[Hold on] Tree doctor Lee Seung-eon. "Trees are only Wangjin... In the royal bag..."

■ Broadcast: YTN Radio FM 94.5 (20:20-21:00)
■ Date: December 8, 2024 (Sunday)
■ Proceedings: Professor Lee Seong-gyu
■ Talk: Lee Seung-eon, Director of Space Landscape Tree Hospital

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.

◆ Professor Lee Seong-gyu (hereinafter referred to as Lee Seong-gyu): There is a job that is attracting attention among people in their 50s and 60s preparing for the second act of life. It's Dr. Tree. It's literally a job to treat and care for diseased trees. What makes this job so popular, I invited a man who became a tree doctor while working at an IT company today. I will talk to Lee Seung-eun, director of the Cosmic Landscape Tree Hospital. Welcome.

◇ Lee Seung-eon, Director of Space Landscape Tree Hospital (hereinafter referred to as Lee Seung-eon): Hello. I'm Lee Seung-eon, a tree doctor. Nice to meet you.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: A tree doctor. It's been known a lot recently. I think there will be people who are still unfamiliar with it. Since you're a doctor, you'll work to heal trees. What kind of job is a tree doctor?

◇ [Lee Seung-eon] Yes, so what we do is basically to make sure that the trees around our living area grow healthy and well. To this end, when a tree is damaged, the cause of the damage is diagnosed, appropriate treatment is prescribed, and treatment is prevented according to the prescription. However, there may be many people who think about what kind of damage to trees can be caused. We basically divide tree damage into biological and abiotic damage. Since trees are also life-threatening, they can get sick from infections with pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses, and pests harm the leaves, branches, stems, and roots of trees. Damage caused by such pests is called biological damage. Abiotic damage was almost a disaster for trees due to heavy snow recently. Since it's a wet tongue and it's heavy, the branches break a lot and fall a lot. So it was especially catastrophic for pine trees. These abiotic damages are due to bad weather and soil. Whether the soil is dry or humid. And people take care of trees incorrectly, so these damage is called abiotic damage.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: So you're treating those damages anyway?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: We do diagnostic, prescribing, treating, and preventing activities.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: It's very heavy because our eyes are humid. There was a lot of damage this time, right?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: It was incredible. This time.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: When you prune street trees. Why do you do that?

◇ [Lee Seung-eon] So there can be a number of purposes for pruning trees. So, proper pruning can increase the resistance to pests and diseases by allowing good wind and sunlight between trees and make trees grow really well. The problem is when you do excessive pruning and pruning that doesn't fit the pruning method. Excessive pruning will weaken the power of the tree. Because the leaves that produce certain nutrients disappear, the water level becomes weak, and if the power weakens, it can be easily infected with pests. And if you do wrong pruning, it will rot in that area. So let's just say it's severe. So, in order to prevent such damage, I understand that legislation has been announced to be diagnosed by a tree doctor even in pruning street trees.

◆ Lee Sung-gyu: But what about foreign countries? In this part of the tree doctor.

◇ In fact, North America, Europe, and Japan, which are advanced countries in tree management, are more systematic in tree management. In the case of Japan, the tree doctor system was established in the 1900s and has been progressing until now. In 2018, tree doctors became legal, and I know that many of these Japanese systems were benchmarked at this time. And in North America, if you look at Canada, there are many kinds of Avorists. The people who take care of the trees.

◆ Lee Sung Kyu: Avorist?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: Yes. They are systematically educated and qualified, and Canada does not allow trees that are more than 20cm in diameter to be cut, even if they are their own trees. I report it to the relevant authorities to cut it, and the officials in charge have a great influence on it. And in the case of the United States, the term "Tree Doctor" was coined. In 1907, John Davey published a book called The Tree Doctor. It contains how to manage trees and plants, and that's when the term "tree doctor" first appeared, and it seems that it has been proceeding a little systematically since then.

◆ Is Wangjin the only tree?

