ISA HK/China --- 2009 Research in 'Managing Trees in Construction' Part 1

*** 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 the latest research from ISA on 'Managing Trees in Construction' which is an all relevant topic in our territory & has caused adequate friction between various factions of our society with Govt & Private Developers when it comes to Tree Preservation on site.

The article has clearly pointed out that not every tree is worth saving in a construction site & priorities must be given to preserve only those trees which can become an asset instead of a liability after the development. It has also pointed out that an experienced Arborist well versed in the science of Tree Preservation, should be appointed to be part of the team from the design stage onward all the way to development completion, to ensure the right trees are to be retained, protected & maintained properly throughout. We wonder how often this process is being observed in our development at present.

Trees appeared to be preserved out of sentimental value for many a times in our territory, & we have frequently seen over-mature trees topped like Lamp Posts for fitting onto lorry transport for relocation, usually without question being asked how they would perform in future after the transplantation. In line with current Tree Preservation Policies in HK, any plant with a DBH over 95mm at 1.3m above ground would be classified as a 'Tree' regardless of species, & therefore certain sized bananas, bamboos & palms have all been relocated in this rigid manner without much consideration to the value of retention, & sometimes relying on the contractor's skills to survive this species upon transplant. Many curses have been reported to ISA HK/China from our Contractor Staton Members for this practice.

The 'Compensatory Planting' in HK is also currently set at a 1 : 1 ratio without much regard to whether the size of the planting area upon completion could really hold up the 'Compensated' planting for healthy & sustainable growth. All these practices do not appear to be in line with international trends but appeared to be acceptable to our general public. Heavy funds have also been devoted maybe in vain in this manner to retain trees of questionable nature without public scepticism & in the name of Greenery Protection. It is known to ISA HK/China that China landscapers at present would not do the same in their Tree Retention Policies, nevermind our good neighbour Singapore.

If HK would discard the pigeon-hole housing environment for our residents from the 1970's to the healthy & comfortable density at present, would our Govt & Developers do the same for our tree planting? Or is it the more the better for our trees as a comparison to advanced nations, disrespecting the need for above-ground & underground development of a tree? Are our public funds justified to save common bananas, bamboos & palms, or trees with low survival rate with poor wind-resisting structure only for possible future removal or replacement in a storm? Are we really taking our tree planting seriously to compare with advanced nation, or even China?

It appears that we may have a lot of questions for ourselves in our process of Greenery Protection.

Meanwhile, enjoy the attached research.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- China Tree News (Tree Climbing at CSGF)

*** 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."

ISA HK/China --- Happy Lunar New Year of the Ox

Dear Station Members,

ISA HK/China wises all of you a Happy Lunar New Year to come. May the Year of the Ox bring you all Good Luck & Success for whatever you do & live. Please view the following link for our e-card:

http://ecards.myfuncards.com/myfuncards/RetrieveCard.jhtml?c=zm983OYLwXRg9Cym-XXfFGJaRu7zlmWPslU-vMHtDg9rec4m6IYDjvOWvY_Zgiud

As our territory now is facing a possible economic slump with the media painting depressive forecast from time to time, it should be no time for despair but to stand up to face the challenge with courage & bravery. Our territory, especially HK, has met many ups & downs in the past decades & it was through flexibility & hard work that we have overcome struggles. ISA HK/China wishes our Station Members to take the same courage to face our current difficulties & would smile it out as we all grind along.

Being trained & educated by deep British gentlemenship when he was young in the UK, the Station Manager has remembered this traditional British song called "Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag" & wish to share it with our Station Members in our current time of difficulties:

Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile,While you’ve a Lucifer to light your fag,
Smile, boys, that’s the style.What’s the use of worrying?
It never was worthwhile,
soPack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile.

This song may be searched in the internet for its full lyrics & tune. It was sung by British soldiers marching to the front during the First World War amidst uncertainties.

May the spirit of those British 'old boys' enlighten us in our own journey forward, to ignore difficulties & maintain optimism in whatever we do ahead.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- China Tree News (Mature Tree Inspection in Tangshan)

*** 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 the latest insight as to how China Tree Experts would carry out Tree Inspection in their own way as compared to ISA Arboriculture nowadays.

As the report would describe, a Beijing Professor with a group of experts were called in by a client to examine a 300 year old pine tree in Tangshan City. The experts have studied the tree from top to bottom structurally & have carefully assessed the growing environment around the ailing tree. It was discovered that the tree has suffered from abiotic stresses from construction damage as well as mechanical injury from visiting tourists. The tree was further examined for cracks & cavities, & the soil compaction was examined. Even the suspected lightning injury was carefully looked at & all measurements were recorded for writing up an Arborist Report for future uses.

On the 25 years that the Station Manager has been studying China publication on Tree Care, this is the first time he has seen a Tree Assessment Report so closely compared to ISA education. Although an individual event as such does not remark Modern Arboriculture has now landed in the Land of Old Dragons which has a size bigger than the US, it is however true that someone there has begun to practice Tree Care in a scientific manner outside the traditional manner of sentiment & aesthetics alone. We can regard this as a marked improvement in China for their Tree Experts to move closer to ISA & the rest of the world in their Tree Care Practice.

China is no doubt in every way trying to put herself on track with the rest of the world in pursue of knowledge. This should also be true for Tree Care. ISA can add fuel to China to achieve this noble objective to help them grow better trees to benefit their communities, under the quiet & constant push of ISA HK/China, one tree at a time.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- Woven Station Label

Dear Station Members,

ISA HK/China is pleased to inform you that we have now prepared 200 no. of woven Station Label for costume attachment to identify ourselves during functions & events in our territory of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China. Pictures of the labels are attached for your examination.

