Beijing's municipal authorities say they will not cut down the city's mature poplar and willow trees despite the annual "catkin nuisance", arguing that the ecological benefits of the towering trees cannot be easily replaced. 北京市有關部門表示，儘管每年都會出現"楊柳飛絮困擾"，但不會砍伐城市中已長成的楊樹和柳樹，理由是這些高大樹木帶來的生態效益難以輕易替代。 "Because of their outstanding advantages — fast growth, dense shade, strong carbon sequestration, and low cost — large-scale or onetime removal of mature poplar and willow trees is not feasible," said Jiang Yingshu, director of the science and technology division at the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau. 北京市園林綠化局科技處處長薑英淑表示："楊樹柳樹具有生長迅速、遮蔭效果好、固碳能力強、成本低廉等顯著優勢，對已成年的楊樹柳樹進行大規模或一次性移除並不可行。" Jiang noted that trees with a diameter of 30 centimeters are typically 30 to 40 years old. Replacing them with saplings of five to six centimeters would take anot...