Beijing’s tree die-off reveals hidden risks of rapid underground water recovery

At a time of year when Beijing’s vegetation should be at its greenest, thousands of trees of various species in a park in the city’s Chaoyang district have withered and died because they were too wet. Beijing Daily, the city’s official newspaper, said on Monday that rising groundwater levels might be to blame. Jinzhandian Park, a lush flood-storage wetland park nicknamed Beijing’s “Little Lake Baikal” for its lake and extensive woodlands, has drawn large numbers of visitors since opening in...

By Dannie Peng