每年四月，北方多地進入“飛絮季”。漫天飄舞的白色絨毛，看似浪漫，卻讓不少人鼻癢、眼紅、噴嚏不斷。

Every April, large parts of northern China enter "fluff season", as white catkins from poplar and willow trees fill the air.

While the drifting fibers may appear picturesque, they often trigger allergic reactions, causing itchy noses, red eyes and frequent sneezing.

圖源：視覺中國

什么是楊柳飛絮？

每年四月飄舞的白色絨毛，本質(zhì)上是楊柳雌株的種子及其附著的絨毛，既不是花，也不是所謂的“白毛”。楊樹和柳樹為雌雄異株，只有雌樹才會飄絮。春季授粉后，雌樹結出果實，成熟后裂開，絨毛帶著種子隨風飄散。

The airborne fluff consists of seed-bearing fibers produced by female poplar and willow trees. Both species are dioecious, meaning only female trees generate the cotton-like material. After pollination in spring, the trees produce fruit that eventually splits open, releasing the fibers and seeds to be dispersed by the wind.

雖然飛絮擾人，但楊柳樹是早年城市綠化的主力樹種，它們的快速生長和強大遮蔭能力，見證了城市綠化的基礎建設。

為什么不能“一刀切”全砍？

楊柳樹之所以沒有被“一刀切”砍掉，是因為它們擁有生長快、遮陰大、固碳強、成本低等突出優(yōu)勢。在過去城市綠化資源有限的年代，楊柳樹憑借這些優(yōu)點成為絕對的主力軍，夏天為行人提供了大量樹蔭。如今，各地并非簡單砍伐，而是通過 更換雄株、嫁接、噴灑抑花藥物等科學手段，逐步減少飛絮總量。

Despite the nuisance, poplars and willows offer notable benefits. They grow quickly, provide ample shade, absorb carbon efficiently and require relatively low maintenance. At a time when urban greening resources were limited, they became a mainstay of city landscaping, supplying much-needed shade during the summer months.

Today, rather than removing the trees outright, authorities are adopting science-based measures to curb the spread of fluff. These include planting male trees, grafting, and applying chemicals to inhibit flowering.

北京飛絮的楊柳樹能不能都砍了？

對此，北京市園林綠化局科技處處長姜英淑，也正面回應了這個問題。

But could Beijing eliminate the problem by cutting down all fluff-producing trees? Jiang Yingshu, head of the Science and Technology Division at the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau, said that is not a viable option.

姜英淑表示：“不能大面積、一次性砍伐所有壯年楊柳樹。像現(xiàn)在胸徑30公分（厘米）的楊樹，樹齡大多在三四十年以上。如果新種植5、6公分（厘米）的樹苗，等它長到胸徑30、40厘米的成樹，至少需要三四十年時間。這段時間里，樹木的生態(tài)效果，包括水土保持等功能，沒法快速彌補。在更新改造過程中，我們會逐步地把老弱病殘雌株替換掉?！?/p>

"We cannot remove all healthy, mature poplar and willow trees in a single large-scale effort," Jiang said. "A poplar tree with a diameter at breast height of 30 centimeters is typically 30 to 40 years old. Replacing it with a sapling of just five or six centimeters would mean waiting at least three to four decades for it to reach a comparable size."

"During that period, key ecological functions, including soil and water conservation, would be significantly reduced and cannot be quickly restored. As part of urban forest renewal, we will instead gradually replace older, weakened and female trees."

飛絮季，如何有效保護自己？

防護可以概括為六個字：躲、捂、掃、查、清、防。

?躲：盡量避開上午10點至下午4點外出，選擇清晨、傍晚或雨后出門。

? 捂：佩戴口罩、護目鏡，穿著長袖衣物并戴帽子，減少皮膚和黏膜暴露。

? 掃：及時清掃室內(nèi)外堆積的飛絮，避免長時間停留。

? 查：檢查門窗紗窗、空調(diào)濾網(wǎng)等，防止飛絮通過縫隙進入室內(nèi)。

? 清：回家后及時洗臉、清洗鼻腔、更換外衣；若飛絮入眼或接觸皮膚，用清水沖洗，不要揉搓或抓撓。

? 防：不玩火，不亂扔煙頭，遠離飛絮堆積區(qū)域，嚴防火災。

來源：央視網(wǎng)綜合光明網(wǎng)、央視新聞、新華社、中國氣象報社、北京日報

跟著China Daily

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