Monday, December 31, 2007

ISA HK/China --- Chinese translation of ISA Arboriculture for banner use

Dear Station Members,

Upon the return from the 2007 North District Flower Show & the CAHK Tree Lovers Day this month, it has been proven that selling ISA Arboriculture in English did not work for the public, especially with our communication in international English where most local visitors simply could not understand.

Therefore this Station, with the kind help of TCHK staff, has taken time during the Christmas holidays to translate some of essential information on :

1. What is arboriculture
2. What is the work of a Certified Arborist
3. The scope of work of a Certified Arborist
4. The scope of work of a Certified Tree Worker (Climber Specialist)
5. Common saying in Arboriculture
6. Introduction of TCHK

as per attached. This information will also be used to produce banners & back-drops for future exhibitions so that the local public can understand about ISA & our Station, as well as the benefits of employing CA & CTW.

This Station also sees the Chinese translation as an opportunity for anyone who wishes to reproduce it in any form for publication in their own department or association, e.g. the Teachers Association or the Social Workers Association, etc. to promote understanding of arboriculture & the benefits of trees. Please kindly note this Station has given up copyright for any of our published information & anyone is free to reproduce or modify them for their own dissemination even in their own names, for the sake of developing proper tree care in our region.

Please note some of the Chinese translation of the arboricultural terms are provisional, since the ISA Glossary translation is still undergoing construction at TCHK so far. We hope to make available the Glossary translation within January for public discussion in our Station, & then use them for future exams & teaching in our region.

Thank you all for your kind help to disseminate the attached information. Your contribution will be remembered for developing modern arboriculture to help bring a better quality of living in our region, one tree at a time.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager


樹藝是什麼?

樹藝 ( Arboriculture )是一門專科研究樹木在綠化功能上有關設計,選料,種植(包括移植),護養,修剪,定期檢查,風險評估,工地保護和法律資詢的一個專業。

國際樹木學會 ( International Society of Arboriculture,簡稱 ISA , http://www.isa-arbor.com/ )是目前全球最大及最古老的樹藝研究機構,于1924年成立。

截至2008年1月為止,ISA 在全球 57個國家均有會員分佈,合共擁有2萬名以上的註冊樹藝師 ( Certified Arborist ) 及6百名以上的 註冊攀樹師 ( Certified Tree Worker Climber Specialist ),在各個綠化領域作出貢獻。

ISA HK/CHINA ( http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ ) 是ISA 位于中國地區的唯一分會,管理住ISA 在香港、澳門、台灣及中國大陸的會務,其中包括樹藝訓練,專業考試,樹木攀爬,本地及海外會議,外訪交流及公眾資訊等等業務。

ISA HK/CHINA 屬下的「攀爬一族」( http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk. ) 是負責訓練,管理及考核本地的攀樹人員,其中包括職業攀爬及康樂攀爬,並經常舉辦活動及參加國際比賽。

ISA HK/CHINA 只用國際水平英語溝通,而「攀爬一族」則只用香港中文方言溝通,目前兩個組織均是免費加入,不設年齡,學歷,資格或任何限制,歡迎任何有興趣人士參與,詳情請溜覽以上兩個網址或電郵至 egc@netvigator.com查詢。


註冊樹藝師 的工作是什麼?

簡單來說,註冊樹藝師的兩大功能就是作為「樹木醫生」Tree Doctor 和 「樹木偵探」Tree Detective。

人病了,會去找醫生診斷。樹木生長不良,也要去找「樹木醫生」去作出診斷,而並非自我憑空判斷。樹木的診斷工作通常包括檢查測樹木在設計上有否出現錯誤?是否選料妥當?是否栽種在合適深度?是否日常護理正常?是否受到環境因素 ( Abiotic Stress ) 或生理因素 (Biotic Stress) 影響?會否對週邊人命財產構成危險 ( Risk Assessment )?而應該作出如何處理 ( Treatment ) ?

如果不對生病或存在風險的樹木作出處理,此樹可能會突然斷枝或全棵倒塌,對週邊的人命財產會造成傷亡破壞。此時,受害者 ( Victims ) 可以聘請合資格及有經驗的註冊樹藝師作為「樹木偵探」去對整個事故作出深入調查,按照國際指引而作出判斷,寫出「樹藝師報告」(Arborist Report) ,從而追究責任。

註冊樹藝師亦可在法庭上作為「技術証人」Expert Witness去指証事故起因及厘定責任,為事故找尋事實 ( Fact Finding ) 和道出真相 ( Truth Telling )。

中國地區 註冊樹藝師 的工作範圍

1. 參與樹木在園林綠化上的設計 ( Tree Design )。
2. 負責對合乎國際規格樹木的選料 ( Nursery Stocks Selection )。
3. 在工地上,對樹木種植或移植作出評估,設計及施工 ( Tree Planting & Transplanting )。
4. 管理樹木的日常護養 ( Tree Maintenance ),包括結構性修剪 ( Structural Pruning )。
5. 對年長樹木的定期檢查 ( Regular Tree Inspection ) 。
6. 對古老,高大或受傷有病的樹木作出風險評估 ( Tree Risk Assessment ) 。
7. 在法律爭議上提供 “樹藝師報告” ( Arborist Report )去厘定責任及作為控辨任何一方的 “技術証人” ( Expert Witness )。
8. 提供樹藝的資訊 、教育及訓練給任何機構或團體。


中國地區 註冊攀樹師 的工作範圍

1. 負責設計及執行所有樹上工作,包括攀爬,修剪,流纜,固定,移除高大樹木,野外觀察,拆除蜂、蟻巢及拯救樹上動物等等。
2. 負責操作機械平台,吊重,各式鏈鋸及樹上工作器材。
3. 負責教育及訓練初級攀爬人員,其中包括 “康樂攀爬” 和 “職業攀爬”。

ISA HK/CHINA 對本會的 註冊樹藝師 及 註冊攀樹師 要求擁有 “ 誠信,專業和參與社會,並抱有找尋事實及道出真理的專業態度 ”。( Integrity, Professionalism & Participation into society with an attitude of Fact-Finding & Truth-Telling ).


樹藝名言

1. 所謂 “美麗” 或”好看”的樹木在國際上並沒有絕對鑑驗標準,但樹木的 “結構” 和 “健康” 則有。
2. 如果一棵樹在設計,選料,護養,修剪,定期檢查或風險評估當中犯錯,則此樹最終不會成為社會資產,反會成為公眾包袱。
3. 不去作出專業 “診斷” 的樹木 “處理” (例如修剪) 是一種魯莽行為。
4. 在任何的樹木設計上,最終會由大自然去決定成敗,而並非設計人員。
5. 一棵胡亂 “處理” 的大樹最終會變成一個計時炸彈。
6. 樹藝師 就是 “樹木醫生” 和 “樹木偵探”。

Sammy Au 27.12.007


攀爬一族

「攀爬一族」是由一群本地熱愛攀樹活動的ISA教官及考牌官發起組成,族員包括政府及私營機構的職業攀爬人員,民間業餘愛好者及教育機構的專業攀樹隊。「攀爬一族」是目前全港最大及代表性最廣的攀樹活動機構。

「攀爬一族」 的活動包括安全攀樹、樹藝知識和器械操作的訓練及考核,亦經常組團參與海外的攀樹活動和比賽。

無論是因工作需要的「職業攀爬」或業餘興趣的「康樂攀爬」,攀樹運動是一種寧神健體,增強斗志,嚴求紀律和愛樹保育的優質運動項目,非常值得推廣。當今社會人類用腦太多,運動太少,攀樹活動可令參与者重歸大自然,注重保育和舒展筋骨。

攀樹活動在西方國家經已流行數十年,至今全球已有數十萬人參于過此項活動,而人數正在不斷增加。在鄰邦日本和台灣,兩地已發展攀樹活動達十年之久,亦已發展到「醫療攀爬」,專門為身體有缺陷及精神受創傷的病人幫助其回復自信,詳情請溜覽http://www.treeclimbing.jp/

攀樹活動與攀石運動其實並不完全相同 。攀石運動主靠手腳攀登,而攀樹活動則主要依繩索攀登,兩者性質並不全同。基於迎合樹上工作的需要,攀樹器材的安全要求往往比攀石運動高出數倍,攀爬紀律也較為嚴格,目的是為了令意外發生率減至零。

從西方國家經驗指出,攀樹活動是適合任何年齡和身體狀況的人參于。只要在接受適當訓練後,由6歲以上至87歲的人仕都可以攀樹到一定高度,而學歷背景並不成為限制。目前凡有興趣學習攀樹的專業或業餘愛好者,均可登入「攀爬一族」網址http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk 內找尋「入族申請表」填回加入,或電郵至 egc@netvigator.com 查詢。

現時入族費用全免,歡迎任何人仕加入。

Sammy Au 27.12.2007

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

ISA HK/China --- CUGE training programs in 2008

Dear Station Members,

Below is the latest greenery training programs provided by CUGE of Singapore for your interesting study. Please kindly take a view to decide which one is to your requirement & then apply directly to CUGE for reservation.

For our 84 no. of Certified Arborists in the HK/China Region, we all need to collect 30 CEU within 3 years for the re-certification at ISA HQ for our credential. CUGE programs can supply such CEU for this purpose. As for others, CUGE offers quality training in the greenery field in various aspects to a standard not available in our public institutions locally. Please select & upgrade yourself if any of the programs is appropriate for you.

