Thursday, July 3, 2008

ISA HK/China --- Singapore Tree Planting

*** 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,

In HK many a times, we would like to think that we are the serious Tree Lovers in our region. We tend to love our trees by retaining them, no matter whether they are worthwhile to keep or not. We also talk openly about the success of tree planting in Singapore, & yet we do not appear to bother to dig deep into the true reasons behind their success.

ISA HK/China has already organized two trips to visit the National Parks Board of the Singapore Govt (Nparks) to learn about their tree planting programs. Each time we were enthusiastically welcomed by our kind host to share their valuable information with us. We shall be organizing the same for the 3rd time on July 24 - 26 to participate into the Singapore Garden Festival (SGF) & Nparks have very kindly arranged a Seminar & Day Tour for us to learn about their work. We openly call for our Station Members & anybody to join this Study Tour to broadening our knowledge & to make comparison between the tree planting system between Singapore & HK.

On the other hand, a lot of the tree planting information of Singapore can actually be found on-line, like the one below.

From the information below, it can be seen that Directors of Nparks (not PR officers) would reply to enquiries from members of public on ordinary questions of tree failure & preservation. The public there are just as concerned about their trees & would raise issues on tree care just like we do in HK in the media. It can also be seen that Nparks are training & putting Arborists in charge of their trees as a National Policy.

Trees have now become valuable assets in Singapore & their citizens are very proud of their achievement. Trees have cooled Singapore & improved the quality of living there. Seeing the success there would be believing if anyone can feel the impact on the spot. Some are really magnificent trees.

The Day Tour with Nparks on Saturday July 26 has now a few places for joining. Anyone who is serious enough to find out why Singapore is so successful in tree planting are kindly requested to come, rather than speculating & pondering outside the ring. Please reserve your place asap.

Looking forward to learning about the success of tree planting in Singapore soonest.

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)
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Heritage Trees of Singaporeand (trees in Singapore in general )
This page is no longer updated. Latest media updates for this topic are in the feed belowfrom the wildsingapore news blog.