◇ Yes, that's right. Because I can't move the tree.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: So the director must continue to go there and diagnose.

◇ [Lee Seung-eon] That's right.

◆ You're going far away, aren't you?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: I actually go anywhere where trees hurt. However, since Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, is where the company is located, it is mainly done in Seongnam or the Seoul metropolitan area. When I go far, I transplant a pine tree in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, but I go and see it because I heard that the water is not good.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: Suncheon? Do you also carry a royal bag?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: Yes.

◆ What's in it?

◇ Seung-Eon Lee: There's lightweight equipment in the Wangjin bag that we can basically treat trees. Most basically, there is a wooden hammer or rubber hammer, which can be called our wooden doctor's stethoscope.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: You're making a judgment by tapping like this?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: Yes. If you tap the tree, the sound is different and feels different to see if the tree is healthy or if there is a bit of rot. And there's an acid hygrometer that measures the acidity and humidity of the soil, a hardness meter that looks at the hardness of the soil, a sample bag that collects samples from painful areas, and chisels, tablets, and hammers.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: Trees sometimes have surgery.

◇ [Lee Seung-eon] What we usually call surgical operation is that part of the stem becomes thick and there's a rotting part, so there's an empty space inside. If there's such a part, make sure that the rotting part doesn't continue. Surgical surgery is performed to provide a certain amount of support and to make it look good. So, as you said, we cut out all the rotten parts with electric saws and cloves to the point where there is a sound part, fill them with fillers, and coat them with artificial skin to make them look good and prevent boohoo from progressing any further.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: And there's also surgery, and when there's an epidemic where pine trees dry up and die on the hill, or something like that. Set up a zone and go there to prevent the transmission. Is it called quarantine? Do you do that together?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: This year, our southern region is called 'pine nematode disease'. Pests such as Baiji and Baiji are transmitted to pine nematodes as carriers. But this year was really bad. If you go to the southern part of the country, you can see pine colonies almost red. By the way, we usually have trees around the living area. It's a bit controversial. This pine nematode disease in the forest has a little issue with the forest side with the question of whether a tree doctor can manage, diagnose, and treat it.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: It's controversial right now.

◇ Lee Seung-eon: Yes. However, I think it should be so that tree doctors can diagnose and prevent it in advance and treat it.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: I don't think I can go alone and do everything. I think there should be some assistant experts who can help. How does that sound?

◇ [Lee Seung-eon] That's right. So, in order to establish a tree hospital, there are people who are qualified as tree treatment technicians who can be called nurses at our tree hospital.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: Tree treatment technician.

◇ Lee Seung-eon: Yes. So, when establishing a tree hospital, you must have two tree doctors or one tree doctor and one tree treatment technician to establish a tree hospital. So, the tree doctor is in charge of diagnosing, prescribing, treating, and preventing the damage to the tree. Tree treatment technicians perform treatment and prevention tasks according to the prescription of a tree doctor.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: But some trees receive insurance benefits when the surgical process is complicated and difficult to treat. Do trees also get insurance from public institutions or something like that? How is it?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: We don't have any insurance on trees yet. If this develops in the future, I think it should provide insurance support for treating trees.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: Do you have insurance from the other side? Not the tree treatment insurance.

◇ Seung-Eon Lee: Usually, trees are considered as a property, and when the property is damaged, the insurance that we usually get is what the policyholder can get. That's what we usually do. When we went to the hospital, just like medical insurance, there was no tree insurance when we did any treatment and treatment of the tree. I think it's also necessary to do such tree management more systematically.