The label has the background of our territory (HK, Macau, Taiwan & China) with the words ISA sprouting as it is over our territory. The words HK & China are given in Chinese & English to show that we are bilingual & international.

Please note the honour of this excellent design goes to the splendid Bimbo Design for which we have already lost contact. If anyone would know Bimbo Design anywhere anytime, please kindly give them a big 'Thank You' for what they have done for us for free to be remembered by the 1.3 billion population in China & the international ISA community in future to come.

Please kindly note that we have only ordered 200 no. of label to be manufactured this time, & it will be distributed on a first come first served basis. The cost will be HK$(or RMB)10 per label & anyone is rationed to buy a maximum of 5 labels each time for sharing.

Anyone wanting to buy the label please kindly send a return envelop with HK$3 postage pasted on it, & with return address clearly printed on, to the following address :

Eurasian Garden Ltd.,
22B, Kam Tsin Road,
Kam Tsin Village,
Sheung Shui,
NT

Payment can be made by cash (at your own risk) or by cheque made payable to 'ISA HK/China' for the correct amount at HK$(or RMB)10 per label. Please kindly note that no delivery will be made if payment is not correct or return envelope with postage not provided. Any delivery by return post is at the risk of the purchaser over the HK mailing system.

ISA HK/China now has +730 Station Members from all walks of life in HK, Macau, Taiwan & China. We are currently the largest Arbor Group on our territory & are quietly influential. ISA HK/China expects our Station Members & our IPA, CA & CTW to wear our Station Label in local & overseas ISA functions to demonstrate our identity & unity. On the other hand, the label belongs to a fashionable design with special meaning in it. Why not wear one?

Looking forward to receiving your order soonest.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- Structural Pruning at a famous School in Kowloon

*** 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 Station Manager (SM) was called upon by a famous school somewhere in Kowloon to carry out Pruning Supervision at Christmas period in 2008. This is a report on the process & methodology of how this interesting work has been carried out.

Without the permission of the school, their identity can not be mentioned. One thing we can say for sure is that many prominent politicians & officials in HK did graduate from this excellent school & the building itself there is classified as Historical Relic by the HKSAR Govt. Therefore it has been a great honour for the SM to practise ISA Arboriculture in this school.

The SM himself was actually referred by a CA Family (CAF) Member to discuss the work with the school with cordial thanks to this CAF Member who has always been a great help. The initial contact has been full of scepticism since ISA Arboriculture is still relatively unknown to our territory. Previous pruning work in this school was done by common gardeners with Topping as the main theme. Decay & structural imbalance have happened with many topped branches which has become major headache for the correction.

Upon several rounds of explanation by the SM, the school administration has given total faith in the SM to organize the Corrective Pruning for the + 50 trees in the school compound. A proper Tree Inspection was first carried our to assess the condition of the trees before any decision was recommended. Approx. 20 no. of the trees would require removal since they were beyond repair. The SM has advised the school to employ an ISA Certified Tree Worker (CTW) instead of ordinary gardeners since it would waste both time & effort to explain to laymen on how to do qualified work. The school has accepted this concept & invited in a CTW to work under the supervision of the SM who would act as an Independent Practicing Arborist (IPA) (http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/2008/08/isa-hkchina-independent-practicing.html) to carry out the work. The IPA was expected to organize, supervise & instruct the CTW to follow his judgment, & was expected to climb alongside the CTW to operate chainsaws if needed to help with the pruning.

At the start of the work, the CTW has great reluctance for the IPA to tell him what to do, & would think he was qualified enough to do the work himself. However, the CTW soon found out that being trapped in the canopy, he would have great difficulties to judge tree parts to be pruned or removed at the other side of the crown, since his vision & overall judgment would be blocked or blurred by the tree configuration in between. He has soon found that with the IPA on the ground to assist him to find the quickest & most efficient route to start the pruning from one side of the tree to another, a great energy saving & efficient process. The work efficiency has improved from only 2 trees in a day in the beginning, to 6 trees in a day upon the CTW willing to cooperate with the IPA. The total pruning for 30 mature trees were completed in just 6 days.

The school was very pleased for the work of the IPA & the CTW upon completion, since they have seen their trees properly trimmed without major disfiguration. The trees have also become structurally sound for the time being & the school was advised to carry out regular inspection every 6 months to ensure safety & health of their valuable trees in future.

The pictures of some of the trees before & after pruning are attached for general reference. We feel this is a good example of how Structural Pruning can be done in our territory with good result at a budget affordable to the client. We wish the rest of our territory can follow the same to help our many mature trees.

As has been observed over the years in HK & China, a lot of mature trees actually failed after pruning instead of before. It would be to do with the pruning method & knowledge of the practitioners doing it. IPA is indeed the guy to design & supervise the work for proper pruning, & the CTW should be the operator up the trees to carry out the work.

If HK & China can follow this direction & train more IPA & CTW, maybe our trees can be pruned safer & healthier. The number for our future tree failure may also be reduced.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- CSGF 2008 report

*** 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 a genuine pleasure to write up this report of our attendance at the China Southern Green Fair (CSGF) during the Christmas period with the +10 no. Deputy Station Managers & Station Members indeed. In fact, we have enjoyed it so much that it was both fun & honour to be there.