XMLWhither the trees? Letter from Albano Daminato and Lisa Garris Today Online 6 Nov 07
Singaporeans can join Plant-A-Tree Programme Channel NewsAsia 3 Nov 07
Chainsaw massacre: loss of big trees in urban areas By Tom Geoghegan BBC 24 Sep 07
Remembering a landmark Lorraine Chee Straits Times 10 Sep 07
100 trees planted in Kent Ridge Park to tackle global warming Channel NewsAsia 29 Aug 07
NParks plans new measures to prevent mishaps Leong Wee Keat Today Online 27 Jul 07
NParks has regular tree-care programme Reply from Simon Longman Director, Streetscape National Parks Board Straits Times Forum 26 Jul 07
Check huge, tall trees growing near roads Letter from Wong Yew Kwan Straits Times Forum 24 Jul 07
Much greenery at aerospace saved Letter from Kelly Wee Director, Communications Department, JTC Corporation Today Online 23 Jul 07
Help save Katong Park and heritage tree on it Letter from Jack Sim Juek Wah Straits Times Forum 23 Jul 07
A parting letter from Ang Sar Nah Letter from Tham Chen Munn Straits Times Forum 18 Jul 07
Spare bodhi tree that's 100 years old Letter from Ng Siek Moi (Mdm) Straits Times 18 Jul 07
The Braddell Tree: It's like losing a friend By Andre Yeo The New Paper 17 Jul 07
Keep Seletar green Letter from George Pasqual Today Online 17 Jul 07
Goodbye, Earth; Hi, Green Heaven By Jamie Ee Business Times 13 Jul 07
Responses to plan to cut down Braddell Angsana treeNo way to get drivers to slow down: LTA By T. Rajan Straits Times 13 Jul 07 Spare the tree, educate motorists Letter from thomas lim pai tong Today Online 13 Jul 07
Braddell Rd Angsana tree to be removed after 'near accidents' Channel NewsAsia 11 Jul 07
Helping native plants bloom: School finds namesake tree By Michelle Neo Straits Times 9 Jul 07
Tree's Company A group of nature lovers has put together a book to remember and celebrate the old trees at Bukit Timah campus By Ho Ai Li Straits Times 8 Jul 07
Seletar's new (old) face Masterplan for new aerospace park will preserve some 200 bungalows, rare trees Valarie Tan and Lin Yanqin Today Online 27 Jun 07
Strike a balance between loving nature and modern living Letter from Richard Goh Chee Kok Straits Times Forum 22 Jun 07
Don't take our lovely trees for granted Letter from Yap Yang Ming Straits Times 20 Jun 07
Many fine Tembusu trees Letter from Chen Sen Lenn Straits Times 16 Jun 07
For the love of the tembusu Letter from Shawn K. Y. Lum Straits Times 9 Jun 07
Resorts World at Sentosa launches tree conservation programme Channel NewsAsia 13 Jun 07NParks has trained arborists to tend to trees Reply from Dr Leong Chee Chiew Chief Operating Officer and Commissioner, Parks & Recreation National Parks Board Straits Times 12 Jun 07
Angsanas and raintrees too tall for comfort Letter from Thomas Hwang Liang Keng Straits Times 12 Jun 07
Who looks after trees not under NParks' care? Letter from Richard Goh Chee Kok Straits Times 11 Jun 07
Nature guide calls for more regular checks along Tree Top Walk Channel NewsAsia 9 Jun 07
NParks to continue to boost tree-maintenance programme Letter from NParks Straits Times 6 Jun 07
Nature lovers continue trekking Sheralyn Tay Today Online 2 Jun 07
Man dies after being hit by fallen branch near Tree Top Walk Channel NewsAsia 31 May 07
Fewer trees are falling NParks staff paying closer attention to defects in trees Sheralyn Tay Today Online 30 May 07
Conserve green areas in HDB estates Letter from Thierry Tan Today Online 24 May 07
Time for a health report on S'pore trees Letter from Jeffrey Law Lee Beng Today Online 22 May 07
Letters about falling treesWatch out, falling trees can happen anywhere Letter from Chong Seow Kheng Straits Times Forum 4 Jun 07Insurance plan to protect victims of falling trees? NParks should check soil around big trees Letter from Richard Goh Chee Kok Straits Times Forum 23 May 07 Letter from Goh Kian Huat Today Online 18 May 07NParks should act to prevent future accidents Letter from Albert Tay Beng Guan Today Online 18 May 07
Bishan Family Park - a plea from the trees Letter from Jo Marion Seow (Mrs) Straits Times 18 May 07
Heavy rain, strong winds caused tree to fall in nature reserve Channel NewsAsia 16 May 07
Woman dies after being pinned under fallen treeChannel NewsAsia 15 May 07
Trees cut for road works are replaced with new ones Reply from Naleeza Ebrahim (Ms) Deputy Director, Media Relations Land Transport Authority Straits Times 16 Apr 07
Save our only 100-year-old bodhi tree Letter from Ng Siek Moi (Mdm) Straits Times 11 Apr 07
500 trees planted to ease Sembawang residents' dust problem Channel NewsAsia 8 Apr 07
Spare a tree and I will give up my car Letter from Chong Chin Onn Straits Times 6 Apr 07
Build IR, but spare 3ha forest by Joseph Lai Tuck Kwong Straits Times 17 Mar 07
Not Just 'A Few Plants' How Sentosa Forest or any forest should be defined, Joseph Lai's response to this ST article on his eart-h.com website.
Build the IR, but Spare the Few Plants on the tidechaser blog
Hey, the trees are marked By Teo Cheng Wee Straits Times 11 Mar 07
Tree with historical significance pruned illegally By Wong Mun Wai Channel NewsAsia 30 Nov 06
Show courtesy before felling trees Letter from Ananda Perera Straits Times Online 16 Oct 06 Check trees more regularly Letter from Ang Hak Heng Straits Times Online 13 Oct 06
Trees cut down were infested with termites Reply from MOE Straits Times Online 9 Oct 06 Why cut down the old trees in Ang Mo Kio? Letter from Jackie Lau Wai Wan (Ms) Straits Times Forum 27 Sep 06
Dreadful if Singapore forests have to make way for urbanisation Letter from Joyce Chng Siok Hwee (Ms) Straits Times Forum 27 Sep 05
Visitors flock to temple's old treeby Tan Hui Yee The Straits Times 19 Aug 06
Want Orchard Road buzz? Cut down the trees by Ignatius Low The Straits Times 4 Jun 06
161 trees in Singapore designated as Heritage Trees By Patwant Singh Channelnews Asia 14 May 06
Save 100-year-old Bodhi tree: Will the authorities be swayed by non-economic arguments? Letter from Tan Swee Ann Straits Times Forum Online 2 May 06
Save both the Bodhi tree and the temple Letter from Ng Chin Guan Straits Times Forum Online 27 Apr 06
NParks starts register to track rising number of heritage trees by Jean Loo The Straits Times 23 Apr 06
100-year-old tree may save temple by Arti Mulchand The Straits Times 21 Apr 06
Roads given the rub of the green LTA projects planned to minimise felling of trees Letter from LTA and NParks Today Online 20 Apr 06
Angsana tree along Braddell Road centre of attention By Ng Bao Ying Channel NewsAsia 5 Feb 06
Split a road, save a tree by Lee Sze Yong The Straits Times, 18 Dec 05
3 years on...6 trees return to their roots at Bras BasahThe Straits Times, 15 Mar 05
THREE mature rain trees between 60 and 80 years old at the junction of Holland Road and Holland Avenue will be chopped down to make way for the MRT station there by Goh Chin Lian The Straits Times, 26 Feb 05
Trees had to go due to road widening Reply in Letters to the Straits Times, 18 Feb 05
Roads now safe havens for trees by Tan Hui Yee The Straits Times, 12 Feb 05
Protect mature trees, no matter where they growWhy were trees felled for no apparent reason? Letters to The Straits Times Forum Page, 11 Feb 05"Preserve scarce countryside" and"Heritage road under threat"
The Straits Times, Letters to the Forum Page, 28 Jan 05 Towards a city in a garden: House approves Bill to strengthen nature conservation efforts Today, 26 Jan 05
Heritage roads laws were changed to conserve scenic, tree-lined roads and save mature trees from being recklessly chopped down. by Joyce Teo The Straits Times, 26 Jan 05
Developers, contractors face stiffer fines for chopping down protected treesBy Wong Siew Ying Channel NewsAsia, 25 Jan 05
More linksWhat is a Heritage Tree? What is the current list of Heritage Trees? How can I nominate a tree for the Heritage Tree scheme?
Details on the NParks website with an online form to nominate a heritage tree.
More about the Hopea Sangal tree that got chopped down on Siva's habitatnewsSome free guided walks that include Heritage Trees:GVN's guided walk at Changi. Contact
GVN for more details.
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve guided walk
Singapore Botanic Gardens Rainforest guided walk
Fort Canning guided walkHeritage trees on Pulau Ubin?