Please do not hesitate to contact CUGE directly, or through this Station, for any matter concerning the CUGE training.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager



----- Original Message -----
From: yong fook chyi
To: egc@netvigator.com
Cc: 'Iqbal SANJIMAN' ; 'Juliana HO' ; 'Fook Chyi YONG'
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 9:18 PM
Subject: CUGE Training Programmes 2008

Dear Sammy,

I trust that you had a great X’MAS and Boxing Day.

We are pleased to attach the CUGE Training Calendar 2008 at http://www.cuge.com.sg/content/view/89/78/ and the CUGE Training Programmes registration in Jan and Feb 2008 http://www.cuge.com.sg/content/view/145/75/ for your perusal and onward transmission to your members, colleagues and friends.

Thanks for the support to CUGE so far. We look forward to greater collaborations with you and your team.

Cheers and we wish you a great and prosperous New Year 2008 ahead.

Fook Chyi

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

ISA HK/China --- Participation into the 2007 North District Flower Show

Dear All,

ISA HK/China & TCHK (http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk) will jointly participate into the 2007 North District Flower Show at Fanling Park, NT from Dec 22 to Dec 27 inclusive. Details of participation are attached for general reference.

ISA HK/China has participated into the North District Flower Show since 2005 & sizeable membership has been collected from public during the participation. This is the first time that TCHK is participating into such major public event & TCHK will keenly try to collect membership for its steady growth. TCHK has collected a membership of over 60 since its birth on 8 Nov 07 & the average age of membership in TCHK is below 30. TCHK has indeed attracted a different crowd willing to learn & enjoy tree climbing & activities on tree.

It is our regret that the North District Flower Show Committee did not arrange ISA HK/China nor TCHK for a tree climbing demonstration like last year which has overwhelming success. However, Equipment Display, Knots Station & Wood Samples Display will be on show to educate the public as well as to arouse membership entry. In an event like this where most visitors are local Chinese not speaking English & with a lot of students attending, TCHK may have an edge in obtaining membership since it is Chinese speaking. TCHK wants young men & women to join indeed.

If any Station Member would like to provide volunteer help at the Flower Show on any day, please kindly contact this Station for arrangement.

Looking ahead a little, ISA HK/China & TCHK are planning to participate into the biggest flower show in HK which is the HK Flower Show in Victoria Park next March. We anticipate to make an impact at this important event to contact the public for education on proper tree care & modern arboriculture. It's about time our Station to make an appearance in major event after all these years. We are still largely unknown in the public at large although we are successful in penetrating the professionals.

Any help or suggestion to get us in for a seminar in Chinese or a small display booth to show our websites at the HK Flower Show?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

Sunday, December 16, 2007

ISA HK/China --- CITA Training in Tree Work for Management Companies

Dear Station Members,

The HK Govt is once again showing positive support in developing proper tree care in our territory by arranging an Introductory Training for Tree Work for Management Companies at CITA as per the attached details. This is another effort in improving the local knowledge in handling urban trees after the Tree Work Supervision Course which is mandatory for the construction staff in accordance with ETWB TC 3/2006 & in conferring the status of Independent Tree Specialist & Competent Person for Arborists to take part in Govt landscape contracts & in LAO PN 7/2007. Who can say now that our Govt is not taking step to protect & preserve our trees?

The current landscape system in HK appears to weigh the major liability of the landscape construction to end at the Defects Liability Period (DLP) which would count usually in less than 24 months from the date of Practical Completion of the works. Most installed trees would not die during this short period of time, in considering the life span of most trees to last over a decade to show any Spiral of Decline. After DLP, the site is usually handed over to the management company for on-going maintenance, be it Govt or private. Over time, any inappropriate design, improper nursery stocks selection &/or incorrect installation will stress the in-situ trees further. Conflict between trees & construction may gradually surface. If further improper tree care is to be given to the suffered trees, the trees would go into further decline & may eventually fail. When tree fails, it can kill or cause major damage to properties below as shown by many examples in the past.

We need to remember that it is always Mother Nature makes the rules, not us. If a tree is improperly designed, selected, installed, maintained & inspected, it is likely to become a liability rather than an asset.

Although Arborists do not usually get involved with tree design, selection & installation in our territory at present in accordance with the current landscape practice, we can still provide support in maintenance, inspection & risk management to the management company after DLP. ISA HK/China Arborists are required to maintain Integrity, Professionalism & Participation with an attitude of fact-finding & truth-telling. We can advise the management company on the best solution to take care of their existing trees, from proper maintenance, correct pruning to possible removal if no other alternative is deemed appropriate. Arborists can help our management companies to manage their trees indeed.

Management companies in HK are usually over-burdened with daily chores & they are rarely trained with tree care in any details. The CITA training now can provide them an insight to learn of the support of the local Arborists to help them to protect & preserve their trees. This will generate a better quality of living to the benefit of all at the end.

It would be a big help to the management companies if our Station Blog of http://isahkchina.blogspot.com can be given to them at the CITA training so that they would know where to find Arborists in HK as well as keeping in touch with our local tree affairs. ISA HK/China Station liaises the 84 Certified Arborists in our region & handles all ISA exams, training & other activities relating to proper tree care in our territory of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China. Our Station is the right place for them to approach.

It is our thanks to the HK Govt as well as to our Civil Servants (Arborists or not) for showing their positive support to take another step to protect & preserve our precious trees. ISA HK/China will work diligently with our Govt to develop proper tree care in our community for a better way of living, one tree at a time.

Our thanks & appreciation to the HKSAR Govt indeed.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager


Introductory Course on Tree Works for Management Staff of Contractors and Property Management Companies Organized by Construction Industry Training Authority

The Hong Kong Government is striving to uplift the quality of our living environment through active planting, proper maintenance and preservation of trees together with other vegetation.

To enhance the quality of our workforce and provide the construction industry with updated knowledge on tree works, a new introductory course will be launched by the Construction Industry Training Authority (CITA) and supported by the Development Bureau for the management staff of contractors, property management companies, etc in January 2008.

Course Content:

1. Roles and responsibilities of managers on tree issues
2. General arboricultural knowledge
3. Value of arborists and the way to find them
4. Application procedure for tree removal (felling or transplanting)
5. Tree preservation clause for lease control

Target Participants :

Management staff of contractors, property management companies, etc.

Class Schedule :

This is a two-hour lecture course. Class will be held on request. Class capacity is 25.

Venue :

Kowloon Bay Training Center, Construction Industry Training Authority
No. 44 Tai Yip Street,
Kowloon Bay, Kowloon

Tuition Fee :

HK$140 per participant

Medium of Instruction :

Cantonese

Certificate :

An Attendance Certificate will be given to each participant.

Admission :

Enrolment can be on individual or on company basis. Interested parties may contact CITA - Management Training and Trade Testing Centre at 2903 0633 or 2903 0304 (fax: 2814 1674)
Priority will be given to company registration. Individuals or staff of different companies may be grouped together to form a class.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

ISA HK/China --- Tree Failure by suspected Erythrina Gall Wasps



*** Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Station Members,

This Station is broadcasting a message received & replied to a Station Member's enquiry a little while ago with all identity protected. This Station has the following comments on this received message:

1. Although the case resembled very much an attack of Erythrina Gall Wasp, it is still best to have a laboratory confirmation before an issued statement.

2. It is a public mis-conception that any tree having lots of green shining foliage would be a healthy & structurally sound tree. Many of our 'tree experts' & 'tree inspectors' in our territory would make the same mistake. If they are not convinced, they may wish to study any fallen tree or broken branches failed after storm or typhoon. Did these failed parts not bear 'green foliage of normal sizes' when fallen onto ground? Foliage is a temporary organ which actually comes & goes as part of tree physiology. Evergreen trees would also lose foliage from time to time & be replaced. Having shining foliage does not mean a tree is absolutely healthy or structurally sound. There are other factors to consider. Please refer to ETF specifications for a structurally sound tree in nursery requirement.

3. There was no storm happening when the branch failed, according to the report given by the author. Therefore, do not assume a tree or its parts would only fail in storm. It can fail by its own weight any time in calmness.

4. If the failed tree branch did hit someone or something below, the tree owner is likely to be held legally liable for personal or property damage in Civil Action. An Arborist can easily provide an Expert Witness to disclaim an Act of God, since the tree would likely be under care by somebody, being in a populated area.

If a tree is not designed, installed, maintained, inspected & assessed for risk properly, the tree is likely to become a liability rather than an asset. In any situation for a successful tree planting, it is always Mother Nature makes the rules, not us.

It is lucky that this time nobody is hurt by God's blessing. Would it happen like this the next time?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager


----- Original Message -----
From: xxx
To: Eurasian Garden Ltd.
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 10:58 PM
Subject: An incident of Erythrina variegata
Dear Sammy,

I would like to bring this issue for all CA's discussion.

This is an individual of Erythrina variegata located at Mui Wo. The incident happened at about 22:00Hr, 4/12/07. The broken branch fell off from the tree suddenly onto the basketball field without obvious symptom before. This branch almost hit on a group of boys playing basketball underneath (one of the boys is my colleague's son). It is merely a luck to have nobody hurt!

Closer inspection on the cut of the broken branch identifies some small grey holes in the wood. Before it fell off from the mother tree, all the leaves seemed healthy, at least not abnormal in this deciduous season.

Is it the fall solely the act of the insect Erythrina gall wasp (Quadrastichus erythrinae Kim)?

