*** 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 attached newspaper cutting from a national press in China has given ISA Tree Climbing for the first time in a report to its +10,000,000 readers in Landscape Bureaus, research institutes, academics, consultants, contractors & nurserymen in China alike. ISA HK/China is now officially entering the China greenery industry as a recognized institute in its description.
Traditionally, Tree Climbing in China is regarded to be something belonging to the young & brave, & is usually done without PPE or recognized equipment but rather with a ladder & perhaps bare hand. In the past 10 years since elevated platform had been introduced from street lighting repair to roadside tree pruning, trees were hacked with Topping under an imaginary lines as an acceptable practice. Nearly all trees are still topped in this manner anywhere in China, & Crown Thinning or Crown Restoration are something unheard of in China greenery today.
The photo so attached has shown our Deputy Station Manager Tony Ng wearing full PPE with a chainsaw to demonstrate a limb removal in the proper manner at the CSGF in China last December. The Station Manager was quietly asked several times about the age of Tony & when told, the audience there were shocked to learn of someone not belonging to his 20's or 30's could climb a tree with full gears to carry out pruning on rope. Some were commenting whether Tony had taken steroids in order to fight height & strength before the climb.
ISA HK/China can see Tree Climbing to develop healthily in China with the oriental physique having a good ratio of muscular strength to body weight, which is to be regarded as an advantage in the strenuous ascent process. Wenda Li of the Florida Chapter who was originally from HK had won the Women's Master Challenge in ITCC in 2004, & is still an active tree climber today. Our KW Lee has won the Head to Head Footlock among Commonwealth climbers in Brisbane in May 2008 in the Asia Pacific ISA Tree Climbing Competition. Tree Climbing should have a great future in our territory indeed.
Whereas western tree climbers would consider retiring from professional tree work at the age of 35, some of our local tree climbers would begin to learn Tree Climbing at the age of +40 onwards. Many are still active tree climbers into their +50 for pleasure & work today. Tree Climbing classes of TCHK (http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk) have taken on students of all age & background for a year already & it is growing with enthusiasm among the public.
ISA HK/China will carry on to promote proper tree climbing to be an important element in carrying out quality Tree Work in our territory, since a lot of Structural Pruning simply can not be carried out by elevated platform alone. Elevated platform has its limitation in carrying out work inside the canopy for limb selection, which is best to be carried out by skilful Tree Climbers. On the other hand, ISA HK/China would vigorously introduce the ISA Certified Tree Worker (Climber Specialist) credential into China since the exam can be taken in Chinese, as a head start to develop ISA Arboriculture in China.
Happy Tree Climbing to you all.
best regards,
Sammy Au
Station Manager
"Trees are good for the community. Trees need care like human beings. Arborists are the Tree Care Professionals."
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