of spring each year in the capital. You can expect to see the "spring snow" when temperatures start hitting 15 degrees.
READ MORE: It's Snowing! Nope… Beijing's Pesky Catkin Season is Upon Us
Catkins have proven to be quite the annual nuisance to Beijing residents. Be prepared to carry a mask during the three-week season, as catkins can get lodged in ears, eyes and throats. They've also been known to cause moderate-to-serious allergies among some people. They're even really, really flammable.
This isn't the first time the local government has made efforts to eliminate catkins. Back in 1994, Beijing launched a “Millions of Male Poplars” initiative. Some trees were also injected with hormones in some sort of attempt at "sex reassignment," but that method proved time consuming and expensive. Since 2001, only male poplars and willow trees have been allowed to be planted in Beijing, with the intention of completely ridding the capital of catkins by 2005.
Last week, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry announced that it would prevent 400,000 trees from producing catkins through various methods, including replacing trees and the aforementioned sex change method. The plan is to reduce them to a level where they "do not cause disaster" by 2020.
Let's hope they're more successful this time around.
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