ISA HK/China --- Our Station is 3 years old

*** 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,

By the time this message is issued, the ISA HK/China Station is already 3 years old.

We have seen tremendous changes in our Station in the last 3 years, from the membership of 1 no. to the current + 580 no. Station Mail covers a geographic region from Japan to New Zealand in the Pacific Rim & Station Blog is even more far reaching to many countries in the world (http://www.sitemeter.com/?a=stats&s=s38290992&r=83). Our last Certified Arborist (CA) exam was housing 80 no. of candidates, & the number of our CA has reached 84 no. by Dec 2007. Half of our CA work in various Govt Depts spreading influence, & TCHK was set up as an extension of our Station to attract Chinese speaking population to learn tree climbing & Arborist work. The translation of the ISA Glossary is near completion for final review in open Station Mail & ISA has become a household name in our landscape industry. Our team of Proctors & CTW Evaluators are under expansion to prepare for future advancement into China & ETF is firmly established with quality trees grown to international requirement to show our brothers & sisters . ISA HK/China has indeed grown from insignificance to something giving impact in our community within rather a relatively short time.

Success of our Station, whether in our communication or other activities, may lie in the fact that we have interpreted complicated knowledge of Arboriculture & translated them into laymen term for the understanding of our public, with an attitude of fact-finding & truth-telling in reality with our local situation. It has been touching & relevant to our supporters, many of whom are genuine tree lovers. We also have a simple & efficient structure which is able to make quick & responsive decision without much complication. Our core team of CA Family is united & understanding, something of an envy to other organizations which are having meeting after meeting to eternity. It is this kind of efficient administration which makes ISA HK/China grow with speed & stability.

The quality of our Station Membership is also encouraging. The last count has given a + 60% being a Degree Holder, with approx. 50% having a Master Degree of some kind. We have landscape architects, engineers, lawyers, doctors, professors, architects..... all the way down to housewives & students in our categories, making us one of the most diversified greenery group in HK. Approx. 40% of our Station Members are Civil Servants of various ranks & we have Station Members from 12 Govt Depts joining.

One word worthy to mention here is that anyone joining ISA HK/China is out of a personal capacity & does not represent any organization or Dept. All views collected are out of a personal nature & not representative of any organization or body.

Our Govt are currently seen as the biggest supporter for proper tree care in HK & our Station. The Station Manager has been invited to provide arbor seminars to several Govt Depts & is lecturing Tree Supervision at CITA. Govt Depts have also introduced professional capacity like Independent Tree Specialist & Competent Person for tree work. Some Depts are beginning to require an Arborist Report for regular tree maintenance & pruning. For work near Old & Valuable Trees, it is more or less mandatory to have Arborist supervision to ensure governance. Different arbor training programs are also being designed & envisaged by the Govt to help upbring the tree care standard in our community.

On the other hand, this Station feels that we still have to devote much work on the public sector to entice their attention for proper tree care, after our continuous effort to approach them. Not even one invitation has been received by this Station from any group after our many mail to them for seminars. It appears ironical that the public are shouting for better tree care constantly but would not approach the Arborists for it. Then may we ask where they think they can get better ??

So far so good for our knowledge propagation in our society, on the other hand & maybe sadly, not much positive action on the execution side can be detected by this Station with regard to tree work & maintenance in overall terms besides reduction in tree topping. Tree selection & specifications have hardly changed, & pruning with Crown Raising still seems to be the preferred method after topping. Trees are still transplanted with undersized rootballs & nursery trees in many development appeared to have no change in quality as compared to the past. What this Station worries is that our tree care practice would become like Opium Smoking in old time China. Everyone knew it was bad but everyone went on doing it, until the gunboats appeared. We have regular typhoons in HK every year. Our gunboats are the typhoons.

Comparing to massive China, HK should be able to sail like a speedboat to develop proper tree care with an efficient Govt & clean administrative system. Some may say we are already moving too fast but our trees are maturing equally quickly. Do we need another event of thousands of trees failing before we blame on 'Act of God' again & never on ourselves? Are our taxpayers money well spent by carrying on the old way & do we meet up with public expectation whenever we can? There are indeed questions that we can ask ourselves.

