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AI Era Reaches Street Tree Management… Busan Metropolitan City Launches Pilot Smart Tree Management System

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Busan Metropolitan City, under Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk, announced that it began introducing an AI-based Smart Tree Management System in May to manage urban trees more scientifically and efficiently.

The project will target approximately 8,000 trees, including street trees along Jungang-daero, one of the city’s major arterial roads. To supplement conventional tree surveys that have relied heavily on manpower, the city will utilize vehicle-mounted LiDAR technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

Using vehicles equipped with LiDAR and high-resolution cameras, the city will automatically collect and analyze growth information for approximately 8,000 trees along Jungang-daero, covering an area of 25,000 square meters. The collected data will include tree locations, species, tree height, crown width, and dead branches.

In particular, through this pilot initiative, the city plans to move beyond simple status surveys and establish a proactive tree management system that links all stages of tree management, thereby differentiating itself from other municipalities.

The system will enable proactive safety management by analyzing and inspecting abnormal signs such as pest outbreaks, trunk decay, and risk of tree collapse in advance. This is expected to shift management practices away from simple status inspections toward growth-stage management and continuous history tracking.

In addition, Busan Metropolitan City plans to develop and apply a differentiated tree management model unique to the city by incorporating post-management notification services for watering, fertilization, and pest control schedules, as well as work history management functions for pruning and replanting.

The service project will proceed from May through December of this year. Based on the project results, the city plans to review expanding the system’s application to various urban green spaces such as roadside flowerbeds, green belts, and parks, as well as to district and county governments.

The city expects that the introduction of this system will not only reduce management costs but also enable scientific and objective responses to street tree management issues. It is also expected to serve as foundational data for ensuring citizen safety and advancing carbon neutrality policies.

Following completion of the pilot project in December, the city will monitor operational results and supplement any operational shortcomings before reviewing whether to expand implementation in the future.

Kim Kyung-duk, Acting Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “The introduction of this AI-based Smart Tree Management System is meaningful in that it supplements conventional manpower-centered management methods and establishes a foundation for systematic data-driven tree management that enhances citizen safety and helps realize a low-carbon green city, Busan.”

He added, “Through tree management based on scientific data, we will improve the urban landscape and implement smart green administration that enhances public trust.”