ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Planting Trees for "Good Looking")

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Dear Station Members,

As predicted earlier in Station Mail, the outcry of the media in recent Tree Failures would draw in the attention of the politicians for a concerted event. The two sets of tree news from the biggest newspaper in HK depicted all kinds of speculations on Tree Planting, mostly negative, to incinerate the issues further among the commoner public. They are also giving opportunities to the local Tree Experts to attack on Govt Tree Planting, & yet the Tree Management Office (TMO) of HK does not appear to react effectively to balance off the attack, which is seen to be within their domain.

In Common Law, if one side accuses the other side for an action & the other side does not respond, it may constitute an implied agreement of the accusation in Court. ISA HK/China would always respond to any accusation that is regarded as unjust, & we have trained ourselves razor-sharp to attend to attack.

On the other hand, what the critics claimed "Planting the Wrong Trees for the sake of Good Looking" may be agreed by some working in the landscaping industry. Trees in the past were mostly picked for "flowering & scent". Yet many of these planted species belong to soft-wood trees come in with poor structure & negative health from China. Bauhinia species is one of them & Delonix is another. Coupling with undersized root ball & planting in a small tree pit, these trees have little hope to stand strong in wind.

Another example would be planting Ficus species as Roadside Trees in some of our recent greening projects. Ficuses are known to have aggressive roots & spreading canopy. Hard pruning is the only way to contain them from conflict with the traffic & structures next to them, & this will create wounds after wounds on a growing tree. Some of these wounds may not heal adequately before the pests would get in. Then the tree will go into decline & turn into maintenance liabilities.

When trees fail, the media will be the first to smell blood, for the rest of the shark gang to come & take the savage. Dirt digging will begin & dust will fly all over the place to make enough disturbance to settle. Therefore, it may be wise to review the whole process of Tree Planting to avoid this.

Tree Planting in HK has unexpectedly turned into a political tug-of war, & we may need to think why it could have all happened. If we do not understand the cause of the disease, we may never cure it. It may be even more positive to think of how to stop it from happening again, so that our trees can be a social asset instead of endless liabilities.

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."

PS :

1. ISA HK/China has given a Radio Interview to Metro Radio FM997 on Tree Management. The recording will come out at 8 pm on 26.7.2010 for a consecutive of 5 evenings. There is also a TVB interview going on with ISA HK/China last week & this week, & we shall inform the broadcasting time later.

2. We shall announce the next ISA Tree Seminar to be on or around Friday July 30 in Station Mail within this week.

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投訴：貪好睇亂種樹靠害市民

大樹好遮蔭？抑或一步一驚心？接二連三發生塌樹引致人命傷亡事故後，政府檢查與保育樹木工作再備受質疑。事實上，穿窿樹、斷樹枝、生怪菇等病樹遍布各區，全港七十六萬棵樹木中，瀕倒的爛樹「總有一棵喺左近」，令市民終日提心吊膽。有專家直指政府貪圖樹木外表「好睇」，毫不了解樹木特性而胡亂栽種，埋下城市地雷

隔田村的枯樹樹身傾斜，樹冠延綿至行人路，一旦塌下，隨時演變為奪命意外。

「棵樹蛀到空晒心，好驚佢畀風吹吹都會冧！」接連有樹倒塌意外後，大埔南坑村村民袁先生驚覺殺人陷阱近在咫尺。袁指一年前已發現村內大王爺廟後有大樹被蟲蛀出樹洞，近日發現樹身中段及根部有兩個直徑約三十厘米樹洞，而且已經貫通樹身，但卻從未有政府派員檢驗，直斥政府草菅人命，「我唔想棵樹喺打風嗰陣砸到人，仲聽到有啲官話打風落雨冧樹好平常！」

西貢街遊樂場的龍眼樹位於遊樂場設施範圍，平日有不少小孩在樹下玩耍。

穿窿樹

南坑村大王爺廟後大樹樹身兩個樹洞貫通多時，令樹身中空。

穿窿樹僅屬冰山一角，油麻地西貢街遊樂場一棵約三層樓高的龍眼樹，樹身便有最少兩個約深二十厘米樹洞，並生滿白色小菇，最大的白菇圓周更比五元硬幣還大。

生怪菇

西貢街遊樂場龍眼樹生出大量白菇，面積有如五元硬幣。

斷樹枝

沙田隔田村有枯樹斷枝，久久未獲有關部門清理。

倡分級制 全民監察

另沙田隔田村口亦有枯樹傾斜多時，樹冠凌空覆蓋行人路，部分更已折斷，危機一觸即發。大埔鍾屋村亦有大樹出現多條長逾一米裂紋，狀如剝殼花生，一旦傾倒，樹旁村屋將首當其衝。