To start with, the organizers have given us all the protocols that we deserved. We were provided with free hotel & meals all the way. Beyond that we were given a 40 seater coach just to sit the 10 no. of us travelling with a personal escort from the Town Govt. The display booth at the Show was given to us for free & was even decorated under our instruction with the organizer's manpower ! Where on earth would we get such a VIP reception & it was all given in the honour & respect of the largest & most historical arboricultural organization of the world with 84 years of running history, with + 22,000 members spreading across 47 countries, & with a true international standing in research & development in Tree Care, the one & only ISA.

At the technical seminar, the Station Manager (SM) was sitting on the same platform with professors & researchers from various Guangdong Provincial Institutes. At the time when the SM started talking, the +200 audiences paid complete attention to his delivery of knowledge that they have found useful & practical. Any cell phone ringing would be immediately turned off so that the phone owner could carry on listening. No one wondered off to toilet for a smoke like with the other speakers, & the whole room was silent & focused. One could hear a pin dropping besides the voice of the SM talking like a powerful reverend. The thundering applause at the end was long awaited & lasting. We would genuinely love to do the same in HK.

If we could say the IPM Show was attended by dozens of thousands of visitors, the CSGF Show was enthusiastically visited by the hundreds of thousands. Check out the photos for the 'People Mountain, People Sea'. The population mass of the Land of Old Dragons was truly compressing. The organizers have stood out the Tree Climbing & Tree Rigging for us as part of the Show attraction & vigorously advertised them in media announcement. The SM was also interviewed by 3 Provincial TV & 2 local TV stations. He has lost count on the newspaper reporter interviews with so many local & national presses.

The anticipated success at the CSGF with hardly any financial contribution from ISA HK/China is attributed to the respect for ISA by the organizers, & to the genuine contribution of our Deputy Station Mangers & attending Station Members, who all actually had a good time there unexpectedly. The name of ISA has now officially been stamped into China on a national scale, & will be watched by traditional interest parties. ISA HK/China will maintain course into this uncharted waters with respect & caution, lavishly expanding & sharing ISA skills & knowledge to our brothers & sisters without asking for any material return. We shall devote ourselves to win their hearts & minds with ISA morals & education. We are going to bring China into the ISA global family gradually.

ISA HK/China now anticipates invitation or further seminars & discussions from our Chinese brothers & sisters in time to come. We have made a good start into China & must maintain steam.

'How the East is Won' is our target & we shall work hard on it.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- Absence of SM and DSM for CSGF 2008

Dear Station Members,

Please kindly be reminded that the Station Manager & Deputy Station Managers will be absent from HK from Dec 25 - 28, 2008, to attend the Inaugural China Southern Green Fair (CSGF, http://www.csgreenfair.com/ ) in Guzhen Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China. For any matter dealing with ISA HK/China, please kindly try to contact them outside this period as communication in CSGF may not be as comfortable as in HK. The mobile no. (+852-9090-6719) of the Station Manger will roam into China & it will be up to the signal there for connection. E-mail is always a challenge in China & please do not be surprised for any black-out throughout.

ISA HK/China has actually greater expectation in CSGF rather than IPM, since CSGF will be attended by the greenery industry of Southern China, which is the intended starting point of our Station due to logistics. ISA HK/China has seen organizations rushing to capital cities like Beijing & Shanghai's to introduce themselves, thinking that by getting to the top, their influence will spread below. The Station Manger has business dealing in China for the past 28 years & has seen various groups wasting resources & manpower for little gain. Since ISA HK/China is run by volunteers without pay but with only enthusiasm & contribution, we do not have extras to give away. Every bullet must hit the target without waste.

Many groups knocking on China's door may not appreciate that the Land of Old Dragons is not full of intellectuals practicing western ideas in their acceptance of anything new. +80 percent of the China population are still peasants. Peasants have to be guided in their own way & in their own language. ISA HK/China has acknowledged the history of political development in recent China & has decided to follow their success rather than forcing dogmatic western approach at once. We shall induce them with a mixture of ISA knowledge, morals, research & traditional Chinese culture to be flushed down with splendid eloquence. We shall see whether this strategy would work or not very soon. If not, we are always flexible & morphological.

Our success in IPM has given us much encouragement in introducing ourselves at the CSGF this time. CSGF has also given us more support by having more seminars & demonstrations than IPM which is primarily a Plant Show. We shall reciprocate their kindness by putting up an even better performance to gain future support & partnership. We always have vision far & beyond.

Looking forward to bringing good news from CSGF to all of you after next week.

We are determined to spread ISA into China like coca-cola, one tree at a time.

best regards,

Sammy Au

Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- CSGF seminar and demonstration invitation

贵方好：

国际树木学会 (www.isa-arbor.com) 属下的 中国地区分会 (http://isahkchina.blogspot.com) 将会于 12月27日 9 - 12时 在 中国(中山)南方绿化苗木博览会 (www.csgreenfair.com) 里 举办 '国际绿化树木规格' ，'国际标准的树木种植方法' 和 '国际标准的树木修剪方法' 三套讲座，又会于 当天下午2 - 5时 在 '古镇文化公园' 里 表演 '国际标准的树木攀爬方法' 一场。另、12月28日早上将会表演 '12米高大树流缆修剪及整株移除方法'。

所有演出，在国内尚属首次，全部由本会 '树艺师' 和 '攀树师' 义务进行，志在推广本会服务。恭请贵方光临指导，不胜荣幸！

此致

国际树木学会 中国地区分会 会长 暨 总考牌官

欧永森

谨启

2008年12月16日

ISA HK/China --- China Tree News (Liriodendron spp)

*** 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 research article by a Mainland Chinese University published in national newspaper regarding their findings on adopting Liriodendron cultivars in China landscape.