HK can & will influence China in tree care. If HK can move ahead with better trees, China would peek & follow. China is a green site as far as international arboriculture is concerned. There is still not even one indigenous Certified Arborist or Certified Tree Climber in China up to date among the 1.3 billion population. China may be waiting for HK to lead them.

3 years have passed & this Station has tasted initial success. However, there is no time for complacency & the road ahead is long & winding. After HK if accomplished, we have Macau, Taiwan & China waiting for us. We need joint & group efforts to carry on improve our trees locally & to lead our brothers & sisters up north. It may become a lifetime mission for some of us.

May we work together to improve the quality of our trees, & thus the standard of living in our community, one tree at a time & one place at a time.

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/)

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Chainsaw Accident on Fishtail Palm)

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 case of Chainsaw Accident not widely reported by our media community, even though Chainsaw is one of the most dangerous tools used in tree work anywhere in the world.

Two tree workers were removing a Fishtail Palm with a Chainsaw but were hit by the re-bounce of the trunk which caused injury to their head & face. Luckily the damage was minor & both workers did not require hospitalization.

Chainsaw Use & Safety, like proper Tree Climbing, is one important subject which is rarely available publicly in greenery institutes & classes in our territory besides within Govt Depts. Yet most of the time tree work is done by contractors in our territory . Chainsaw knowledge & Tree Climbing appear to be exclusive to Arborists & not available in the common teaching of landscape design & horticulture. After all, it would be rather an excessive effort to prune a rose with a chainsaw or climb a camellia for any treatment. And Chainsaw isn't much of an appearance in landscape design. But for the Arborist, it is a day-in day-out job required by some for a living.

It is sad that Chainsaw Accidents keep on happening in our territory & the many so-called ' Safety Training ' does not cover this popular tool for work sites. There are public classes on ' Gardening Safety ' given by many institutes, but hardly any for Chainsaw Use or Tree Climbing. Is it becasue that we do not have enough qualified tutors for the training? Or is it that Chainsaw is a less dangerous tool?

Anyone who wishes to learn more about Chainsaw Accident is welcomed to browse:

1. http://www.whscc.nb.ca/docs/Chainsaw.pdf
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3534320.stm
3. http://www.osh.dol.govt.nz/kidz/gore/kickback.shtml
4. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1484363/01142004/nugent_ted.jhtml
5. http://nz.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080129093317AATeJzg

This Station has more if anyone desires.

TCHK will offer a free 3 hour Chainsaw Safety seminar with demonstration exclusive to TCHK Members in the coming month, with announcement on TCHK Blog (http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk) very soon, since all TCHK Members have signed a Disclaimer to join TCHK. TCHK will also organize Tree Climbing & Chainsaw Training open to public in the near future, targeting mainly tree workers & contractors to upgrade their knowledge & to prevent accident.

Please stay close at TCHK Blog for announcement.

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/)

ISA HK/China --- Public Hearing for Proctorship Nomination

Dear Station Members,

As you all know, ISA HK/China Station is responsible for conducting ISA exams in our territory of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China. This is a vast territory, although ISA exams are only popular in the past 3 years & HK is currently the only exam centre in our region. We expect the exams to grow & very soon candidates from other cities in our region will come down to take the exams in HK, since HK has the exam security & facilities demanded for the requirement.

In order to do this, our Station will need to expand on the Proctor crew. ISA Proctors are required to hold a higher standing in Integrity, Professionalism & Participation with an attitude of fact-finding & truth-telling. Proctors belong to a different breed & they are respected & trusted in the ISA community. It is always an honour & privilege to become an ISA Proctor.

In our region of HK/China, we have devised a system to screen our Proctors by nomination by the Station Manager & then they have to go through a public hearing over communication within our Station Membership. The Station Manager is the key person in liaison with day-today running of the Station & gathers information on every Station Member including their personal quality. Yet his nominations have to pass through public acknowledgement to ascertain the social acceptance of the proposed Proctors to ensure no advice is slipped. ISA HK/China demands our Proctors to be of excellent quality & second fiddle is best left for somewhere else.