My colleague has consulted his friend and here is his comment (just for your reference only as I haven't got permission to circulate around although I suppose it is no big deal):

I would say that this Erythrina had been seriously damaged by Quadrastichus erythrinae Kim: Common names: Erythrina gall wasp now prevalent in Hong Kong, China & South Asia.


This erythrina gall wasp inserts its eggs into the young leaf and stem tissue of the tree. The larvae then develop within the plant tissue forming galls in leaflets and petioles.


This infestation causes curling of leaves, and petioles and shoots become swollen forming many thick-walled globular galls. After feeding within the galls, the larvae pupate, and the adult wasps cut exit holes through the plant gall material to emerge. Trees with large populations of wasps within the leaves show the symtoms of having reduced leaf growth, and the plant declines in health.


Severe gall wasp infestations may cause defoliation and the death of the tree.
In addidation to this there is a seed weevil “Eurybrachys tomentosa” that lives off the decaying wood tissue left by the Erythrina gall wasp.


I am the option that it is best not to plant any Erythrina species as they age the branches are prong to snap without any apparent reason.


As the cortex layer, the outer portion of the stems of these Erythrina trees, which are bounded on the outside by the epidermis and on the inside by the endodermis thus showing no outward sign of the damage lying beneath except for the bore holes which in many cases are eventually covered by the growth of the cortex layers.


From the photo it seems that the leaves are still on the branch and the quantity is not small as being infected...it's strange...as it is now winter, yellow leaves are also normal. It's bad that I haven't had time to visit the tree or I can get more information.


I think many of our CAs may have experiences on this species and may like to share. Just discuss and study together!

xxx

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

ISA HK/China --- A genuine Tree Murder in Sheung Shui



*** Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Station Members,

It was shocking for the Station Manager to see what are attached in this e-mail of those trees apparently 'murdered' for convenience in Kam Tsin Road, Sheung Shui when he went to work on Dec, 4, 2007.

The trees appeared to belong to the species of Ficus benjamina, which is a common ornamental species used in landscape. The trunk diameters ranged from 150 - 200 mm & these trees would be classified as semi-mature. They were apparently growing & developing well before being pulled out. Why they were displaced & dumped at this spot has been a mystery, & could be a matter of conflict with development or were replaced by another species. Any speculation would be as good as the evidence showed.

Since the Station Manager would pass through the same spot for work everyday, he did not see the trees being there in the evening of Dec 3 when he departed after work the same way. Therefore, it is likely that the trees were placed there during darkness of Dec 3 without too much public notice because this is a rather quiet spot at night. The whole operation appeared to be deliberate & well planned.

The Station Manager did hunt around to look for suspect but every door was closed in the surrounding with securities or guard dogs. For ornamental trees of these sizes, it might be only upper grade development would prefer to use & there are not that many of them nearby. It would be a shame if the rich would do something so degrading without a sense of social responsibility.

So, we have a genuine 'Tree Murder' here, well planned & well executed, apparently for the sake of convenience by somebody to save money & effort for the disposal. If nobody would remove them at the end, then it will be a Govt Dept eventually taking them away by spending the taxpayer's money. We may then ask why we should let someone take advantage of others by breaking the littering laws to get away for personal benefit?

Yet how can we catch the culprit?

The trees were still on the same spot at the time this Station Mail was issued at 8.50am on Dec 6, 2007.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

Monday, December 3, 2007

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Tree Grill removal by cutting roots)



*** Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Station Members,

Attached is a recent media report showing a tree grill removal operation with re-surfacing of the tree planter.

A reader wrote in to complain about the root cutting & coating on the cut roots, & queried whether it would damage the trees. The management replied since the tree roots were girdling around the tree grills, they had to be cut off so that the grills &/or the cement around it could be removed successfully. The management also emphasized that the operating method was provided by an 'approved landscape contractor' & the cut surface of the roots would be painted with protective sealant with soil cover afterwards. A curb & re-tiling would be carried out so that the trees would be given an even better growing environment.

As shown in the photo of the attachment, it can be seen that a gap has appeared at the root collar level upon the forceful removal of the tree grill attaching to it. Any qualified Tree Climber/Worker with chainsaw operating experience would recall such appearance similar to a Bypass Cut on any tree part to be removed & would hesitate to define the stability of the tree when something like this has happened in the wind. Wound painting is an obsolete practice belonging to the 1950's & research has shown that the protective cover produced by the sealant would encourage decay rather than stopping it due to the moisture contained.

It is noticed that no Arborist advice appeared to be sought & the service of Arborist might have been deemed unnecessary for tree work of this kind. The 'approved' contractor's advice was regarded as sufficient.

If an Arborist was employed to provide technical advice in this case, as very likely as in Western countries or even in Singapore, it is likely that the Arborist would first study the damage occurred to the root system & whether the buried tree grill parts can be left in place with the excessive part cut off only, so that the stability of the tree would not be compromised after the operation. The Arborist would also study whether the re-surfacing with alkaline concrete & cement would alter the pH of the surrounding soil, & whether the renewed surface would add more weight to the existing root system for further compaction. It would be irresponsible for any Arborist to contemplate only aesthetics, & sacrifice the health & structure of the trees in longer term with potential risk of failure in wind to be created to the pedestrians & traffic below.

By now, ISA HK/China has already 83 Certified Arborists working in our territory. Besides the Civil Servants, we wonder how many of them have been asked to provide frequent tree care for our society. Are Arborists some kind of unwanted excess in our landscape industry? Then who should take our place & can they do our job ?

Or, should we carry on the same way as before to face the world ?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

The ISA Mission - Through research, technology, and education, promote the professional practice of arboriculture and foster a greater public awareness of the benefits of trees. (http://www.isa-arbor.com/)

ISA HK/China --- Special Note of Thanks for ATCC Sponsorship

各位親愛的 '攀爬一族' 族人:

特别銘謝啟示

本族于發出 '亞太地區攀樹比賽' (ATCC) 的通知的當日內,收到 ISA HK/China 成員 Sam Chun 的以下信息,自願無償地奉献上港幣一千五百大元,作為本族參賽成員的差旅費津贴。

既知阿Sam並非本族成員,本身亦非 '爬手',此舉只能推測他乃發自熱血良心,寄望本族有人能夠為港為國爭光,改寫歷史。

本族對于阿Sam的熱血豪情,深為感動,除立此銘謝之外,亦會努力督促參賽族人偈盡全力,莫負眾心。

阿Sam,你真好野,立盡大將之風,'攀爬一族' 會記住你!

'攀爬一族' 同人 敬禮
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk


Dear Station Members,

Special note of Thanks to a Rare Good Man

Upon the notice of our participation for the Australian Tree Climbing Championship (ATCC) yesterday, we have immediately received a message form our Station Member Mr. Sam Chun to sponsor HK$1,500 for the event. We wish to express our sincere thanks for his selfless devotion.

It is known to us that Sam himself is not a Tree Climber & his intention to sponsor us for the ATCC should be entirely out of goodwill & conscience. This Station has never called for sponsorship & has started to calculate how much it would cost for our student climbers to come to the event. The sponsorship of Sam can be seen as a good beginning & as positive support of our Station to represent HK/China in a regional competition. It is anticipated that each student climber would cost around HK$15,000 to send & they have practically no income. It is likely that this Station will limit to sponsor only two student climbers within our best effort.

It can be felt that Sam devoted his sponsorship not for fame or fortune. In fact, this Station has never notified him that we would issue this Thank You note in advance. This Station wishes to pay respect for this rare good man with a kind heart & enthusiasm to see others bring home glory & honour to our society. On the other hand, has our territory of HK/China ever before sent out a tree climbing team to compete in any regional or international event? Is tree climbing not a sport or a profession to upgrade our tree practice?

Our society seem to dive straight like China to making quick cash by ignoring positive action to upgrade our standard of living. Quality standard of living can not do without good trees. Good trees can not happen without proper tree care. By the time we have built our city into a solid concrete mass & then want good trees, it may not happen anymore because it is always 'Mother Nature makes the rules, not us ...'

Thank you cordially Sam for your excellent insight. You might have spent a few percent of your monthly salary on this sponsorship, but your name will live within us in this Station for a long long time to come.

with kindest regards,

Sammy Au
ISA HK/China Station Manager
http://isahkchina.blogspot.com



----- Original Message -----
From: fdo2.lu@hyd.gov.hk
To: Eurasian Garden Ltd.
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 2:57 PM

Subject: ISA HK/China (Professionals) --- Invitation to Participate in 2008 Brisbane Regional Tree Climbing Competition

Dear Mr. Au,

Though I am not able to become a team member representing ISA HK/China forthe ATCC, I would like to sponsor HK$1,500 to those Fung Kai Climbers who will take part in the Competition.

The amount I sponsor is only minimal when compared to the total expenses those young participants have to bear, but I think my move will eventually encourage a lot others to do the same.

Yours truly,

Sam

Friday, November 30, 2007

ISA HK/China --- Invitation to participate in ATCC of May 2008

Dear Station Members,

The challenge has finally come.

ISA Australian Chapter (ISAAC) has sent us an invitation to participate in the Australian Tree Climbing Championship (ATCC) next May in Brisbane. The details of the competition are attached. Are we ready for it?

It is likely that tree climbers from Japan, Australia, New Zealand & some other countries will participate in this regional tree climbing competition. We, ISA HK/China, represent a region comprising HK, Macau, Taiwan & Mainland China. We are perhaps the largest in term of territorial size & population among all ISA Chapters & Associated Organizations in the world. With all our wealth & population mass, yet can we organize & send out a tree climbing team to represent our region ??