Liriodendron has been thought to be a landscaping tree only suitable for growing in northern China for years already. However, ETF has taken trial production for the indigenous Liriodendron chinensis since 2006 & has found the L. chinensis growing without difficulties in Guangdong climate so far from seeds. Pictures of the L. chinensis in ETF are attached for general reference.

L. chinensis naturally grows with a Central Leader, & would maintain a +60% Live Crown Ratio if not disturbed. It has been found to be a rather slow growing tree in ETF despite overseas reports, & would grow two times a year in spring & autumn primarily. It has been found to be relatively pest resistant & responded well to PHC treatment. The tree would naturally develop into Tear Drop Shape which is the best shape for wind resistance if Structural Pruning can be provided.

Liriodendron species has hardly been promoted in HK landscape like many other indigenous Chinese species which are now undergoing discovery by the Chinese landscapers one by one. China has always maintained a pragmatic approach in choosing their Urban Trees since their Landscape Bureau would need to care for their trees from cradle to grave. Their Landscape Engineers also appear to take an attitude in their Street Tree Selection by not going for 'flowering' & 'scent' alone. However, they equally face the problem of having limited space in Tree Installation which appears to be a universal challenge in our cities.

L. chinensis has a unique leaf shape like a traditional Chinese costume. In fact, that's how it gets its name over the years. It would be good to see this new species to go on trial in HK some time for enrichment in our local Tree Selection.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Tree Work Accident in Yuen Long)

*** 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 yet another Tree Work Accident (http://orientaldaily.on.cc/) given by the media today in Yuen Long of yesterday.

As reported, the work involved removing a few large trees for site clearance in a Govt construction project. It was carried out by construction workers employed by a 'Specialist Contractor' in certain relevant category deemed to fit for the work. No Arborist involvement was mentioned in the process. As one of the tree was lifted by crane onto the lorry, it was said to have apparently lost balance & fell to strike 8 no. of used vehicles below in a scrap yard. Luckily no one was hurt, or the media would hunt blood after the recent Stanley Tree Failure.

ISA HK/China emphasizes all the time that Tree Work is specialist work & should be supervised on site by trained professionals like Arborists. We recommend Tree Work is to be overlooked by a minimum requirement of Certified Tree Worker (CTW), if not an Independent Practicing Arborist (IPA) (http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/2008/08/isa-hkchina-independent-practicing.html) . IPA was designed to upgrade our clerical Certified Arborists (CA) to be able to manage realistic field operation, & not be afraid to get their hands dirty. We recommend our IPA to stand on site all day to supervise Tree Work & file report after all is finished. If an IPA was employed in the event as above, he/she may have a lot to answer as an independent third party to everybody.

HK may become harder to change in our Tree Work system when compared to China as anticipated in its complex contracting & administrative procedures. ISA HK/China will push ISA Arboriculture into China as our duty & hope Tree Work in our Motherland may become safer & better to show the world.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- IPM China 2008 report

*** 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,

Our team of Station Manager, Deputy Station Managers & key Station Members have just returned from IPM China 2008 & what a shock we have given to the Chinese !!

Some facts would give tell-tale:

Out of the 500 name cards that the Station Manger brought with him to IPM, only 43 were left after 3 days. The seminar on International Tree Standards & ISA was jam packed with over 100 audience. The Station Manager was regretting that he did not bring along a pair of sun glasses to stop the flash glares from cameras. The Station Manger was interviewed at least 10 times by various China newspapers & was chased after for power point & lecture materials by various professionals. There were too many visitors wanting to join the trial climb at the Tree Climbing demonstration that the organizer called up the Station Manger to cut short to avoid chaos. The tree climbing videos we showed have stunned everybody that some were asking what camera tricks we have put in to make it look so realistic.

There were many other events & behaviours unseen in western trade shows & the above are only the typical for us.

The FAQ at the show appeared to be:

1. How much do I need to pay to 'obtain' the ISA credentials like the Chinese equivalents? Do you run 'Package Training' to guarantee my success? I must make sure that it is money worth.
2. What is Arboriculture & ISA? If ISA is 84 years old, how come we have never heard of it in China over the years?
3. Why don't ISA translate all their information into Chinese so that we can understand?
4. Can we not use a lifting platform to do Tree Work instead of Tree Climbing & Rigging?
5. Our local Govt will be happy to work with ISA HK/China to develop ISA Arboriculture in China. We can see a great future for ISA credentials in China. However, you must first 'certify' some of our officials (apparently without testing) so that they can be seen as leaders to gain support from senior levels & public. This will also help our funding application. Can you do that?
6. What's wrong with our current practice? We have been doing it for years. China has different trees from the rest of the world & is the 'Mother of Landscaping' with our diversified species. Don't you agree?

Along with other enquiries, we have thrown in a bottle of coca-cola into China during the Cultural Revolution written in Chinese.

We can feel now that our brothers & sisters have picked their ears on us this round. The have heard talks as powerful as Rev Billy Graham at the seminars, & have seen equipment & techniques never imagined before. The Land of Old Dragons will try to maintain a sceptical attitude, but for how long?