Upon careful observation & contemplation in the past 3 years, the Station Manager now would like to nominate the following Lady & Gentlemen to become ISA Proctors:

1. Kathy Ng --- Senior Landscape Architect at CEDD & is a person known to have good integrity & justice. Kathy is well versed with the landscape trade both in office & on site. She is energetic & respected by practically anybody in the landscape industry. Kathy is knowledgeable in modern arboriculture & is enthusiastic in encouraging our Govt to conduct proper tree care to help our community. Kathy is a CA & is a member of the prestigious CA Family.

2. Thomas CY Chow --- Senior Teacher at the now famous Fung Kai School. Our Station is always grateful for Thomas's past efforts to arrange exam venue for the CA & CTW exams. Thomas is also the Leader of the Fung Kai Tree Climbing Team & has participated in many public climbing events. He is enthusiastic to develop tree climbing for our next generation. Thomas is a CA, a member of the CA Family & is now also a CTW Evaluator.

3. Tony CH Ng --- Tony has over 20 years of tree climbing experience & is among one of the best climbers in our community. He has received arbor training in the UK & is knowledgeable in the art & skill of tree climbing. Tony works at the Tree Team of LCSD & is keen to participate in Station activities including training our next generation of climbers. Tony is a dedicated Buddhist committed to simple living, & with a kind heart to help others in our community. Tony is a CA, a CA Family Member & is also now a CTW Evaluator.

4. KM Li --- KM is one of the fittest local tree climbers known in our community. He is also a swimming instructor, a physical training instructor & a rock climbing instructor. KM has climbed for 20 years & is knowledgeable in the many techniques & equipment in tree climbing. He is active in Station activities & is keen to help our younger generation to climb. KM is a straight-minded, very physical & enthusiastic person. He is a CA, a CA Family Member & a CTW Evaluator.

These 4 Lady & Gentlemen will be nominated to ISA HQ to become Proctor in our region very soon, if this Station does not hear any adverse comment on any of them by 5pm Feb 10, 2008. On the other hand, if any of you would like to advise the Station Manager on something that he does not know about the above candidates, you are welcomed to phone 9090 6719 or e-mail him in confidence for second consideration. All communication will be treated in the strictest confidence with the integrity of the Station Manager not to disclose to a third party.

Thank you for your consideration & we look forward to work with our future Proctors in a team to develop ISA Arboriculture in our region soonest.

best regards,

Sammy Au
ISA HK/China Station Manager
ISA Chief Proctor in the HK/China Region

ISA HK/China --- Introduction to Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

*** 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 article is extracted from the Arborist News Dec 2007 edition. Conventional landscape managers & horticulturists may not like the information contained but this article was written by a professor in an US institute after years of research. It was also published in an international journal circulated to at least 57 countries around the world. So, there must be something to it.

Pest Management is an important job of landscape maintenance anywhere in the world. After all, landscape is created for aesthetic & pleasure besides a varieties of functions. If ruined by pests, all the money devoted into it would be in vain. This article gave an insight to the current international practice in pest management as compared to what we are used to in our part of the world. It also gave reasons & suggestions for what to do & what not to do.

When the Station Manager first started learning about pest management (or better calling it pest control then) in the 1980's, he studied it through conventional horticulture describing blanket chemical spray & pest eradication. The only objective of these measures appeared to be killing every pest suspected without thinking too much of non-targeting organisms, or maybe it was simply bad luck to any of them. Time & care were set at making the best possible chemical solution to target the organisms. Preventive & regular spray were the answer to a 'clean & hygienic' growing environment, whether inside or outside a greenhouse. Any kill would be regarded as a success & a reward.

Deviation from this traditional practice has evolved from research over the years in the west. It was discovered that a complete eradication of all organisms would lead to a stronger (or even more resistant) outbreak of pest emergence after regular spraying which would also pollute the environment. Measures were then looked into the holistic approach & it would be the suppression of the pest population rather than total eradication, coupling with a study on abiotic effects & client's expectation to evolve the theory of Plant Health Care (PHC) which incorporates the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) concept for managing landscape pests. It was also discovered that any treatment should be entire rather than individual, since the mixture of plants interact with one another in the landscape.

