ISA HK/China --- Support the proposed Arboricultural Office at CSO and CEO

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Dear Station Members,

Those of you living in HK would be aware of the proposed Arboricultural Office in the HK Govt after the Jury Recommendations of the tragic Stanley Tree Failure in April. In fact, the HK Govt are working hard on this issue to study the feasibility & need to set up such an Office & the project is supervised by the second highest rank in the Govt, namely the Chief Secretary of Administration to coordinate various Bureaus & Depts for the organization. The outcome of the study would be announced this coming July publicly in HK.

As good citizens of HK & keen Tree Lovers in our Station, ISA HK/China would urge all of you to support the setting up of the proposed Arboricultural Office, & to express your opinions with the following consideration:

1. The value of having this Office to supervise our trees from design, selection, installation, maintenance, regular inspection, risk assessment to protection, & the need to reform our current Tree Management.

2. What professionals should be leading this Office & what justifications? Any overseas examples?

3. What are to be expected of this new Office in a practical manner & in the long term?

4. Any idea on the structure, duties & functions of this Office?

5. How this Office can help with the Greenery Development of HK?

6. Any other comments on our current Greenery Policies & outcome upon spending?

You may wish to express your views to the Chief Secretary Office at cso@cso.gov.hk with copy to the Chief Executive Office at ceo@ceo.gov.hk in Chinese or in English. ISA HK/China has been providing our views (http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/2007/07/isa-hkchina-imaginary-arboricultural.html) to these two good Offices & has found them very inclusive & tolerant with fresh ideas. In fact, we are getting the feeling that these good Offices would like to hear openly from the public for their policy formulation so that anything eventually coming out would be supported by the public at large. Both CSO & CEO are friendly administrators & we encourage our +820 Station Members & +150 TCHK Members from all walks of life to write to them to express your constructive views.

We would also like to invite our overseas counterparts to express their expert opinions about setting up such an Arboricultural Office with their valuable experience to help HK to build one of our own. HK Govt is open & inclusive. Your views will be welcomed by all of us.

Thank you all for helping HK to advance our Tree Care & to have better trees. If HK can become the first oriental city to have an Arboricultural Office in the Far East, HK may provide an impact for the other cities in the region to help protect our trees better, especially for the Motherland of China.

We trust that anyone providing helpful opinions will be blessed by our trees for generations to come.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

"If a tree is not designed, installed, maintained & inspected properly, it is likely to become a liability rather than an asset."

"Trees are good for the community. Trees need care like human beings. Arborists are the Tree Care Professionals."