To the knowledge of this Station, the HK tree climbers should be the best trained & most experienced within our territory, with Macau only just started, Taiwan unknown internationally & China not even begun. HK is the best bet we can have for this ATCC. We have the Fung Kai Climbers who are all below 20 years old & a few of them are now working as professional tree workers in HKGC. With some training & sponsorship, they may be our best hope.

On the other hand, we have other professional climbers from HKAS, CLP & KFBG. We also have AFCD & LCSD climbers of an average age of over 40. We do not know how interested they would be to take part in an event as such.

Nevertheless, any of us wishing to take part in the ATCC will represent ISA HK/China for the territory of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China. Winning anything back will be a lifetime honour & glory for our region. ATCC will be the first time that our territory will ever enter in an international scale to compete with the world. It will be an unforgettable occasion.

So, able young men & women, are you ready for the challenge? Are you ready to fly our flag & take up the heat to push up a tree like our regional partners? This Station is waiting for your call.

Who will write history for us in our region ?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager


----- Original Message -----
From: Doug Sharp
To: richard.wanhill@horttraining.ac.nz ; egc@netvigator.com ; Ganesan_S_K@nparks.gov.sg ; john@treeclimbingjapan.org
Cc: Craig Hallam
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 12:10 PM
Subject: Invitation

Dear all,

Attached is an invitation from ISAAC for representatives from your region/chapter to compete in the Tree climbing events in Brisbane next May.Please don't hesitate to reply to me for more info if required.

Regards,

Doug Sharp
Business Activities
Earth Sciences
NMIT
p. 61 3 92698914f. 61 3 92698912m. 0417541157e. dougs-hrt@nmit.vic.edu.au


Dear International Guest,

Hopefully by this time you have received and read information regarding the Inaugural ISA Asia Pacific Conference, Tree Climbing Championship and Workshops to be held in Brisbane on 9 to 14th May 2008.

On behalf of ISAAC and the Australia Tree Climbing Committee we cordially invite the your Chapter/affliation/station to enter 2 male and 2 female contestants to compete in the competition to be held over the 9 & 10th May 2008. Please follow this link to the ISAAC website to download the entry forms . Entries will close unconditionally on 11th April 2008 and 8th May for the Head to Head Footlock.

*Please note that International competitors are eligible for the Masters Challenge, however they can not be named as Australain Champion, the highest placed Australian will take this honor.

Traditonally nominated climbers have been the highest ranked placings in your local event. Should you choose to enter persons through an alternate selection process, ISAAC stipulates that the person MUST have competed in a local, state or national event previuosly, all entrants MUST be financial ISAAC/ISA members.

As you are also aware without officials to run the events it does’nt happen, therefore we would greatly appreciate it you we able to provide 2 officials/judges to assist on Friday and Saturday.

The Australian Tree Climbing Championships are an integral part of this entire event, in 2008 we are anticipating an event of the proportion not seen in the southern hemisphere before, infact we believe it will be a world first.

Friday will commence with the competitiors and officals meeting at the Sthil breifing session at the Royal on the Park (conference hotel) on Friday 4.30-7.00pm. Once the meeting is complete all competetors will then relocate to the Footlock event which is being held underlights and commencing at 7.30pm. We will be using electronic timers with the view of a World record time being recorded.

At the conclusion of the competeion event, we will move directly to a open head to head footlock, eligible entrants must have a recorded time of 20 secs for men and 30 secs for women.
Prizes to value of $500 for men and women are on offer.

Times are also eligible for a World record. Please note the head to head event is open to anyone in the world that qualifies. Saturday’s remaining events will commence at 7.30am with the females masters starting at 2.00pm. At 6.00pm Staurday evening the Stihl Tree Climbing awards will be presented with some finger food sponsored by Stihl

Also a practical climbing and rigging workshop, along with several other workshops are running on the Sunday which may also be of interest to your climbers, the full conference is of course is open to them. Go to www.isaac.org.au for registration and information.

ISAAC and the ISA look forward to seeing you in Brisbane. Please email or call me if you require further details at your earliest conveinence.

Regards

Doug Sharp
ATCC Director
03 92698914
0417541157
dougs-hrt@nmit.vic.edu.au

Thursday, November 29, 2007

ISA HK/China --- Our Station went on 'Arborist News'

*** Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Station Members,

It is an honour & pride for ISA HK/China Station to appear on the international magazine 'Arborist News' in the October 2007 edition, as shown in the attachment. Once on this magazine, readers from 50 countries around the world will see our image as edited by this influential publication.

The interview of the Station Manager to Arborist News took place actually several months before the printing in order to catch up with the editing. Within these few months, positive development has occurred in our territory for arboriculture. Therefore, some of the information so mentioned in the interview may already be outdated by today's standard. In a nutshell, ISA Arboriculture is seen to be receiving attention from our Govt by sending in Civil Servants to sit for the Certified Arborist exam & by arranging seminars for our Station to participate. New positions such as the Independent Tree Specialist (ITS) & Competent Person (CP) were created to allow Arborist to practise in Govt Contracts. Trees of international quality were begun to be required by Govt Depts. We feel our Govt are lending gradual support to recognize the values of the Arborist Profession in available manner in order to protect & preserve the trees in our territory.

On the other hand, the public sector did not seem to advance much in the recognition of proper arboriculture as compared to the Govt. There were numerous complaints for tree malpractice in the media but hardly any organization would invite us to give them a talk on proper tree care or ISA. Action appears to be far lacking behind from that of the Govt. Many reasons may account for this phenomenon, with perhaps the existing interest of certain groups or commercial interest remaining the major concern possibly. After all, the employment of Arborist would involve additional cost & new learning. No employer would prefer to pay extra if it can be ever avoided, & would try to fend off Arborist unless absolutely required by Govt administration. This appears to be a fact of life.

It can be seen that in Singapore with the massive number of Arborists working in their Govt Depts has produced some of the finest trees, & thus quality living environment, in Asia. Singapore does not seem to stop there & would demand the best all the time. The National Parks Board of the Singapore Govt (Nparks) recently paid extra to buy two container load of quality trees from ETF to serve as comparison to their local stocks. They have emphasized by action that quality stocks is the first key to success.

HK would obviously like to do the same, although resistance in HK is likely to be heavier especially in the private sector. HK tends most of the time to place price over quality & HK is influenced heavily by China in nursery stocks supply. Some buyers would even regard having topped trees for landscape would enhance survival & reduce water stress. The long term vision of having cheaper maintenance with quality trees would not bother a lot of the contractors because they would only last to until the end of DLP. Then it becomes the liability of the maintenance party. HK speaks a different story indeed.

On the other hand, HK people are known to be adaptive & innovative. Once the knowledge is exploited by them, things may begin to change. It would be hard to be self-complacent in your landscape when your trees would fail like dead flies after every storm. Complaints & law suits may follow. Facts speak stronger than words.

This Station will remain dogged in the development for modern arboriculture in our territory as we should do, despite resistance & obstacles. After all, we are not the first of our kind in the world. We are simply followers of many others. ISA was started in 1924, long before many horticultural groups or landscape groups have even been born. May those who believe in our course lend support to proper design, installation & maintenance of quality trees in our territory, so that our trees can truly become our asset in place rather than on paper.

May we all persist.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

The ISA Mission - Through research, technology, and education, promote the professional practice of arboriculture and foster a greater public awareness of the benefits of trees. (http://www.isa-arbor.com/)

Monday, November 26, 2007

ISA HK/China --- Summary of Reviews up to Nov 2007

*** Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Station Members,

A Station Member has called in to request for a list of reviews carried out by this Station from 2006 to 2007. The list is now produced below for the interest of our Station Members to comprehend the research that this Station has carried out so far:

Title Date

1. Review of ' Glossary of Arboricultural Terms 2005 ' by ISA 31.7.06

2. Review of ANSI z133.1 Safety Standard 2006 (Part 2) on Crane Safety 28.8.06

3. Review of ANSI z133.1 Safety Standard 2006 (Part 3) on Chainsaw, Climbing & Pruning 4.12.06

4. Review of ANSI z133.1(2006) Pt. 1 (QA, PPE & Electrical) 14.7.07

5. Review of Basic Tree Biomechanics 25.1.07

6. Review of Cornell University website on tree
management
7.9.06

7. Review of Dr. Alex Shigo's website address on Tree Biology 24.8.06

8. Review of Dr. Shigo's Tree Biology series 18.10.07

9. Review of ETWB Technical Circular (Works) No. 3/2006 on Tree Preservation 28.6.06

10. Review of LAO's PN no. 7/2007 on Tree Preservation in Private Projects 12.10.07

11. Review of Latest Aerial Rescue Protocol collected from the 2007 ISA International Conference 28.8.07

12. Review of Latest development in Tree Stability Assessment for trees with internal decay 19.2.07

13. Review of New Criteria in Tree Hazard Assessment by USDA Forest Service (USFS) 18.6.07

14. Review of Principles of ISA Tree Selection Method 21.3.07

15. Review of Prof Ed Gilman's website on trees in landscape 10.8.06

16. Review of research on Tree Stability Assessment (TSA) 5.3.07

17. Review of selected literature published by AA 17.5.07

18. Review of the book 'Urban Soils - Applications & Practices' 25.6.07

19. Review of the BS 3936-1 of 1992 ' Nursery Stock --- Part 1 Specification for trees & shrubs ' 18.8.06

20. Review of the BS 4043 of 1989 ' Recommendations for Transplanting Root-balled Trees' 24.7.06

21. Review of the BS 5837 of 2005 'Trees in relation to construction --- Recommendations ' 28.4.06

22. Review of ETWB 2007 Pruning Guidelines 27.9.07

23. Review of Prof Mattheck's ' Tree Bio-mechanics' 15.11.07

Most of the above mentioned reviews are stored in the Station Library as well in Station Blog of http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ for our Station Member to retrieve. Please kindly note the Arboricultural education is an advancing profession. Knowledge of the past may be superseded by updated research accordingly. What was said in former review may be outdated by current research sometimes. It is therefore advisable to stay close to our Station Mail for continuous progress.