This new theory of PHC & IPM has since then become popular in western countries. However, the wind of change did not seem to come across strongly to our part of the world. Blanket spray & intentional chemical mixtures still appear to be the answer to pest management in our city landscape, partly becasue it is easier to administer & less training is required for the operating personnel. Then when our pest problem would become more resistant to treatment, the landscape managers would look for a stronger & more powerful spray. Hence the vicious cycle continues.

This Station is not aware of PHC or IPM being practised in a working level anywhere in our territory so far, except at ETF which is under the control of the Station Manager himself. Both PHC & IPM require knowledge & experience to carry out, not just theories & description from books. This Station is not aware of either knowledge is being offered properly & publicly anywhere in any institute in HK so far.

Modern Arboriculture is founded on the principles of PHC. If PHC is not good enough for HK, then western countries may be wasting their time to research into the topic to tell the world. Then maybe HK should carry on their regular chemical spray intentionally.

Which way should we look at now then & for why ...?

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)

ISA HK/China --- Rooftop 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,

HK has practised for years to carry out tree planting on rooftop including the common Podium Planting. Its main objective is to provide greenery for aesthetic purpose & environmental benefits. It is usually done due to lack of ground space for planting after structure development. There are also late recommendation for rooftop planting to cool our city, although this Station has provided comments on such practice some months ago.

For any tree planting on roof, one major factor that the Arborist would need to consider is wind loading. HK has typhoons & it is known that the higher the ground, the stronger would be the wind there. If tall species are chosen for planting on rooftop, the risk of it being blown over can be significant, contour depending. Common staking with guy wires would not hold a tree in typhoon due to the small soil friction offered by such devices. On the other hand, if the guys are stronger than the pull, the trunk or branches would be snapped off in strong wind, completely destroying the tree.

The other factor that the Arborist would need to consider would be the root temperature while planting on a roof. If the roof where the planting area is situated is not adequately insulated against temperature fluctuation, the temperature of the planting medium can become similar to the ambient air temperature. That may mean in winter time when the air is below 5 Celsius on a very cold day, the roots of the tree would also be at around 5 Celsius which would be unfavourable when compared to the same tree planted in the ground. Ground would offer a better buffer in temperature changes than on the roof.

On the other hand, on a very hot summer day when the air temperature is over 33 Celsius, the planter wall or growing medium may absorb heat to further warm up the roots inside to a temperature maybe higher than 40 Celsius, at least partially or on a gradient. Again, would tree roots enjoy growing in such exceeding temperature? Probably not for most species.

Another factor affecting the success of tree planting on roof would be the competition for water & nutrients between tree roots & roots of other smaller plants planted around them. A typical design in HK would be stuffing shrubs & groundcovers next to trees in podium planting, disregarding the competition between the roots of the various species. Success sometimes would base on trial & error. If the tree wins, that's would be good luck for it & bad luck for the smaller plants underneath. However, the tree does not always win.

It can now be seen that any successful tree planting on rooftop depends on a varieties of criteria. It is always Mother Nature Makes the Rules, not us for any successful planting. If a tree is not designed, planted, maintained, inspected & risk managed properly, it is likely to become a liability rather than an asset, no matter where it is planted.

Then would we call the tree planting on rooftop as shown in the attachment seen commonly in HK any success? If even for now, then would be for how long??

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/)

ISA HK/China --- China Tree News (Revitalizing Mature Trees, Cuttings or seeds, & Topped Tree Nurseries)

*** 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 are 3 sets of recent Tree News from a national newspaper in China:

1. How to re-vitalize declining Mature Trees

China experts have correctly identified some of the causes for inducing the decline of their Mature Trees such as soil compaction & lack of irrigation. They also understood that canopy growth depends upon root growth.

