Sex Changes For Trees - Chinese Poplars Undergo Operations to Reduce Pollen

In an effort to relieve the city from pollen infestation, Beijing’s female poplar trees will receive ‘sex change operations’.  These operations will reduce the pollen in the air, helping to reduce allergy and asthma problems.  The procedure itself is rather experimental, but with more than 300,000 poplar trees, there appears to be a lot of opportunity for experimentation.

Reuters noted, “Hospitals in Beijing have received increasing numbers of patients who suffer from asthma or allergies after inhaling the pollen, which blankets the city in a snowfall of white fluff, reports said.  It would not be China’s first attempt to alter nature.”

Hey Beijing!  If you want another way to improve air quality, try reducing factory pollution…