Besides the above Reviews, this Station has a collection of hundreds of Station Mail on other topics including HK Tree News & China Tree News in Station Blog. Please check them up at your convenience.

Please kindly contact this Station if any Station Member has any further question in this matter.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

The ISA Mission - Through research, technology, and education, promote the professional practice of arboriculture and foster a greater public awareness of the benefits of trees. (http://www.isa-arbor.com/)

Thursday, November 22, 2007

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (WTS Chainsaw Accident & Alleged Tree Felling in Tai Po)



*** Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Station Members,

Two sets of recent tree news in our territory for our interest:

1. Wong Tai Sin Chainsaw accident

It is sad for this Station to learn of the unfortunate Chainsaw Accident so happened in Wong Tai Sin on Nov 20 so described in the attachments. This Station wishes to offer our deepest condolence for the Chainsaw Operator who was seriously injured during the work, & hope he can recover soonest.

The description in the two newspaper cuttings has offered conflicting account for the accident. One newspaper reported that the two workers were wearing safety belts climbing the tree but the trunk could not support the weight & broke off, throwing the two workers to ground causing injuries. The other newspaper reported that one worker was using a ladder for climbing but lost his balance during Chainsaw Operation & fell off, while the cut branch dropped to hit the supervisor below. With conflicting reports as such, the cause of the accident would require further investigation.

It is known to this Station that Tree Climbing with Chainsaw Operation would be a highly dangerous manoeuvre & would require the tree workers sufficient training & experience to perform safely while working on tree. Tree work accidents have ranked among top 5 for industrial accidents in the USA for years & tree work is required to be performed by qualified personnel in Europe & America. HK does not have specific regulations with regard to tree climbing & Chainsaw Operation so far, but would have Occupational Safety & Health regulations such as CAP 509 for general principles.

For ISA Arborists, we would generally follow the Safety Requirements for Arboricultural Operations laid down in ANSI Z133.1-2006 which has given detailed account for elevated tree work. In Court, this ANSI will become our reference for Expert Witness or Defense for any legal pursuit.

This Station has generally some questions to ask in an accident of this kind:

1. Were these workers trained & qualified for the work?
2. Were they wearing proper Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) especially safety goggles to protect the eyes?
3. Did they inspect the tree to ascertain it was safe & strong enough for climbing before entry?
4. Did they have a work plan & emergency plan in case of accident?
5. Was First Aid Kit right next on site? Was anyone trained in First Aid & applied it right after the accident?
6. Were the tree workers climbing with approved Arborist Equipment such as Arborist Rope, approved Climbing Saddle & approved Safety Lanyard for entry?
7. Was there any Fall Arrest measure against falling?
8. If a ladder was used, was it used in compliance with the manufacturer's recommendation & procedure?
9. Was any of the worker trained to operate a Chainsaw?
10. Was any of the worker trained to performed proper pruning? If so, to what international standard?
11. Who ordered this tree climbing & Chainsaw operation? Was there any specific instruction given to the workers?

This accident is likely to invite Govt inspection, insurance claims & perhaps even legal proceeding. An Arborist can be employed to provide Expert Witness on either side. Arborists are Tree Doctors & Tree Detectives. An experienced Arborist can root out the problem & indicate liabilities.

Tree Climbing & Chainsaw Operations will be the training given at Tree Climbing HK (TCHK) in due course.

Join TCHK?

2. Alleged Tree Felling in Tai Po

Someone was fined HK$30,000 for an alleged tree felling without Govt approval but appealed to have the case reviewed at a higher Court & won. She spent over HK$ 200,000 to employ one of the best lawyers in HK to fight her case.

All this Station could advise may be that she could employ a qualified Arborist to inspect the alleged tree in the beginning & presented an Arborist Report to the relevant Govt Dept for consideration before taking the matter in her own hand. An Arborist Report of this kind would only cost HK$10,000 in accordance with the Professional Fees Guidelines laid down by ISA HK/China & it would be much more friendly to discuss the matter over technical ground than in legal ground in Court.

It is interesting that in our territory when it comes to tree affairs, all in a sudden everyone would become a Tree Expert without the consideration for Arborists. The other 50 countries in the world may be wrong to recognize Arborists to be the Tree Care Experts & ISA should not be established in 1924, if such view is correct. Would the people with this view say the same for Medical Doctors ? Then why should they say it for Tree Doctors ?

This Station has a long way to go to educate our public indeed for proper tree care.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

The ISA Mission - Through research, technology, and education, promote the professional practice of arboriculture and foster a greater public awareness of the benefits of trees. (http://www.isa-arbor.com/)

Sunday, November 18, 2007

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Metal Tree Grills, Power Line Pruning & Scorching)



*** Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Station Members,

Attached are 3 sets of recent Tree News in our territory for your interesting reading:

1. Metal Tree Grills

Residents wrote in to complain about the Tree Grills obstructing root growth & inducing tree failure. From the photos so shown, it can be seen that the roots were over-growing the Tree Grills & girdled around them.

Interesting enough in the Arborist education seen by this Station so far, there is hardly any information for or against the use of Tree Grills in planting a tree. From common sense, an Arborist would understand that a Tree Grill made of heavy metal would compact the soil underneath by its own weight or by pedestrians trampling over it. Having a dead weight on top of the root system in times of vibration by traffic or nearby construction would lead to downward compaction, especially when the soil is wet with rain or irrigation. If the species chosen would develop plank roots like those shown in the photos, the Tree Grill would simply become an obstacle for root expansion. Obviously if the Tree Grill is engulfed & girdled by developing roots at the root collar region, the effect would be like sliding a knife across the root collar. The constriction point will become the weakest link & toppling can then be expected in wind.

This Station has recently seen public parks abandoning the use of Tree Grills & placing sand cover as the uppermost layer on top of the root system. Some critics may say sand can be easily dispersed when walked upon. However, sand would lead to lower compaction & transmit water & oxygen better. Sand also would not obstruct root growth.

Organic mulch seems to be the most popular choice as top cover in a lot of Western tree planting. However, some critics in our territory would say that dry mulch can be a fire hazard.

Then what should we use as best?

2. Trees Obstructing Power Lines

Someone complained about tree removal or topping by the management next to the overhead transmission of LRT in Tuen Mun. The management explained that the action was in consideration of safety.

An Arborist would be interested to find out whether the trees were planted before the installation of the overhead transmission or after in order to make a judgment. If before, then it can be viewed that the trees or species were incorrectly chosen not considering the future expansion of trees to contact the power lines. If after, then it may be a case of unfortunate incidence because no one could foresee the overhead lines would be placed there.

If a tree is not designed, selected, installed, maintained & inspected properly, it is likely to become a liability rather than an asset. The trees in this case may have witnessed this saying & ended up being removed or topped.

Sad story.

3. Tree Scorching in Crematory

Tree were scorched by being too close to the burners. This happed to the Wishing Tree in Tai Po in which the tree was scorched by burning incense underneath. Most tropical trees can not be burnt to stay well in this manner.

Once again, this is another case of chicken & egg situation of whether the trees were there first before the burners or after. If after, then apparently little consideration or respect had been given to the trees. Or the trees might have been naturally propagated there by nature. An Arborist just can not make a decision without finding more.

Arborists are Tree Doctors & Tree Detectives. Arborists must be fact-finding & truth-telling in his work with Integrity & Professionalism.

Then can we now say that we do not need Arborists in our community as an profession extra ?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

The ISA Mission - Through research, technology, and education, promote the professional practice of arboriculture and foster a greater public awareness of the benefits of trees. (http://www.isa-arbor.com/)

Thursday, November 15, 2007

ISA HK/China --- Review of Prof. Mattheck's 'Tree Bio-Mechanics' series



*** Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Station Members,

It has been an enormous task for this Station to research into the lecture materials, websites & literature of this equally giant Tree Specialist of Professor Claus Mattheck of Germany. We have spent months actually. Profile of Prof Mattheck is given in the attachment for general information.

Despite some may think Prof Mattheck would behave eccentrically especially in his delivery of lectures (He enjoyed shouting 'Ha !!' to wake up the class), this Station has found his teaching is primarily based on years of observation on the behaviour of trees under various conditions with a lot of experimental work. In his books & lectures, Prof Mattheck has given hundreds of photos showing tree defects & responses under wind loading & this evidence serves to back up his claims. In a way, Prof Mattheck was speaking with details of his research, & its up to the audience to reply otherwise.

