The arrival of early winter marks a season when all trees wither. The reporter found that most parks in Beijing ecologically turn dead branches and fallen leaves into treasures, reflecting the poem "The fallen blossoms are not an unfeeling thing; Though turned to mud, they'd nurture flowers’ growth next spring."

At the China National Botanical Garden, the dead branches, fallen leaves, grass clippings, and withered flowers generated from natural shedding or artificial pruning become green waste. To make use of them, the China National Botanical Garden (North Garden) has a dedicated green waste processing plant. Transported here, the green waste goes through processes such as screening, crushing, turning, and discharging, and is transformed into organic matter for landscaping and maintenance within the park. During autumn and winter, an average of about 90 cubic meters of green waste is processed daily, totaling over 20,000 cubic meters annually. The China National Botanical Garden (North Garden) has achieved zero emissions of green waste.

There is also a green waste processing plant in Yuyuantan Park, handling the green waste within the park.

"Yuyuantan Park has planted a large number of cherry blossom trees, which produce a huge amount of flowers. Therefore, the trees consume a considerable amount of energy and require sufficient fertilizer to provide nutrients. These dead branches and fallen leaves in the park can be effectively reused to contribute to the blooming of cherry blossoms in the coming year." Zhao Xiaojuan, Deputy Director of the Landscape Science Department of Yuyuantan Park, introduced that small branches with a diameter of less than 10 centimeters will be crushed first, and after fermentation, they will be turned into organic fertilizer to improve the quality of the soil. Some larger branches will be broken into small pieces with a diameter of five to seven centimeters and refilled into tree trenches, playing a role in moisture retention, water conservation, dust reduction, and cold protection.

In recent years, Yuyuantan Park has also used green waste to build garden landscapes. For example, many flower decorations in the shape of bears, squirrels, and rabbits are made from green waste.

At the Beijing Zoo, fallen leaves are used as natural "snacks" for animals. On the open-air playground, elks close their eyes and enjoy chewing the falling leaves, while Siberian ibexes leap between rockeries in search of "delicious" food.

Clean fallen leaves can also be used as natural bedding material. The staff at the Brown Bear Playground have collected fallen leaves and used them as bedding material in the hibernation area for the brown bear named 'Huihui'. Staff members in exhibition areas such as lions and tigers, red foxes, ring-tailed lemurs, and Malayan porcupines have also collected clean fallen leaves as nesting and resting materials for the animals.

Translator: LI Xiaochun

Reviewer: LIU Siqi