Our next bomb into China will be the CSGF in Dec 26 - 28 in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. This will be a trade show attended by Landscape Bureaus, Contractors, Nurserymen & Designers. We shall give more seminars, Tree Climbing demonstration & Rigging practice. This time we shall also fell a 12m tall x 0.8m DBH dead Celtis in front of public eyes within the show compound.

ISA HK/China has punched a hole into the Bamboo Curtain in the Land of Old Dragons with our eloquence & flexibility. Very soon, the torrent of ISA Arboriculture will burst in at no time.

May the Good Lord give us strength.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- 2008 ISA Brisbane Conference

*** 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 is all but a late report on the 2008 ISA Brisbane Conference held in Australia this May. The original issuance of the report also clashed with the Sizuan Earthquake at the time & the information was then put aside for a while. Then the Stanley Tree Failure caused heavy delay to the preparation of the information which was then scattered & ignored. Therefore, to our Aussie friends who wondered why, we would like to say a big sorry for the late arrival.

The Brisbane Conference was organized with splendid arrangement like any other ISA International Conference with an array of renowned speakers such as Dr Thomas Smiley of Bartlett Tree Research, Dr Brian Kane of University of Massachusetts, Dr Ken James of Melbourne University, Dr Francesco Ferrini of University of Florence, Prof Francis Schwarze of Albert-Ludwigs-Universidad, Switzerland, Dr David Longsdale of UK Forestry Commission, etc. Each belongs to a speciality of his own & the seminars were full of latest research on the relevant subject.

To target the specific needs of our territory, the Station Manager had selectively attended workshops & seminars on Tree Failures, Tree Biomechanics, Wood Decay & Fungal Strategy, Termites & Wood Destroying Insects, Tree Hazards & Assessments, Root Cutting & Tree Stability, Wood Strength Properties of Urban Trees, Veteran Tree Management & Ground Penetrating Radars. All information collected has been beneficial for our development in our territory of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China.

The Station Manager had also taken the opportunity while there to study the Urban Tree Design, Tree Work Equipment & Techniques. All were fascinating & photos were taken as per attached for public viewing & comparison.

Some of the research collected as variant from conventional knowledge are given below:

1. Small drill holes would attract more decay than bigger holes due to favourable growing condition preferred by fungi. Therefore, drill bigger holes so that oxygen can get in to impede the development of Heart Rot Fungi. This findings may affect those of us in choosing micro-drill for wood resistance in Decay Detection. An ordinary electric drill may actually do the tree less harm. (Schwarze)

2. Trees produces polyphoenolic deposits via tyloses to resist fungal spread. (Schwarze)

3. Fungi attack Cambium Zone to initiate the formation of Barrier Zone. Do not damage this zone by any drilling or boring device. Diagnostic drilling will cause irreversible fungal attack in this zone. (Schwarze)

4. Rejection of the t/R ratio <0.3 = Hazard (Schwarze)

5. Only when Cambium is damaged, Wall 4 Barrier Zone will be produced. (Schwarze)

6. Why CODIT does not work sometimes --- Sugars in tree can not be turned into defense if temp < 10C. Fungi can attack tree cells during dormancy period. (Schwarze)

7. Keep all root cuts beyond dripline --- > 5 x DBH is safest, 3 x DBH is as close as you can get. (Smiley)

8. Risk of Root Failure --- Critical if +50% roots with significant decay or decay is uphill or at opposite lean. High if +33%. Moderate if <33%. +15% rot in root is considered significant decay.(Smiley)

9. Risk assessment is based on risk awareness, not risk diversion. (Lonsdale)

10. Under UK laws, it may be an offence if a failed tree is removed before all evidence is gathered for legal proceedings. (Lonsdale)

11. In a legal pursuit, the competence of the Tree Inspector, method of assessment, timing, record, policy & instruction of work, can all be challenged in Court in UK. (Lonsdale)

ISA HK/China will be attending the 2008 IPM China in two day's time & this will be the kind of knowledge we shall bring up to the Chinese. We shall be telling the Chinese that Tree Work is a specialist subject which should be handled by trained professionals such as Arborists, & not by common landscapers & construction workers. We shall tell them that Chainsaws are dangerous & would require licensing for use in western countries. We shall tell them Tree Climbing is the only way to carry out proper pruning for many trees but not lifting platform alone. We shall also ask them whether China would prefer to stay in the Third World forever when it comes to Tree Work.

ISA HK/China has now made the attendance of ISA International Conference at least once to be a mandatory requirement to become an Independent Practicing Arborist (IPA) (http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/2008/08/isa-hkchina-independent-practicing.html) in our territory. This is meant to push the IPA candidate to meet the world & learn by comparison while networking with advanced Arborists in other countries. ISA conferences are known to be highly educational & condensed with latest research as seen again & again in previous reports.

IPM will be in two days for us. ISA HK/China is all geared up to train our Chinese brothers & sisters with our IPA, CA & CTW. Armed with apparently more advanced knowledge & experience, what shall we face?

We shall be telling you in two day's time.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- Absence of SM and DSM in HK for IPM 2008

Dear Station Members,

Please kindly note that the Station Manager & the Deputy Station Managers will be absent from HK from Dec 1 - 3, 2008. They, together with +10 Station Members, will be attending the IPM Show in China to promote ISA & modern arboriculture to the Chinese public for the first time during this period. For any dealing concerning ISA HK/China, please try to contact them outside this time.