However, their ways to prescribe treatment such as root trenching to add fertilizers for re-vitalizing the roots, cavity filling, Hessians wrapping of trunk & permanent staking, do deviate drastically from international practice, as so described in their research.

Can this Station tell them that their treatment would harm their trees? Oh, no. They would laugh & say: " Who are you & what is ISA? " They may also say: "What's wrong with our research? It's done by experts & we have been doing such practice for years."

Then when the trees finally die, it is an Act of God, & never anybody's fault.

China is an Old dragon when it comes to tree care. This Station will be patient & opportunistic to look for an Achilles' Heel in it.

2. Tree Production from cuttings or seeds ?

A tree farmer wrote in to advocate production with cuttings rather than from seeds, because he claimed that trees from cuttings would develop taller with straight trunk, fewer branching & smoother bark. On the contrary as claimed by him, trees grown from seeds would branch more often which would require pruning to leave behind cut scars, would grow slower & would develop a 'defective tree crown'.

This message has reflected a common belief in nursery tree production in China: ' a good landscape tree should have no Taper, with a low Live Crown Ratio & pruning is bad for a tree' .

In ETF, they do almost everything opposite to what most China tree farmers would do. ETF trees are required to have good Taper, a good Live Crown Ratio & they are constantly pruned to achieve a good Structure. ETF has found only trees grown from seeds would meet such requirement, not those from cuttings. All the work are done for two purposes: to promote good Tree Structure against wind & to promote Tree Health against pest attack. Wind is the biggest enemy of a tree & can kill it in seconds, whereas pest attack will usually take months or years. HK has typhoons to attack our trees every year. Our frequent Tree Failures should alarm us to use landscape trees with good structure to minimize risks. And yet our brothers & sisters are promoting it the other way round --- for flowering only??

China is unlikely to follow the world unless HK can move first in proper Arboriculture. Can we?

3. Topped trees in nurseries along motorway

The topped trees with trunk wrapping so shown grew in recent nurseries situated along a motorway in China. They would appear more like a Tree Cemetery to Arborists rather than any tree farm. The opening of the motorway has attracted more tree farms to be located along the way, inducing more trees to be topped for landscape purchase over there.

Quite a number of trees shown in the photo appeared to be dug out from the wilderness rather than from nursery grown. If the attitude of using Young Trees for landscape not respected, more Mature Trees in the forest will be destroyed this way for their so-called 'Instant Effect'. Soon there will be holes here & there in their forest. Is this the way they want it ?

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/)

ISA HK/China --- Tree Vandalism in Aberdeen Street

*** 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 newspaper cutting shows a case of Tree Vandalism which would cause tree damage similar to that on a construction site.

An old Ficus in Aberdeen Street was believed to have a Spirit living in it & was turned into an altar with red paint (for good luck?) & incense burning to please the High Command inside day in day out. The incident obviously happened due to ignorance & if the tree really has Spirit in it, logic would advise that the 'House of God' would not like to be smoked & burnt to death by its worshippers day after day. It just does not make sense.

This obvious case of Tree Vandalism has caused several Govt Depts to spend resources & to take action to see into it. In a way, the scheduled programs of the Depts may have been disrupted in order to entertain this public complaint. Other more constructive work to serve & build our society may be postponed so that this highlighted incident can be handled. Then who would lose out in the end? Would it not be us? And it is for what?

A tree functions on its own like the running of a Govt. A tree would make its income by Photosynthesis (taxation), & then use it for Growth (construction), Defense (security), Maintenance (social services) & Storage (finance). If a particular event would require the tree to spend extra effort to focus on something, e.g. a pest outbreak, the tree would then need to divert resources from the other development to fight a course. Then the other sectors of development would suffer.

The same case can be applied for this Tree Vandalism. Resources are now diverted to entertain the complaint, whereas the normal routines of the Depts may be disrupted. This Station would then ask who would be the ultimate victims of the event? And is it justified?

It appears that it is the public who should be educated with proper Arboriculture & Tree Care, not anybody else.

