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Taipei Councilor Slams City for Removing More Trees Than Planting, Questions Data

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Taipei City Councilor Hung Wan-chen criticizes the city government for removing more street trees than planting.
  • She questions the city's "corrective return" accounting method, which allegedly masks a significant net decrease in trees.
  • Hung highlights disparities in tree distribution across Taipei's districts and argues for prioritizing tree planting in areas with fewer trees.

Taipei City Councilor Hung Wan-chen has sharply criticized the city government's management of street trees, alleging that the number of trees removed significantly exceeds new plantings. She specifically questioned the administration's use of a "corrective return" accounting method, which she claims is used to artificially inflate tree numbers and obscure a substantial net loss.

Hung pointed to figures for 2025, stating that 473 trees were damaged by disasters and 2,691 were removed, resulting in a total decrease of 3,164 trees. This represents a 122% increase in removals compared to 2024, when 1,425 trees were removed. Despite this, only 778 trees were planted, a replanting rate of just 24.6%.

Taipei City Councilor Hung Wan-chen questions the Taipei City Government's removal of more street trees than planting.

— Hung Wan-chenStating her primary criticism regarding the city's street tree management.

After accounting for replantings, the net decrease was 2,386 trees. Hung argued that the city then incorporated 2,560 newly managed trees from various districts through the "corrective return" process, making it appear as though there was only a net increase of 174 trees. However, she noted a contradictory statistic showing a decrease of 941 trees after a census update, leading to a reported net reduction of only 767 trees when combined.

The number of trees removed is completely unable to keep up with the number of trees planted, and it is not acceptable that the city government uses 'corrective return' to make the numbers look like an increase.

— Hung Wan-chenCriticizing the city's accounting methods for tree planting and removal.

Highlighting disparities, Hung noted that the Daan district has the most street trees with 14,279, while the Datong district has the fewest with 2,718. She emphasized that street trees are crucial for providing shade, cooling urban areas, and improving air quality, not just for aesthetics. Hung criticized the perceived "favoritism" in resource allocation, citing the significant budget for sunshades in the Xinyi district compared to the Wanhua district.

Hung urged the city government to prioritize replanting, especially in districts with fewer trees, and to ensure that new trees are planted within a reasonable timeframe after removals. She stressed that the pace of tree removal is outpacing planting, a trend that needs urgent attention.

Street trees are not just scenery, but an important foundation for pedestrian shade, urban cooling, and air quality.

— Hung Wan-chenEmphasizing the ecological and practical importance of street trees.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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