Please also note e-mail blackout may happen for those of us in China although we would try our best to be connected. The mobile phone of the Station Manger of +852-9090-6719 will be forwarded to China while being there. This may be the best way to contact him during the IPM Show.

A seminar on ISA & International Tree Quality has been scheduled in the afternoon of Dec 1 at IPM, & a Tree Climbing Demonstration will be given in the afternoon of Dec 2. Both have been widely publicised in national newspapers in China by IPM & our entry into China has aroused resonance in the China greenery with internal discussion everywhere.

ISA HK/China has been given a display booth in IPM where we can use the wall as a screen for projecting power point & pictures. Exciting tree climbing videos will be broadcast to attract the Chinese visitors in this manner. We shall also display climbing gears, chainsaws & rope knots. IPM has provided us a 20 meter long display area exclusively right at the Entrance Hall & we have designed 20 no. of 1 m x 1.5 m posters in Chinese to describe ISA, Tree Standards, Pruning, Tree Inspection, Tree Climbing & Chainsaw Operation in this prominent area. This will open the eyes of our brothers & sisters with 'oohs' & 'aahs'.

IPM organizers has told us that they would expect no less than 50,000 visitors from all over China to come to visit the IPM Show this year, although IPM is meant to be more of a plant show rather than Arbor Show which does not exist in China so far. Let's hope by presenting ourselves in IPM for the first time in China that we can punch a hole in entering this Land of Old Dragons for ISA Arboriculture.

Wish us luck & let us bring back good news.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- Job Position for Arboricultural Adviser

Dear Station Members,

Below is an Job Advertisement posted by a Govt Dept of the HKSAR today for a position which may be of interest to our Station Members. Please review & apply if any of you can meet the requirements.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager


Leisure and Cultural Services Department Non-Civil Service Contract Vacancy
(When dollars are quoted in this web page, they are Hong Kong dollars. About HK$7.8 = US$1.)

Arboricultural Adviser

Salary: HK$50,000 per month

Entry Requirements:

Applicants should have:

(1) a bachelor's degree in Botany / Biology / Forestry / Horticulture / Arboriculture or a related field from a Hong Kong university, or equivalent;

(2) a Certified Arborist qualification of the International Society of Arboriculture or National Certificate in Horticulture (Arboriculture) or equivalent;

(3) no less than three years of post-qualification experience in tree management work; and

(4) proven experience in providing tree management advisory service.

Duties: Advise the Department on and assist the Department in its tree management work; staff deployment for tree management; staff training for tree management work; management of tree database; and public participation in and public education on tree management.

Terms of Appointment: Successful candidates will be appointed on non-civil service contract terms for 2 years.

Fringe Benefits: A gratuity may be granted to the appointee upon satisfactory completion of the contract with a consistently high standard of performance and conduct. Such gratuity payable will be the sum which, when added to the Department's contribution to an MPF scheme in respect of the appointee as required by the MPF Schemes Ordinance, will be equal to 15% of the total basic salary drawn during the contract period. Rest days, statutory holidays (or substituted holidays), annual leave, maternity leave, sickness allowance, where appropriate, will be granted in line with the provisions of the Employment Ordinance.

Enquiry Address: Appointments and Establishment Unit Leisure Services Branch 7/F, Leisure and Cultural Services Headquarters 1 Pai Tau Street, Sha Tin, N.T., Hong Kong Enquiry Telephone: 2697 4932

Closing Date for Application: 28/11/2008

Newspaper(s) Advertised and Date(s): Career Times: 21/11/2008 Ming Pao: 21/11/2008

How to Apply:

(1) Application Forms (G.F. 340 (Rev. 3/2008)) are obtainable from any Public Enquiry Service Centres of District Offices, Home Affairs Department or any Job Centres of the Employment Services Division, Labour Department. The said form can also be downloaded from the Civil Service Bureau's web site (http://www.csb.gov.hk ).

(2) Completed application forms should reach the enquiry address on or before the closing date. Please specify the post you apply for on the envelope. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

General Notes for Non-Civil Service Posts :

(1) Non-civil service vacancies are not posts on the civil service establishment. Candidates appointed are not on civil service terms of appointment and conditions of service. Candidates appointed are not civil servants and will not be eligible for posting, promotion or transfer to any posts in the Civil Service.
(2) Candidates appointed must be permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region unless specified otherwise.
(3) The entry pay, terms of appointment and conditions of service to be offered are subject to the provisions prevailing at the time the offer of appointment is made.
(4) It is Government policy to place people with a disability in appropriate jobs wherever possible. If a disabled candidate meets the entry requirements, he/she will be invited to attend the selection interview/written examination without being subject to any further shortlisting criteria.
(5) Holders of academic qualifications other than those obtained from Hong Kong institutions/Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority may also apply but their qualifications will be subject to assessments on equivalence with the required entry qualifications.

ISA HK/China --- Incoming Mail (World Champions to train HK)

*** 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 xxx,

Thank you for your e-mail enquiry which was followed by a phone call to make sure we were addressed. We wish to repeat our reply to you in an open Station Mail without disclosing your identity, since we thought your enquiry is of a nature interesting to our +700 Station Members & public. We thank your understanding on this.

It is indeed true that ISA HK/China has the ability & connection to invite world class champion climbers to conduct tree climbing training in our territory. We are part of the global ISA network which can be verified with ISA HQ (isa@isa-arbor.com) anytime.