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/)

ISA HK/China --- Procedures for proper Pruning work

*** 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,

Public outcry continued at the Topping event at Nam Cheong Estate & some even called it a 'Tree Butchery'. While the event was being condemned by the public, we the Arborist Professionals should understand how a Mature Tree Pruning should be properly carried out in a correct manner. Here is how such event is commonly conceived in advanced nations.

When a group of trees are considered to be growing out of proportion which would require some action, the management should first seek the advice of an Arborist, like a person consulting a doctor. Arborist is Tree Doctor. He/she would diagnose the problem & recommend treatment, which may including Pruning. A detailed Tree Inspection, & possibly a Risk Assessment if required, would be carried out usually with Tree Climbing for canopy inspection, & an Arborist Report with the Certified Arborist Cert. no. printed on for liability is required to be submitted to the authority for approval of the work. Remember the Arborist Profession is a legally sensitive one. Any Negligence can lead to Civil Action which is currently uncommon in other landscape professions in our territory.

When Pruning is chosen to be the option, the Arborist would design what type of pruning such as Cleaning, Thinning, Reduction, Raising or Vista is/are necessary. The Arborist should understand the differences of each of these options & the consequence of the choice. The Arborist should also design the pruning method & procedures. He/she then would either do it himself/herself usually with Tree Climbing, or supervise it if it is to be carried out by a contractor. Most landscape contractors in our territory would not understand how to prune trees to international standards at present & the Arborist should be in charge on site at all times to instruct & supervise the work, or even climb to demonstrate the work, since it will be his/her liability to do the job right.

When the pruning job is completed, another Arborist Report with comparison of the trees before & after, & reasons for the pruning action should be stated out for liabilities, if the case would be further pursued by others in future.

It can now be seen that proper pruning is not everyone's cup of tea. The public & media are watching all the time. Mistakes can lead to outcry & explanation must be ready on hand to justify the action. This is the cross any Practising Arborist has to bear.

Therefore, the Arborist Profession is a unique one of its own. It requires knowledge, experience & practical skills to handle & solve realistic problems. Credentials only justify the standard, not the work.

This is what makes the Arborist Profession such a necessity in western nations.

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/)

ISA HK/China --- Topping at Nam Cheong Estate

*** 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 shows yet another case of Topping at Nam Cheong Estate in Shum Shui Po which is receiving outcry from Tree Lovers all over HK. DLO claimed that they would investigate into the incident to see any Tree Interference has been committed with possible breach of Lease Contract.

It is remembered by this Station that not long ago, One Beacon Hill in Kowloon Tong was fined HK$32 million for Tree Interference & the Tree Disturbance case in Leung King Estate appears to be still an unfinished business between the management & DLO up to now. Both incidents have been widely publicised by the media & practically most HK citizens would have heard of the cases one way or another. Would such lessons not be heavy enough to deter further Topping which has been proven all around the Arborist world to be detrimental to our trees? Then why should the public still carry on doing it? Is there something gone wrong with our education ??

As this Station feels most of the time in delivering proper tree care, our Govt Depts appear to be the biggest supporter to protect & preserve our trees, despite what some groups & media would consider. ISA HK/China up to this moment, in spite of our offer to provide free seminars by our CA Family to the public in open broadcast & many invitations sent to various groups, no response has been obtained to invite us for any delivery. On the other hand, various Govt Depts have given this Station opportunities to provide seminars on proper tree care, as well as inviting Arborists to carry out Tree Inspection & Risk Assessment in their jobs. If ISA HK/China is to be Fact-Finding & Truth-Telling as stated in our principles, such actions could only lead us to believe that our Govt is much more positive in offering to protect & preserve our trees rather than what is publicly claimed.

It is funny that Nam Cheong Estate would commit apparent Topping in the current heat of Tree Protection & Preservation. This Station would be interested to learn of their technical explanation in carrying our such a mal-practice to damage those Mature Trees.

In the Arborist world, we say: ' Treatment without diagnosis is mal-practice.'

Did any Arborist inspect the site & provide an Arborist Report before the Topping ? If so, who ??

