Taipei City Government held 'Tree Preservation Award' for the first time this year to thank units which protect and preserve old trees. The awards ceremony was conducted today (20180920), in which six units including Taipower and Tree Healing & Conservation Foundation, etc. were awarded. Taipower won the first Authority Administration Category prize of 'Tree Preservation Award' with a rare exotic species 'Spider Tree' planted in Gongguan office area opposite the Wenzhou Park and an outdoor public art space created to adapt to the environment. Taipower's Spider Tree is the only one Spider Tree among the nearly 2,000 preserved trees in Taipei City.
Taipower said that this Spider Tree was planted by chance by staff 35 years ago. It produces yellow-white flowers in April every year and has become an attraction for flower appreciation and Instagram check-in. In order to make it convenient for people to appreciate the beauty of the tree and ensure the space for the tree to grow, Taipower proactively demolished fences and moved electric equipment away to improve the tree's habitat, and also, out of self-motivation, re-constructed the overall space and environment and built up an open space for flower appreciation by installing outdoor benches without hurting the tree. Besides, the public art of 'Spider Tree's Heartbeat' was also introduced, which combined activities such as music and flower appreciation, etc. to create a nice corner for rest in the community and to sustain the beauty of this Spider Tree.