The reason why we have not done so is obvious. We do not think our Station is ready to be taught by world champions for basic tree climbing while most of our Station Members would have difficulties in getting up 10 feet off the ground. It would be like inviting a Nobel Prize Winner to come to teach Kindergarten in our territory. Would that be justified?

HK appears to go for brands & credential collection is popular among our public. On the other hand, ISA HK/China would have great doubt in the belief that by inviting world champions to teach our beginners on the Certified Tree Worker (CTW) program would enhance the chance of getting this credential, if the students would not practise hard on their own to prepare for the exam.

HK would need to learn the basics first, if our Tree Work is to be performed satisfactorily. Tree Climbing is a start, & then Chainsaw Operation & Rigging in the field to follow. TCHK (http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk) can offer this kind of training but it appears that most of the enquiries would focus on getting the CTW credential alone. The CTW exam does not test for Chainsaw Operation & Rigging in the practical part. One has to master them outside the CTW credential.

Our Independent Practicing Arborist (IPA) system is meant to produce Arborists who can perform quality Tree Work in field operation under self-practice, besides other abilities. This system follows that of the Medical Practitioner & Practicing Lawyers since Arborists are Tree Doctors & Tree Detectives. You have to gain your Certified Arborist & CTW with other knowledge & experience in order to become an IPA. We wish you to head in this direction if you want to enter into self-practice eventually.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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


----- Original Message -----
From: xxx
To: egc@netvigator.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 8:14 PM

Dear Sammy,

Recently, i know that LCSD employ world champions come to HK do some tree work. Can ISA HK/CHINA invite theme to train us ???

reagrds,

xxx

為了不斷提升Yahoo! Mail，雅虎香港誠邀你參與意見調查

ISA HK/China --- Crown Thinning for Mature 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,

The Station Manager was called out to perform some Tree Pruning Work for about 40 no. of mature trees in an upper-class housing estate in the past few weeks. This housing estate is particular in that about half of the residents were against Tree Pruning & the other half were for. Therefore an Independent Practicing Arborist (IPA, http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/2008/08/isa-hkchina-independent-practicing.html ) was required to provide a third party opinion on anything to be done for this sentimental property. Curses & praises were equally loud during the operation.

A proper Tree Inspection with an Arborist Report was first carried out to ascertain condition & defects among the mature trees before any work was to be done. Crown Thinning under the supervision of the IPA was prescribed as the treatment after detailed diagnosis. Two pruning contractors were called in to perform the work while the IPA was required on site every minute to attend the progress, climbing up the trees with chainsaws if necessary for clarification & demonstration, to ensure no unnecessary cut was to be made for these old ailing trees.

Crown Thinning is something unusual in HK projects because most clients would just want tree parts removed for convenience rather than for future development of a tree. Selected photos of this particular job (due to protection of privacy) are attached for general reference as compared to common pruning job as seen in HK.

This particular client was also attentive to the Station Manager's advice to withhold the pruning to until lower temperature when the mature trees would be dormant. Dormant season is the best time for pruning mature trees due to inactive growth & lower chance of pest attack. However in our territory, pruning is mostly carried out during active growing season to trim back tree parts which would pose inconvenience or danger. Many trees are trimmed unnecessarily to restrain growth in this manner in the name of 'controlled pruning' by untrained personnel like common gardeners & construction workers. Is that one reason why we do not get the North American trees as shown in Station Mail just a little while ago?

Tree Pruning is very different from Tree Felling which would focus primarily on safety & efficiency. A simple comparison would be 'to kill an animal with surgery' against 'healing an animal with surgery'. Anyone can fell a tree with whatever tools & skills as long as the work poses no danger to themselves or public. But can everyone prune a tree to assist future development with good structure & health against wind & pests??

Tree Pruning is sometimes regarded as properly done in our territory if a cut is performed from Branch Bark Ridge to Branch Collar alone, without much attention on why, where, how & how much to cut, & without much consideration on whether the tree would react by diverting interior reserves to develop responsive growth to compensate for the removal. Crown Raising is usually confused with Crown Thinning. Topping is regarded as proper Crown Reduction. Live examples can be seen in many of our public places where the tip of the tree is hardly touched, but only the lower parts taken off like a naked dancer.

There is also popular belief that Tree Pruning can be performed with Lifting Platform alone & Tree Climbing is an unnecessary chore. Therefore we rarely see the inside of the canopy is thinned out in our trees, but rather just the outside perimeter accessible by crane from bottom up. Hardly anyone would study the Tree Biology & Tree Biomechanics before any pruning job in our territory at present.

One of the best Tree Pruning Practitioner in the world from ISA called Tim Bushnell will be visiting HK during the HK Flower Show next March to deliver a seminar on proper Tree Pruning. ISA HK/China will try to arrange some seats for our Station Members for his seminar or demonstration or to organize our own Informal Dinner to welcome this excellent mentor. More details will be released in Station Mail later.

Maybe by listening to international exerts & compare with our own, we can make some sense out of how the advanced world would prune their trees, & discover why our trees would actually deteriorate faster after our pruning, not usually before.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- IPM accommodation

Dear ISA HK/China & TCHK Station Members,

Information on the conference details of 2008 IPM China in Chinese was received yesterday & is now attached for our Station Member viewing.

As accommodation for this conference will be very tight at the conference hotels, those who are coming with us must give us their names & number for booking latest by 9am of Thursday Nov 14, 2008. Late comers will have to make their own arrangement for accommodation themselves at the IPM in Foshan City.