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/ )

ISA HK/China --- Fung Kai Tree Felling with Proper Rigging

Dear Station Members,

TCHK (http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk) Members were invited on 29.12.07 to fell a hazard rated Delonix regia which straddled over the Snack Shop of Fung Kai School where students would queue for food & beverages during breaks. This tree had mushrooms growing all over the base during the initial Tree Inspection & then a detailed Risk Assessment.

The difficulty with felling this tree is that there were balustrades on one side & a canopy cover on the other side directly under the tree. Ordinary Drop Cut can not be used to remove the tree parts. No property damage could be anticipated in the devised operation. TCHK Members had thus devised a proper Rigging plan which was not commonly used in HK to fell the tree piece by piece with ropes, slings & pulleys. Full description of the operation with narration in Chinese is given in TCHK Blog mentioned above.

Every step of the operation had been required to follow international practice in equipment, planning & procedures, with no wood piece simply dropped to damage anything. The work started at 9am in the morning & went on to 8.30pm in the dark when the last piece was finally removed with Pulley Blocks & ropes. Several chainsaws of various sizes were deployed & the site was a spectacular scene of sawdust flying & thundering noise. Two Tree Climbers & several Groundsmen took turn to carry out the operation with luncheon boxes only for lunch. It had been proven that our local Tree Climbers would possess enough skill to carry out difficult operation of this kind & very rarely the public would see work of this kind to be carried out in private premises in our territory. Therefore, it is reported here to tell our Station Members that we can be proud of our local Tree Climbers & to celebrate the level of skills HK would now possess.

Tree Climbing requires not only stamina but also skills & experience. There is no instant method to train a skilled Tree Climber known around the world. Time & constant practice with endurance are the key, which why makes Tree Climbers such a special breed of their own. With our apparently advantageous strength to body weight ratio, ISA HK/China & TCHK do not see why our Chinese blood can not make an expert Climber to enter the world. The Fung Kai boys & girls have proven this fact & they will be entering the Australian Tree Climbing Competition in May in Brisbane to demonstrate themselves. HK is ready to show the world indeed.

TCHK will begin to provide training for Tree Climbing in various levels once its foundation can be settled step by step. TCHK will design its training programs to fit in with our local condition, taking into account of the needs of the HK public in reality with the physical condition of our people. TCHK aims to eventually provide the best training in HK & to follow the ISA Certification requirement of CTW. The first set of training programs is anticipated to be delivered by March this year. For anyone interested, please stay in touch with TCHK Blog given above.

By the way, TCHK Blog in Chinese appears to be more popular than our Station Blog in English, with over 1000 browsings in less than just two months. Details of this are given in the statistic count in the Blog.

HK will be proud to join the world to climb gradually.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- Chinese translation of ISA Arboriculture for banner use

Dear Station Members,

Upon the return from the 2007 North District Flower Show & the CAHK Tree Lovers Day this month, it has been proven that selling ISA Arboriculture in English did not work for the public, especially with our communication in international English where most local visitors simply could not understand.

Therefore this Station, with the kind help of TCHK staff, has taken time during the Christmas holidays to translate some of essential information on :

1. What is arboriculture
2. What is the work of a Certified Arborist
3. The scope of work of a Certified Arborist
4. The scope of work of a Certified Tree Worker (Climber Specialist)
5. Common saying in Arboriculture
6. Introduction of TCHK

as per attached. This information will also be used to produce banners & back-drops for future exhibitions so that the local public can understand about ISA & our Station, as well as the benefits of employing CA & CTW.

This Station also sees the Chinese translation as an opportunity for anyone who wishes to reproduce it in any form for publication in their own department or association, e.g. the Teachers Association or the Social Workers Association, etc. to promote understanding of arboriculture & the benefits of trees. Please kindly note this Station has given up copyright for any of our published information & anyone is free to reproduce or modify them for their own dissemination even in their own names, for the sake of developing proper tree care in our region.

Please note some of the Chinese translation of the arboricultural terms are provisional, since the ISA Glossary translation is still undergoing construction at TCHK so far. We hope to make available the Glossary translation within January for public discussion in our Station, & then use them for future exams & teaching in our region.