◆ Was there a tree that our listeners would know among the trees that Lee Seung-eon treated?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: It hasn't been that long since I've been a tree doctor. I don't think it's a clear tree. But our Koreans' favorite tree is pine trees. So I see pine trees the most. In some areas, if the water level is weakened due to incorrect pruning of the pine trees that the local people like and care about, tree injections and nutrients are placed to restore the water level, fertilize the side leaves, and fertilize the soil.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: We talked about trees in apartment complexes and public places earlier. Can only those who are qualified participate in the pruning of these trees and the treatment?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: Yes. As the tree doctor system is now legislated in the Forest Protection Act, only tree hospitals with tree doctors or tree treatment technicians can perform trees around the living area. There may be a fine of up to 5 million won if you do not register for such a tree hospital, or if a person who is not a tree doctor or tree treatment technician conducts medical treatment.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: I see. YTN Radio's Lee Sung Kyu's happy comma. Hold on. <There's no one like this.> Today, I'm with Lee Seung-eon, a tree doctor, a popular job that's emerging these days. Are you busy these days? I have a hunch that May-June will be the busiest. How are you these days?

◇ [Lee Seung-eon] That's right. The period when the damage from diseases and insect pests of trees occurs from March and occurs from late October to November. Especially from April to June, this is the busiest time. More than 85% of the damage from diseases and insect pests occurs at that time. Recently, however, there have been so many snow in the Seoul metropolitan area that many tree branches have been broken and fallen down, so there are some things to heal the broken wounds and remove the trees, so I have been busy.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: You said that it hasn't been long since you've been active. When did you start working as a tree doctor?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: I became a tree doctor in 2021. So I've been a tree doctor for about 3 years. I've been interested in trees and plants for more than a decade. I think I've been looking this way since then.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: Yes. I heard you got a qualification, so why don't you get this qualification?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: It's not easy to even take the wooden doctor's qualification test.

◆ Why is that?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: In order to take the wooden doctor qualification test, you need to meet certain qualifications.

◆ For example?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: For example, those who are qualified as landscaping drivers, plant protection drivers, or forest drivers or industrial drivers, or those who have majors, experiences, and experiences related to this. At least a few years or 10 years if you graduate from a related major undergraduate or a few years if you graduate from a master's degree. You need to have this related experience to take training to take the tree doctor exam. If you take more than 150 hours of training with this qualification, you will be eligible to take the wooden doctor exam. And the wooden doctor's test is actually divided into the first and second rounds, but there are areas that are not easy because the range is wide and deep.

◆ How much did you prepare for that?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: I actually prepared for a whole year. So I passed the first round in April 2021 and now I passed the second round in October.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: Then did you study at Gosiwon or something?

◇ It's not to that extent. So it wasn't easy to study while working at a company. That's why I need to work here. After making a decision, I left the company and studied for about a year, and in fact, a year before taking the test is an absolutely necessary test.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: I introduced you to the company you worked for earlier as an IT company. Is there any motivation for you to become interested in your decision to leave the company and your tree doctor?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: In 1999, I actually majored in business administration and joined an IT company as a new employee. And I've been involved in IT for about 20 years. As you know, IT technology is changing rapidly. It seems that there were many demands from customers in the work of applying these IT technologies to customers that changed very rapidly, and this was a little difficult. I think looking at the trees made me feel very comfortable. It's very comfortable, and trees don't ask us to do anything. I think it was really good to give everything that you had in the place you were given. Since then, I think I've been interested in trees and studied this side.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: But what is your family's reaction?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: My wife and I were working together. So at first, my wife was against it. I quit the company and actually that was the most difficult decision. It was a difficult decision to decide when to quit the company and do this. Now, it's not a temporary decision, and my wife has been looking at me for more than 10 years. Then, I think he was willing to approve it because he told me to do what I liked.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: Do doctors have similar courses, such as interns, residents, and specialists?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: Actually, there is not an institutionalized internship or residency system like a human doctor. But there are also people who studied a lot and passed because of tree doctors and non-majors. In order to work properly as a tree doctor, you need a lot of clinical experience. So, I heard that the tree doctor association needs this internship system, so I'm trying to operate it on my own. And some larger tree hospitals are also recruiting internship courses so that they can have some experience.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: You said the association, how many members do you have now? at the Tree Doctors' Association

◇ Lee Seung-eon: I took the 10th test until October of this year. There are about 1,500 people who have been produced as tree doctors.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: Do they usually open their business?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: You either start a tree hospital or get a job at a tree hospital. In fact, it is not easy to open a business, so at first, most of them get a job and gain experience, and there are many people who open their own tree hospitals.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: How about in terms of income? These days.