Looking forward to hearing from you in due course.

rgds,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- North American 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,

Our Deputy Station Manager Mr. KM Li was invited by ISA HQ to attend the Liaison Meeting & Leadership Workshop at Champagne, Illinois, USA last month & he has brought back valuable information from ISA HQ to further develop ourselves in our territory of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China. ISA HK/China is perhaps the fastest growing ISA Affiliation around the world with +700 Station Members at present & we are prepared to penetrate into China this December to further expand ourselves in their +900 cities & hundreds of thousands of towns.

Besides bringing back valuable education from ISA HQ, KM has also taken many photos of the local trees in North America for us to enjoy & compare with our own. All of these photos are hereby compressed for e-mail transmission to save disk space. They are truly magnificent trees living up to the expectation of ISA Arboriculture in every angle.

Upon seeing these beautiful trees, our Station Members may ask themselves why our territory is not getting such trees in our public places. Or is HK too small to plant trees at the correct spacing, or is it because these American trees do not ' flower ' or 'scent ' to make us happy? Or are these American trees planted too few so that they do not re-construct a forest for our 'preservation' purpose? Or do these American trees do not match our China 'quality' ? Or do they not plant dense shrubs & groundcovers directly under to give colour & body? We are simply not sure what comment would be received on these 'foreign' trees for their ' wrong-doing ', or would we prefer trees of this quality in our city?

ISA HK/China will enter China very soon & we will promote ISA Arboriculture there with these ' American trees '. We do have similar quality of such trees in ETF to offer to the Chinese if they ask. We are not sure how acceptable trees of this quality will be in China, or would our brothers & sisters have a different view on them with reasons of their own? However, facts have spoken that these ' ISA ' trees are required & planted in many western nations at present.

Trees are permanent structures in a city like lamp posts & utilities. They are usually planted there for years for public enjoyment. If not selected & planted right, they may simply turn into Time Bombs.

Then how should we go about to choose them?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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

ISA HK/China --- Tree Felling by a 'Specialist Contractor'

*** 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 Station Manager was called out by a housing estate to supervise Tree Pruning for their Mature Trees this week. While he was there, he saw a spectacular Tree Felling exercise by a local 'Specialist Contractor' who performed their work completely different from our usual international practices which is worth sharing with our Station Members.

In order to protect privacy of the parties involved, no details with regard to location, individuals or even tree species are given here. ISA HK/China has only academic interest in the event & would provide facts on the technical side only.

The tree to be felled was about 25m tall & it appeared either dead or dying. The 'Specialist Contractor' has hired a RB crane to do the cutting & lifting without Tree Climbing. The ' Tree Worker' doing it was said to be felling tree nearly every week & was notified to be well versed for the job. He began by putting himself inside a steel cage which was then hoisted up to 2/3 the tree length where he would begin the cutting. The only PPE he was wearing was the safety helmet, & he was without Fall Arrest Hardness of any kind. He brought in a nylon sling with him & tied that at the point of cutting which was also about 2/3 of the height of the tree. After securing the sling to the tree, he began cutting the trunk with a Hack Saw, not Chainsaw, from both directions.

After some heavy duty of removing trapped saw & strenuous severing in by hand, the tree suddenly snapped clean without any warning. As the trunk broke away from the tree, being tied together with the steel cage on the same anchor point above on the crane, the removed stem naturally swung & hit the cage with a bang, causing shock & swing to the cage. The worker inside could not stand still & slipped, but luckily he was not thrown out of the cage. After some commotion & settlement of the cage & removed trunk, the crane lowered the tree part & the steel cage together to the ground. The removed trunk was then cut into sections by ground staff for storage.

The same action repeated 3 times for the 25m tree to be cut to the ground. It must have been a thrill of a lifetime for the worker inside the cage & the audience were watching it with equal excitement. When the management staff asked the Station Manger for comments on safety of the work, the Station Manger just smiled & said they have employed a 'Specialist Contractor' who should know what they were doing.

HK relies on 'Specialist Contractor' to do our Tree Work & the 'Specialist Contractor' may nowadays require a Certified Arborist (CA) to sign for tendering, but not sure how often on site for actual supervision. Yet again by passing just 200 multiple choice questions to become a CA in our territory without actually demonstrating climbing & rigging, can this CA really supervise actual Tree Work? If anyone has any objection to the installation of the Independent Practicing Arborist (IPA) status in our territory, they should come with the Station Manager on site some time to find out how Tree Work is done locally. The Arborist Profession all around the world is known to be a Practitioner Trade with hands on skills & knowledge. Credential collection alone may not shine the actual value of this unique profession.

TCHK (http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk) has been kindly invited to perform a Tree Rigging & Felling exercise by Fung Kai School from 9am to Noon on Saturday Nov 1, 2008 for one of their hazardous trees. The photo of the 13m tall Alstonia to be felled is given in the attachment. Proper equipment & procedures in accordance with international practice will be demonstrated by TCHK Chiefs who will carry out the work. Fung Kai School has very kindly given us the permission to invite our Station Members to attend the event as an educational session for proper Tree Work. Anyone who is interested to attend may come by foot only, not by car, since all parking spaces will be used up for Work Zone & debris storage.

Let's hope who do not believe in proper Tree Work should be carried out by trained personnel only can come & see it with their own eyes for comparison on Nov 1. If not, ISA HK/China will be giving the same education to our brothers & sister up north very soon in China. We certainly do not wish to see if they can do it under ISA practice in future, whereas we here can not.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

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