The 3 books & website besides the lectures notes of Prof Mattheck that this Station has reviewed are:

1. Stupsi Explains the Tree 3rd edition --- 115 pages (1999)

2. Updated Field Guide for Visual Tree Assessment (VTA) --- 170 pages (2007)

3. The Face of Failure in Nature & Engineering --- 208 pages (2004)

4. http://www.mattheck.de/

Whereas the first two books written in children's language can still be understood in most parts by an experienced Arborist, the 3rd book would definitely require knowledge of Physics & Engineering to apprehend all the equations & mathematics. The written language has been extraordinary in the sense that it was translated from German into English with a heavy European ascent. If anyone in our territory finds Dr. Shigo's Tree Biology with American colloquial English would be difficult enough to read, Prof Mattheck's literature might be even harder. To this Station, reading Dr. Shigo's work was like an uphill battle in every page, whereas for Prof Mattheck's would be for every sentence. There were times that this Station had to go back to Physics & Engineering textbooks to try to figure out the meaning of certain Tree Bio-mechanics terms so described. Arborist without such knowledge may be completely lost in a whirl.

If this Station is asked to compare Dr. Shigo's education with Prof Mattheck's, this Station would reply that Dr.Shigo's work was more on the microscopic side of arboriculture, whereas Prof Mattheck would focus on the macroscopic side. Dr. Shigo would dissect & go deep into the tissue response of a tree after wounding, & Prof Mattheck would focus on the Reaction Wood Development of a tree in wind. This Station felt the work of these two giants complimented each other, & each has filled in the void by the other.

The European attitude of Prof Mattheck in sustaining Mature Trees by constant Crown Reduction to minimize wind loading, would tend to counteract the American attitude of pruning only dead tissues to encourage healthy growth. The two philosophy seems to go in a completely opposite direction, & can anyone say keeping a shortened Mature Tree a crime against humanity while its life can be extended? It may really depend upon how one would take the preference. On the other hand, Prof Mattheck has stood up in Court many times to provide Expert Witness in law cases with his mechanical theories on Tree Failures, & his observation of the development of Fungal Growth in assessing failure time can be educational in our territory. Some of his ideas were completely brand new to many of us indeed.

This Station generally felt that Prof Mattheck's teaching was to incorporate Physics & Engineering into explaining how trees stand & fall. This Station would agree with the proposition of Prof Mattheck in that everything does eventually fail, be it material or organism. It's just that it should not fail prematurely in its designed life, be dead or alive. The ability to predict failure may rest on the knowledge of Failure Mechanics . Since Failure Mechanics are largely studied on objects rather than on living organisms, it may be appropriate that such engineering theories can be borrowed to begin the study on organisms as a start. For living trees, this would mean to combine Tree Biology & Tree Structure for predicting Tree Failures. Prof Mattheck's knowledge seemed to have supplemented the structural side of Tree Physiology in many ways.

Prof Mattheck's education on Tree Mechanics began with forces, vectors, moments, stresses, strains & then progressed to Failure Mechanics, & would even go as far as Mohr-Coulomb's Law of Soil Mechanics. Some may have gone far beyond the domains of our local landscapers & designers. Some would actually take an Engineer to understand what is going on. Yet to carry out Tree Risk Assessment & Tree Failure Analysis to any advanced extent, the knowledge of Bio-mechanics seems inevitable, especially if Expert Witness is to be provided in Court. However, this Station would be bewildered to ask our landscapers & designers to learn Engineering from ground zero to carry out such kind of work, unless we would like to imitate what Singapore has already gone ahead.

There were 5 of our Station Members including the Station Manager attended the 3 day Workshop on Tree Mechanics by Prof Mattheck in August 2007 in Singapore. Pretty much we were all lost during his seminars, because we did not study his information in advance & perhaps thought it could be easily apprehended. We were wrong. Now as this Station has returned to diagnosis this great man's teaching, the knowledge did not seem coming out from nowhere but rather from years of observation & hundreds of experimental research. It is our Station's principles to be fact-finding & truth-telling to be an Arborist in our territory, & Prof Mattheck's information appeared to go along with our belief.

This Station has so far reviewed in our limited capacity of the work of two Arboricultural giants Dr. Alex Shigo on Tree Biology & Prof Claus Mattheck on Tree Mechanics, one being expert on the microscopic side & the other on the macroscopic. Both are necessary to complete our knowledge on Risk Assessment & Failure Analysis. Both are necessary to serve our community with so many Mature Trees nowadays.

Prof Mattheck has expressed the last time he was in Singapore that the Tree Mechanics Workshop there may be his last to tour Asia due to the distance & efforts. May we hope he can change his mind some time in future if we can gather enough money to invite this giant to come over to our territory to share his expertise with us.

May Prof Mattheck live long, healthy & keep shouting 'Ha!!' to us in his lectures.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

The ISA Mission - Through research, technology, and education, promote the professional practice of arboriculture and foster a greater public awareness of the benefits of trees. (http://www.isa-arbor.com/)

Sunday, November 11, 2007

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Pruning public trees)


Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Station Members,

It is all familiar that our public frequently complained about the so-called 'incorrect pruning' in our territory. When the attached newspaper cuttings were sent in, this Station decided to respond with an Arborist's viewpoint on events described as such.

In the first set of news, two Bauhinas were pruned for safety reason after branch breakage in strong wind in Ap Lei Chau. Someone wrote in to accuse ' wanton chopping' by a Govt Dept to disturb the greenery development in our city. The second news suggested planting trees in Tsim Sha Tsui created more liability than asset due to Tree Selection.

Before saying anything as such, an Arborist would need to look into the evidence presented for analysis. First, we would need to study the Design & Tree Selection in both cases as a beginning. In the Ap Lei Chau case, the trees selected were Bauhinias which are known not to develop a good Central Leader naturally, but would rather give crooked bends along the stem to branch out in unpredictable manner, which would pose a nightmare for anyone trying to structurally prune. If the Nursery Stocks were not initially selected to have good Central Leader, 60% Live Crown Ratio, Strong Branch Attachment, Balanced Canopy & Taper before installation, even the best pruning operator in the world would have a hard time to correct them back to good Structure & Health afterwards. Poor Nursery Stocks are a bad start & correction will take time & efforts. In reality, some trees may never be able to be pruned back to requirement at all.

Next, we shall need to understand who were doing the pruning? It was said to be the contractor. While it may be easy to teach a contractor to prune at the correct angle from Branch Bark Ridge to Branch Collar in a branch, it would be much harder to teach them what parts to remove & how much to remove. Pruning will lead to responsive growth in a tree. Incorrect pruning will lead to incorrect future growth. To be expert in pruning, the operator will need to understand Tree Biology for tissue response, & also Tree Biomechanics for wind stability. Would it not be too much to ask for a contractor to understand in such details of what they were asked to do? After all, they were only a contractor. It should really be the responsibility of an experienced Arborist to design & supervise the work, & to instruct the contractor on where & how much to cut, & for what objectives.

If an experienced Arborist is to be brought in to design & supervise the pruning, cost will be involved. According to the current Professional Fees Guidelines for CA to provide this kind of supervision for a day, the cost will be HK$6,000.00 each time. Can the tree owner provide this cost? Even if such cost can be provided to employ the right person to carry out the Structural Pruning, there may not be that many qualified Arborists available in our territory to perform the required work at present, because it is rather difficult to teach Crown Thinning, Crown Reduction & Crown Restoration in a classroom. For tall trees, Tree Climbing may also be required to get up inside the canopy to select the branches. Bucket Truck can not penetrate inside tree canopy safely but rather stay on the outside, & usually can not get on top to perform Crown Reduction. Then how many of our CA in HK can climb at present to do this kind of work?

The case in Tsim Sha Tsui followed similar principle of apparently selecting fast growing & wide spreading species without adequate room for future growth, which then led to continuous trimming back to reduce size. This appears to be a classic case of 'tree liability' upon improper Tree Selection in our territory.

The problems with our urban trees appear to be historical. The public also seem to have a lack of understanding of trees. To blame on the maintenance party alone would be like asking Cinderella to dance with an oversized shoe. Would that be fair? On the other hand, if it is the design & tree selection which are causing the problem, there is usually not much that the maintenance party can do to correct it afterwards. Sometimes, a complete renovation may be the only solution. Then the public may outcry for ' tree murder'. Isn't it easy to throw out criticism, but what about finding a workable solution?

Tree Pruning can be compared to human surgery on a person in many ways. No sane person would like his/her body to be operated upon by a meat butcher. Then why should thing happened to our trees ?? Time may be required to train our Arborists to perform quality pruning (with Tree Biology, Tree Biomechanics & perhaps Tree Climbing on real trees), & the road ahead will be long & winding. Maybe an immediate solution is to employ experienced Arborist to design & supervise pruning for certain categories of trees (OVT's, Mature Trees over a certain height/girth, Rare & Endangered Species, Champion Species, etc), & then train up the interested Arborists soonest (Join TCHK?). There appears to be no quick fix on it right away.