◇ Lee Seung-eon: The general public's perception of trees is a little less that they will spend a lot of money to treat them and take good care of them. So in fact, no business or market size of Namu Hospital is that big yet. So, it is a little difficult to start a new tree hospital and earn income.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: On the contrary, if a tree causes insect pests, you must have difficulty in having to come into contact with them closely.

◇ [Lee Seung-eon] Yes, that's right. So, if you look at tree doctors, there are people who only diagnose and prescribe tree damage. There are a lot of on-site work and a lot of hard work to cut down trees. There are people who have difficulties in that. In addition, there is a risk of exposure to pesticides when applying control drugs to trees. And this year, we set up this trap called the pheromone trap in pine nematodes to monitor and prevent the occurrence of nematodes. Then, since it takes place in the mountains, the previously transmitted insect, which mediates pine nematode disease, usually occurs from May to July. Then, you have to do things like wandering in the mountains at that time, so there are many tree doctors who have difficulty with those parts. And when you diagnose pests, the pests you mentioned. Infests such as mites, aphids, and pod bugs are a little gross. There are a lot of things like that.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: But since you're a tree doctor, it's a habit you didn't do before you got that job. I think something like that will happen.

◇ Lee Seung-eon: I think it's an occupational disease. Usually, when I take a walk in a park with my family, I keep talking about trees. Then, there are many cases where our children are interested in it at first but not very interested. When I look at the tree, I wonder why this tree was planted here. It was planted in the wrong place. ’ There are some things that I'm really disappointed about. And if you look at the damage to the tree, you can say, 'If you had managed this a little bit, it wouldn't have been like this. ’ I see trees while feeling a lot of these regrets.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: How many years do trees usually live?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: The tree keeps growing, because it keeps dividing cells. It's a new cell. Because cells continue to be made, the lifespan is not fixed. The reason why trees die is because they are infected with diseases or pests, or wounds occur, boohoo, rotting, and this tree falls or dies. It's officially 'how old is the tree's life span. ’ I don't think there's anything like this.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: Yes. You funny professional tree doctor. While listening to the show, "Shall I get ready?" ’ There might be someone who does it, so how can I prepare it?

◇ Lee Seung-eon: If you want to become a tree doctor, your mindset will be very important. Of course, you must prepare a tree doctor because you have that kind of heart. First of all, I think you should like trees, plants, and nature. And the first thing that people preparing for tree doctors ask me is, 'Do you have a vision? They're asking. Most people ask about economic vision. In fact, for a while, there may be no income or not a lot.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: It's a little bit known.

◇ Lee Seung-eon: Yes. So I hope people who are rewarded with healing and saving trees and good things like this will do. In fact, the preparation process is not that important because you can find out about such procedures. I think this kind of mindset is very important.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: If you become a tree doctor and look at the falling leaves on the tree, I think it will be a little different from what I felt before. How did it feel?

◇ When you look at the tree, there's a very comfortable part that you said earlier. There's a part where trees keep standing in one place and protecting their position. Also, when I see the trees changing in the four seasons, I'm amazed at the vitality of the trees. And if you look at the trees that have lived for hundreds of years, they've seen everything around them in one place. So it's really awe-inspiring. When you think about those things. Looking at those things, there are a lot of things that trees give us, and there are parts that make us excited and awe. To me.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: <There's no one like this.> Today, I talked with Lee Seung-eon, the director of Space Landscape Tree Hospital, who works as a tree doctor after working at an IT company. Thank you for the nice words.

◇ Lee Seung-eon: Thank you.

◆ Lee Seong-gyu: <There's no one like this.>You can listen to it again on the YTN radio website and YouTube.