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website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

ISA HK/China --- HKU SPACE CA training


Dear Station Members,

ISA HK/China is pleased to announce that the long awaited Certified Arborist Exam Preparation Training for the public sector is finally ready for application by anyone interested. Detailed information is given in the attachment for your study.

The emergence of this training has given recognition of our profession a new standing in the HK academic circle. Although this training emphasizes on the theorectical portion of arboriculture rather than practical field experience, it is seen as an advancement in our profession for all those who are interested to push open the gate of Professional Arboriculture by taking the Certified Arborist exam. The road of learning is never ending for Certified Arborists, & getting the credential is the first step.

ETF & TCHK are now keen to provide practical training to supplement the above lectures for such as Tree ID, Nursery Stocks Standards, Plant Health Care, Tree Selection, Pruning, Rigging, Safety at Work, Tree Climbing & many others. If arranged, this will add vitamins to the package for our future Certified Arborists.

For anyone interested in this specialist training, please follow the instruction contained & apply at your earliest convenience. Please also check out the on-line application link below:




This Station can be quite sure that this course will be popular & will reach full house very soon.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

Monday, June 30, 2008

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Tree Failures after Typhoon Fangshen)

*** 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,

The Typhoon Fangshen which hit Southern China last week caused insignificant damage when compared to the Black Rain two weeks ago. Since hardly any other greenery organization in HK would keep track with Tree Failures locally, ISA HK/China has taken the blunt to record Tree Failures the best we can from collection from media & reports from Station Members, so that future analysis can be carried out by researchers.

Fangshen was actually more a Tropical Depression rather than a typhoon when it attacked HK, with windspeed generally in range of 60 kmh in open area. Even with this gentle wind force, 41 counts of Tree Failures were reported to the Govt & 17 persons were injured, two seriously, & hospitalized.

Tree falling on cars & power lines were reported. The branch failure at Tin Ha Road appeared to be Co-dominant with Included Bark. Since this tree has been on roadside, the defects should have been long detected & taken care of instead of a failure. In Court, this can be proved to be a clear case of Negligence by an Independent Practicing Arborist without escape.

The Tree Failure in Happy Valley damaged 4 cars outside a police station & 3 of the cars were said to belong to the police inside. However, this is likely to be Civil Torts only & the police can sue but not prosecute in its apparent nature.

Hardly any public outcry was heard after the Fangshen tree failures. Maybe the HK people are getting used to Tree Failures & would regard them to be Acts of God. If the same events would happen in western countries & Singapore, the outcome may be rather different indeed.

Maybe the insurers & lawyers ought to get in touch more with the Arborists ...

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/)