Has anybody any better solution?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

The ISA Mission - Through research, technology, and education, promote the professional practice of arboriculture and foster a greater public awareness of the benefits of trees. (www.isa-arbor.com)

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

ISA HK/China --- Inauguration of ' Tree Climbing HK '

攀爬一族 報名申請表 2007年11月8日版本
1 中文姓名: 2 英文姓名:
3 出生日期: 日 月 年 4 最高學歷:
5 工作機構:
6 職位:
7 電郵或傳真:
8 手提電話: 9 辦公室電話:
10 攀樹經驗: 年 / 全無經驗
11 已考獲的樹藝專業資格:
12 身体有否缺陷?
13 閣下有否任何其他補充?
14 填表日期:

免責條款:任何人仕在參與「攀爬一族」及ISA HK/China Station 所舉辦的任何活動之時,均已自我檢查其身心狀況是已經完全符合當次活動的實際要求,才會加入是項活動,並對此條件絶無異議。參于者亦完全同意自負所有活動風險,不會追究舉辦者任何民事或賠償責任。所有參加本族或ISA HK/China Station 活動的人仕均完全明白及同意此「免責條款」後,才自願參加任何活動。
本人同意上述「免責條款」,自願加入「攀爬一族」。本人現將上述表格傳送至 ISA HK/China Station 或 攀爬一族 的egc@netvigator.com 電郵地址,並同意一經傳送,是完全代表本人同意上述「免責條款」,和現行或日後新増的族規族例。

(以下供本族內部記錄使用)
1 是否批准此項申請:
2 不批准此項申請的理由:
2 族號:
3 族類:
3 其他:

ISA HK/China --- Inauguration of ' Tree Climbing HK '

「攀爬一族」的族規族例 2007年11月8日版本

1. 本族有權拒絕任何人仕加入,而無須給與解釋或理由。

2. 為維持本族和諧團結,族長有權無須給予通知或解釋理由,將任何族員驅逐出族,所有族員對此不得異議。

3. 為了本族日後的可持續發展,日後本族可能會因應情況,在得到長老會議的批准後,對族員收取年費,及對舉辦的活動籌募經費,此等費用一經徵收,不會予以退回。

4. 所有族員必須堅持 ISA HK/China Station 所訂下的道德守則,包括誠信、專業、參與社會,找尋事實及道出真相等標準,違反者可能被導致驅逐出族。

5. 所有族員在參加本族活動之時,必須完全遵守導師指示,以免發生危險,違者可能會被馬上終止參與資格及被驅逐出族。

6. 為保持族員的參與本族的熱誠,以下規定各族類人員每年必須參與本族活動的最低次數:
a. 族長、副族長及長老族員:5次
b. 精英族及康體族:3次
c. 修行族:1次

7. 如當族族員未能達到上述第6項的出席次數,可能會被降格至下一族群或被驅逐出族。

8. 周年族員大會(AGM)是本族的最高權力架構,每兩年(暫定)會選出各族群人員(族長除外)。族長只由當屆ISA HK/China Station Manager 担任,無須經選舉產生。

9. 所有族群人員必須堅守自己崗位,族長有權在於任可時間改動族員架構,而無須通過周年大會進行。此舉只是必要時才會採用的緊急措施,以便本族不會發生部落衝突或權力鬥爭。

10. 日後本族可經長老會議商討論後,增添其他族規族例,與本版本同具效力。

ISA HK/China --- Inauguration of ' Tree Climbing HK '

<攀爬一族> 的基本結構 2007年11月8日版本
Basic Structure of Tree Climbing HK ( TCHK )

Chieftain
族長 ( ISA HK/China Station Manager 兼任 )




Chief(s) Tribal Council
副族長 (由選舉產生,人數未定) 長老會議 ( 由長老族員維持 )


Councillors
長老族

Professionals
精英族

Recreationals
康體族

Disciples
修行族

族長 (Chieftain) --- 無投票權,但有最後決定權,只能在零票或相等票才能投票,由當屆ISA HK/China Station Manager擔任。

副族長 (Chief) --- 有投票權,有實權,管理日常事務,必須是ISA考牌官,每2年由族員大會選出 ,任期2年。

長老會議 (Tribal Council) --- 由當屆長老族主持,決定所有會務,任期2年,由每2年的族員大會確定任期。

長老族 (Councillors) --- 成員必須是 CTW 或持有其他國家認可的攀爬修業証書,成員由族長或長老會議過半數長老族員同意後邀請進入,任期2年,由每2年的族員大會確定任期。

精英族 (Professionals) --- 懂職業攀爬,但未考獲上述牌照者,任期不限。

康體族 (Recreationals) --- 只懂康體攀爬者,任期不限。

修行族 (Diciples) --- 所有其他人仕,任期不限。


攀爬一族 — 的其他資料:


宗旨:不論年齡、性別、宗教、種族、學歷 、身體狀況及社會地位,謀其共同發展攀樹活動,由攀爬過程中學習保護樹木及維護生態平衡,從而促進個人身心健康發展。

活動:主要分為康樂攀爬,職業攀爬及相關樹藝知識訓練。

A. 康體攀爬 – 旨在為都市人減壓,發展其體力心智,歡迎任何人仕參加。

B. 職業攀爬 – 磨練樹上工作的各種技巧,例如鋸木、流纜、拯救、鏈鋸使用等等。安全訓練為主要重點,在於“ 預防勝於治 ”成員主為職業攀爬人仕,亦歡迎康體族員加入受訓。

C. 樹藝訓練 – 任何樹木知識和相關護養技術,歡迎任何人仕加入。

裝備: TCHK 歡迎族員自携攀樹器材以作自用。TCHK 亦可提供網上選購方便,本族亦可現場借出族員裝備以供試用,直至本族成功合資購買器材為止。

裝備要求:必須為國際認可的合規格爬樹腰帶、繩索、安全扣、和各類合格器材等等…

免責條款:任何人仕在參與「攀爬一族」及ISA HK/China Station 所舉辦的任何活動之時,均已自我檢查其身心狀況是已經完全符合當次活動的實際要求,才會加入是項活動,並對此條件絶無異議。參于者亦完全同意自負所有活動風險,不會追究舉辦者任何民事或賠償責任。所有參加本族或ISA HK/China Station 活動的人仕均完全明白及同意此「免責條款」後,才自願參加任何活動。

ISA HK/China --- Inauguration of ' Tree Climbing HK '

Dear Station Members & Respected Guests,

Inauguration of TREE CLIMBING HK (TCHK)

Today is another milestone in the development of ISA HK/China Station.

After hard work & careful planning by many, it is the utmost pleasure of ISA HK/China Station to announce that the Tree Climbing HK (TCHK) will be set up as an extension of our Station from today onwards !!

TCHK devotes mainly to Tree Climbing & anything relating to manoeuvring in a tree, be it Recreational & Professional. TCHK will focus on the action part of arboriculture. Yes, it will be on rope & on tree. TCHK will encourage participants to touch trees to love trees, & to enjoy the benefits of trees by physical contact. It will be an experience for those who sit in office all day to come out on a tree to dangle on rope. The climbing will be rehabilitating & refreshing. TCHK is promised to be fun-filled, action packed & very educational.

A major feature of TCHK is that it will communicate in Chinese to fit our public requirement, although English is used in time when necessary. TCHK will follow the Station Mail system of having its own channel to broadcast weekly messages, & it will reply enquiries in Chinese. This is intended to bring TCHK to our public at large & everybody is encouraged to join, be they office personnel to tree care professionals. Just everyone is welcomed.

There is no cost to join TCHK at present & TCHK Membership will be kept alone by the Chieftain who is the Station Manager by appointment. TCHK Membership will not be disclosed publicly just like Station Membership. Our Station Code of Honour of Integrity, Professionalism & Participation with an attitude of fact-finding & truth-telling will equally apply in TCHK. Please refer to the attachments for more information of TCHK which are in Chinese. Please also note TCHK has started up with a firmer structure than our Station which is more knowledge based. Tree Climbing can be dangerous & rules/regulations must be set up for beginners to follow. They are all for good intention because without them, accident may occur.

TCHK welcomes anybody to join !! TCHK has no distinction in colour or creed, education or wealth. Anyone interested in Tree Climbing & touching trees are welcomed to come in. Tree Lovers are particularly welcomed because this is their chance to talk to their favourite trees.

Please take a moment to study through the attached information of TCHK. Do enquire at 9090 6719 or by e-mail if anyone has any queries & TCHK is always there to help. Employers are kindly requested to pass this information to their Chinese staff for their individual consideration. All Station Members are requested to pass this message to their friends & colleagues for their interest to participate. This message will also be placed on Station Blog.

TCHK looks forward to your participation to climb, protect & preserve our precious trees in our territory, one tree at a time.

Climb safely. Touch trees to love trees.

best regards,

Sammy Au

Station Manager & TCHK Chieftain





致:全世界喜愛攀樹的同志們

熱烈慶祝ISA HK/CHINA STATION 「攀爬一族」的成立

同志們,ISA HK/China Station 籌備已久的「攀爬一族」,現在正式宣告成立!

