The King of Trees in Taitung — Jinchengwu Tree Receives Free Check-up from Imperial Family’s Royal Arborist Who Also Offers Tea

By MOOK Scenic Spots Home Travel Life Network Editorial Team

 

On July 23, 2014, the popular tourist attraction, the Jinchengwu Tree, was knocked down by Typhoon Matmo, a moderate-strength tropical cyclone.,The tea-offering tree on Beilang Boulevard in Chihshang, Taitung, was successfully righted and replanted in its original location on July 24 with the support of EVA Air, the Taitung County Government, local residents, and various sectors of society.To help the tea-offering tree recover as soon as possible, EVA Air specially asked the Da’an Forest Friends Foundation to recommend Mr. Yamashita Tokuo, the Imperial Family’s royal arborist, and his team, who arrived in Chihshang on the 25th to provide free expertise for this over 40-year-old Podocarpus tree.

Yamashita Tokuo is the Imperial Palace’s designated tree doctor in Japan, with 25 years of experience and a high professional reputation. He specializes in the care of trees over 50 years old and is especially skilled in transplanting large trees. Originally in Taiwan to maintain over a hundred trees in Da’an Forest Park, he took time out of his busy schedule to thoroughly diagnose and treat the tea-offering tree from head to toe. He also took the opportunity to exchange ideas with the Taitung County Government, Chihshang Township Office, and local experts, sharing the beauty brought by trees and letting more Taiwanese understand crisis management and maintenance techniques for fallen trees.

The Taitung County Government stated that the Jinchengwu Tree, which fell due to Typhoon Matmo, has drawn much public concern. On the morning of the 24th, the township office urgently dispatched heavy equipment to the site to right the tree. The tree has now been uprighted, and after consultation between the township office and the landowner, it is planned to extend the slope toward the rice fields by 1 to 1.5 meters. After receiving advice from Dr. Yamashita, follow-up slope engineering and soil backfilling will be completed.