A 700-YEAR-OLD dead ginkgo tree will be kept alive as a specimen, the Changning District Greenery Administration said yesterday.
The tree, one of only two 700-year-old ginkgoes in downtown, died several years ago and is now rotting away and on the verge of collapse.
"The old trees symbolize the city's long history and cultural richness," said Jin Siying, an official with the Shanghai Ancient and Rare Trees Protection Office. "They should be well protected and preserved."
The other old ginkgo tree is on Yongtai Street in Huangpu District and still alive, Jin said.
The dead tree, located on Xinyu Road E. in Changning District, is 19.8 meters tall and 5.5 meters in diameter.
It has become a safety hazard, so officials either have to remove it or cut away the rotten parts and add supports, which is what they decided to do.
"The tree stood there for so many years and people around had deep feelings about it," said an official surnamed Yu with the district greenery administration. "Considering such old ginkgoes are rare in the city, we finally decided to keep it."
The district plans to turn the 600-square-meter space around the tree into a public park.