「攀爬一族」是本會參與社會事務的一部份,是個比本會腦部戰爭更加精彩的一個部份,是喜愛攀樹活動人員不可缺少的一個部份。

攀樹活動是一項有益身心的寧神健體活動,自從其在國外數十年前開展以來,現在全球已有數十萬人參與過各式各樣的康樂攀爬。在參與過程中,當中不乏專業或職業攀爬隊伍,其目的只有一個,就是要愛護樹木及親近樹木。

當今都市人用腦太多,四肢缺少運動,在室內參加運動時又重回「家徒四壁」的感覺,精神緊張未得完全解放,試想起童年時候的攀樹採果,本是返璞歸真的開朗行為,須然當今都市生活已埋葬了此一切。

「攀爬一族」是希望令有興趣人士能夠重拾童真,亦希望透過攀樹活動,令市民更加親近及愛護樹木,是一種以行動來表示保育樹木的行為。

在我們熟悉的城市香港,其實有着不少的爬樹能手,政府部門當中,康文署及漁護署早已有自己的樹木工作隊伍,每天在樹木上工作,至於中華電力公司及嘉道理農場,亦各自有一組爬樹高手,護理其機構內的樹木。

當今現代的爬樹方法,是利用合符國際認可規格的腰帶及攀爬繩扣等工具進行,既有效率、靈活而且又安全。

香港的攀樹隊伍,早在多年前引入西方先進國家的技術及工具,所以現時香港的爬樹技術已有相當高的水平,可惜郤只局限在政府部門及少數私人機構內使用,未能普及推廣。
「攀爬一族」有見及此,自告奮勇成立由志願人士組成的專業及康樂攀爬隊伍,亦憑本會在國際及地區網絡的關係,希望能夠打造出一批符合國際水平的攀樹人員。

「攀爬一族」的主要訓練目標有兩個,一是職業攀爬,二是康樂攀爬。

職業攀爬的主要對象是現職樹木保養行業的人仕及有志投入該行業的人仕,攀爬一族將會定期舉辦訓練課程,並希望每年設定考試,令到本港甚至國內的樹木工作從業員,能夠考獲專業資格,從而提升樹木行業達至國際水平。

康樂攀爬的對象是社會上不同性別,不同年齡及不同階層的人仕,讓他們都有機會學習攀爬,接觸樹木,從而能共享健康及豐盛人生。

「攀爬一族」是一個不設界限,不分種族膚色,不論宗教信仰,不重身體狀況和社會地位的團體,歡迎任何人士參加。參加者只須填回附上的表格電郵至本族指定電郵即可,目前費用全免,直至另行通知為止。

此致

攀爬一族 全体成員敬啟
2007年11月8日
電郵:egc@netvigator.com


Sunday, November 4, 2007

ISA HK/China --- Square Rootballs at ETF



*** Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Station Members,

This Station takes on the mission to constantly research on new arbor skills with our limited facilities at disposal. ETF is such a facility for trialling out various techniques & the results are forwarded on Station Mail form time to time for public viewing. The provision of Square Rootballs is now one of them.

Traditional rootballs are round in shape. This is described in many literature as Balled & Burlaped (B & B) trees grown & dug in field. B & B trees are nearly the standard practice for supplying landscaping trees in our territory due to low cost & a tendency of not having Girdling Roots if used fresh & not stored, in favour of Containerized Trees which frequently have developed Girdling Roots. Internationally, the recommended rootball size is about 10 x trunk diameter according to ISA education & also BS 4043, although this practice is not much observed in some of our landscape work especially in transplanting mature trees.

The idea of Square Rootballs at ETF is copied from some western tree nurseries who have been using it for some time silently maybe for commercial reasons. Square Rootballs have the following advantages as compared to traditional round rootballs:

1. More Roots --- For any given diameter, a square will have a bigger area & volume (at the same depth) than a circle, & will therefore contain more roots & soil volume to endure 'Transplant Shock'. More roots retained will favour recovery & enhance growth after transplant.

2. Transport Safety --- A cubic rootball will not roll as easily as a circular rootball in transport. Rolling can damage rootball & lead to foliage chafing & branch breaking in the canopy.

3. Preventing Girdling Roots --- Trees dug with Square Rootball can be stored up to a certain time without the development of Girdling Roots, because the new roots emerged will hit the flat sidewall & be generally deflected at 90 degree in any direction. Traditional round container will guide the roots to turn in circle to form Girdling Roots, which can strangle the tree later by constricting central vessels.

4. Storage Ease --- Square Rootball can generally stand upright on its own unlike conventional round rootball which curves from top down on the side. The side boards in a Square Rootball will perform as a square container for vertical standing.

ETF has sold trees with Square Rootballs to Govt Depts in HK & to customers in China. No adverse comments have been received so far. On the other hand, ETF will be pleased to hear any response with regard to this latest practice for improvement anytime.

HK now is pushing ahead with innovation in arbor development spear-headed by our Station with knowledge gained internationally through ISA contacts. It is this kind of trial & error that the tree care practice in our territory can advance to new height. Quality Nursery Stocks are always the first step to ensure a successful landscape besides a good design. Trees not selected & planted properly are likely to become future liability rather than asset.

This Station would welcome comments on the results of using Square Rootballs against round rootballs for open discussion anytime. Just send in your observation. Thank you.

best regards,

Sammy Au

Station Manager


The ISA Mission - Through research, technology, and education, promote the professional practice of arboriculture and foster a greater public awareness of the benefits of trees. (http://www.isa-arbor.com/)

Monday, October 29, 2007

ISA HK/China --- Sylva Cell introduction

Dear Station Members,

Some of you may be involved in urban design in which finding enough rooting space to grow trees may be a major problem. In situation where heavy traffic by vehicles & pedestrians are major concern, tree planting has to give way to other structures such as pavement & road as priority. This Station has given information on Structural Cells for tree growing in the past but its application can be complex in both tendering & execution.

This Station has recently been advised by Enspec of Australia that they are now introducing a modular structural planting cell called Silva Cell at the following link:

http://deeproot.com/template.php?sec=products&nav=silva&content=sc_app&sub=1&lsel=1

This novelty product is made from polymers & is strong but light enough for tree planting in our urban situation. The link given has excellent description plus video to show the design & specification of the product for which anyone is recommended to look into. It appears that Silva Cell has answered some of our existing challenges in tree installation in our crowded city, although its use has to be experimented with pilot project. If feasible, & if prices can be justified, Silva Cell can be an alternative to planting trees in concrete box planters which may be the current substitution in many of our city areas.

Anyone interested to find out more on Silva Cell is requested to contact the supplier direct for additional information & trial. This Station will be grateful if anyone has tried it out to send us a review for Station broadcast in future.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

Saturday, October 27, 2007

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Shing Mun River's 'Tree Murder'?'

*** Our weekly Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only, but Station Mail has given up copyright & can be freely circulated. For administrative reasons, comments from outsiders are usually not entertained & may be circulated within our system locally & overseas. Please note Station Mail is sometimes given in Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com , although images are usually not attached due to size. ***

Dear Mr. X,

Thank you for your phone call & your direction for us to look into the attached newspaper cutting. We have noticed that you are not our Station Member but are able to gain access to our information for which you are welcomed. We are also accepting your challenge to openly reply your enquiry & to protect your identity which we actually do not know much anyway. On the other hand, we want to assure you that there is no such thing as 'change of wind' of our Station policies upon your knowledge of LCSD staff taking part in our recent Certified Arborist exam. Our values of Integrity, Professionalism & Participation with an attitude of fact-finding & truth-telling have remained constant.

In your request for us to comment on the event of your so-called ' Tree Murder ' at Shing Mun River, our Station is taking up the position of Tree Detective instead of Tree Doctor in the investigation. However, please kindly note that we are commenting with only the given facts & photos in the attachment & we do not have time to study the situation on site. Sending someone out on site for a detailed reporting will involve cost, & the current Professional Fess Guidelines of ISA HK/China would recommend a fee of HK$10,000.00 for an Independent Tree Assessment (ITA) report of this kind for about two trees in a day. Therefore, here you get a limited reply for free, but only with what this Station has seen in the attachment.

May we first advise you that the Station Manager has done ITA report of this kind on many occasions for various Govt Depts & public in the past. He is also currently acting as an Independent Tree Specialist (ITS) to the HKSAR Govt on several projects & he has produced Expert Witness reports at High Court for tree related disputes. He may be a fair & just person for this kind of reply to you.

In the newspaper cutting so shown, the Besser blocks would impede the flow of water & fertilizer application into the tree roots, but they would not stop them altogether. Water can leak through the gaps between the Besser blocks & reach the roots underneath, or the trees so shown would not be growing with such foliage density. One way to determine whether the roots are developing or not under the Besser blocks is to open them up for a visual inspection. You may wish to apply for permission to do this at the authorities if desperately interested. Facts will convince everybody better.

Trees generally do not require heavy fertilization like shrubs or smaller plants. The Arborist education would recommend an annual application of around 2kg/100 sqm for most trees in a general situation. For trees of inadequate health, we would recommend fixing the problem before fertilizer application, rather than the other way round. This may be contrary to what you may have learned from other sources in the past. Facts will tell you that trees growing in our AFCD country parks do not receive much regular fertilization from human application. Don't these trees perform?

What this Station would see as a challenge would really be that the trees so shown were planted too close to the boundary wall of other planting area which may lead to root cutting on the wall side. This may render wind instability when the trees have matured & there does not appear too much can be done to it. Remember, if a tree is not designed, planted & maintained properly, the tree may become more of a liability rather than an asset. In this theme, the design & quality stocks selection are of primary importance if we want to see an easy maintenance afterwards.

We wish our reply now can assist you to understand how a Professional Arborist would view an event as such. Arborists are practitioners & we tend to look at situation in a practical sense. Please do not mix us up with other disciplines with our due respect to others. However, we have our own professional direction to follow & we prefer to speak with facts.

You are always welcomed to provide feedback, although this Station may not publish it by open Station Mail each time. If you would like to go into this investigation further, this Station would advise you to employ a Certified Arborist to carry out an Independent Tree Assessment with the approval of the concerned authority, although the site work & reporting would cost you.

Thank you for your interest in our communication & we hope this reply will find you well.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager
ISA HK/China Station ManagerISA Chief Proctor for the HK/China RegionISA Certified Arborist / Certified Tree Climber no. ML-0174AT
Member of Tree Climbers International (TCI) in HK/China RegionInternational Tree Failure Database (ITFD) Coordinator for HK/China
Independent Tree Specialist (ITS) to the HKSAR Govt
Lecturer for Tree Supervision at CITA