康樂及文化事務署發言人強調，四月初檢查西貢街遊樂場龍眼樹時並無異樣，至本報查詢才發現樹洞長出菌類，已作適當護理。地政總署發言人則稱，南坑村大樹健康情況欠佳，不反對移除，但又以或涉風水及不構成即時危險為由，拒絕即時處理。沙田隔田村枯樹則證實健康不理想，需要移除。

立法會議員王國興昨在立法會上再次質疑政府未有妥善保育樹木，建議當局考慮設立樹木分級制，推行全民監察樹木，「例如可以貼告示公布棵樹有幾多級危險，等巿民行過留意吓，一有問題就可以即刻聯絡樹木辦。」不過，與會的發展局局長林鄭月娥卻重申，近日塌樹事件不代表法例規管出現問題，而是反映樹木日常管理及風險評估有加強的空間。

港大地理系講座教授詹志勇分析，生菇乃樹木受真菌感染徵狀，樹洞則反映樹木已遭真菌深度腐蝕，須施以除菌劑，避免樹木健康進一步受損。

「樹木有病，九成都關設計事！」有不願透露姓名的行內人士指，政府多靠園境師設計樹木，卻以「講靚、講好睇」為本，未有考慮樹木生長後出現「頭重腳輕」、「雀仔都飛唔入」等問題，「佢哋（園境師）淨係美容化妝，政府綠化嗰陣又冇問過有樹木知識嘅樹藝師，呢個先係問題根源！」

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多區空心危樹部門卸責

接連發生塌樹造成傷亡意外，引起高度關注及批評，有政黨檢查全港樹木，一周內在五區發現十一棵危樹，但是本港樹木管理政出多門，造成「危樹處處部門四竄」的卸責情況，政黨發現危樹後通知康樂文化事務署，卻遭推卸到民政事務處、教育局及樹木辦事處，最後長時間無人過問危樹。有立法會議員炮轟，樹木辦只在中央層面運作，各部門仍然各自為政，促請港府每區成立一支樹木隊伍專責管理好樹木。

大埔泮涌公立學校內一棵鳳凰樹的樹身被真菌蛀空，出現逾一米高大洞。

校內古樹傾斜路旁

政黨發動地區網絡按發展局的檢測樹木指引，上周起檢查全港各區樹木，先後在大埔、元朗、屯門、觀塘及黃大仙區發現十一棵相對問題嚴重的樹木，部分樹身穿大洞和空心、樹身嚴重傾斜、樹枝折斷或撕裂、樹皮剝落及蟲蛀等現象，對市民構成安全問題。

其中一棵位處原大埔泮涌公立學校內，樹齡超過四十年的鳳凰樹，近樹腳處出現一個逾一米長樹洞，可容一小童藏身，部分枝椏呈現老化枯萎。另一棵位於廣福道的大樹，呈現逾六十度傾斜，部分樹幹橫跨在行人道上，部門早前曾修剪但沒有移除。

立法會議員陳克勤指，租用校舍的團體去年將該危樹問題通知康文署，獲回覆樹木是安全，但最近樹洞有擴大迹象，更不時有樹枝墮下，擔心大樹有倒塌危機。他批評，地區人士曾先後就該問題樹向民政處、教育局及樹木辦多個部門投訴，可是部門互相推諉沒處理，事件反映現行管理樹木工作由不同部門負責，缺乏溝通協調和權責不清，同時各部門投放管理樹木資源不足，人手和專業水平參差，造成管理的嚴重缺失。過去一年只康文署增加一百個人手，負責管理七十萬棵樹木，其他八大部門的人手幾乎維持不變。

泮涌公立學校內鳳凰樹的樹身有大洞，令人擔心隨時倒塌。

彩雲邨玉宇樓對出空地的南洋杉傾斜，部門要用鋼索穩固。

位於廣福道斜坡上危樹在權責不清下，市民投訴無門。

公布病樹 全民監察

大埔的病樹病徵甚為明顯，該政黨質疑未知是否在二千棵問題樹名單內，建議當局盡快公布病樹資料及位置，讓全民監察。該政黨亦建議設立病樹舉報專線，直接由樹木辦統一收集舉報，再轉介到相關部門處理；樹木辦同時要整合各個部門，成立一區一樹木隊伍，專責管理好樹木，而在雨季前，各部門應盡快完成第二輪檢查及移除病樹。發展局發言人表示，樹木辦會加強監察，抽查人員填寫的驗樹報告及抽驗部門護養的樹木。
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