Thank you all for your kind help to disseminate the attached information. Your contribution will be remembered for developing modern arboriculture to help bring a better quality of living in our region, one tree at a time.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

樹藝是什麼？

樹藝 ( Arboriculture )是一門專科研究樹木在綠化功能上有關設計，選料，種植(包括移植)，護養，修剪，定期檢查，風險評估，工地保護和法律資詢的一個專業。

國際樹木學會 ( International Society of Arboriculture，簡稱 ISA , http://www.isa-arbor.com/ )是目前全球最大及最古老的樹藝研究機構，于1924年成立。

截至2008年1月為止，ISA 在全球 57個國家均有會員分佈，合共擁有2萬名以上的註冊樹藝師 ( Certified Arborist ) 及6百名以上的 註冊攀樹師 ( Certified Tree Worker Climber Specialist )，在各個綠化領域作出貢獻。

ISA HK/CHINA ( http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ ) 是ISA 位于中國地區的唯一分會，管理住ISA 在香港、澳門、台灣及中國大陸的會務，其中包括樹藝訓練，專業考試，樹木攀爬，本地及海外會議，外訪交流及公眾資訊等等業務。

ISA HK/CHINA 屬下的「攀爬一族」( http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk. ) 是負責訓練，管理及考核本地的攀樹人員，其中包括職業攀爬及康樂攀爬，並經常舉辦活動及參加國際比賽。

ISA HK/CHINA 只用國際水平英語溝通，而「攀爬一族」則只用香港中文方言溝通，目前兩個組織均是免費加入，不設年齡，學歷，資格或任何限制，歡迎任何有興趣人士參與，詳情請溜覽以上兩個網址或電郵至 egc@netvigator.com查詢。

註冊樹藝師 的工作是什麼？

簡單來說，註冊樹藝師的兩大功能就是作為「樹木醫生」Tree Doctor 和 「樹木偵探」Tree Detective。

人病了，會去找醫生診斷。樹木生長不良，也要去找「樹木醫生」去作出診斷，而並非自我憑空判斷。樹木的診斷工作通常包括檢查測樹木在設計上有否出現錯誤？是否選料妥當？是否栽種在合適深度？是否日常護理正常？是否受到環境因素 ( Abiotic Stress ) 或生理因素 (Biotic Stress) 影響？會否對週邊人命財產構成危險 ( Risk Assessment )？而應該作出如何處理 ( Treatment ) ？

如果不對生病或存在風險的樹木作出處理，此樹可能會突然斷枝或全棵倒塌，對週邊的人命財產會造成傷亡破壞。此時，受害者 ( Victims ) 可以聘請合資格及有經驗的註冊樹藝師作為「樹木偵探」去對整個事故作出深入調查，按照國際指引而作出判斷，寫出「樹藝師報告」(Arborist Report) ，從而追究責任。

註冊樹藝師亦可在法庭上作為「技術証人」Expert Witness去指証事故起因及厘定責任，為事故找尋事實 ( Fact Finding ) 和道出真相 ( Truth Telling )。

中國地區 註冊樹藝師 的工作範圍

1. 參與樹木在園林綠化上的設計 ( Tree Design )。
2. 負責對合乎國際規格樹木的選料 ( Nursery Stocks Selection )。
3. 在工地上，對樹木種植或移植作出評估，設計及施工 ( Tree Planting & Transplanting )。
4. 管理樹木的日常護養 ( Tree Maintenance )，包括結構性修剪 ( Structural Pruning )。
5. 對年長樹木的定期檢查 ( Regular Tree Inspection ) 。
6. 對古老，高大或受傷有病的樹木作出風險評估 ( Tree Risk Assessment ) 。
7. 在法律爭議上提供 “樹藝師報告” ( Arborist Report )去厘定責任及作為控辨任何一方的 “技術証人” ( Expert Witness )。
8. 提供樹藝的資訊 、教育及訓練給任何機構或團體。

中國地區 註冊攀樹師 的工作範圍

1. 負責設計及執行所有樹上工作，包括攀爬，修剪，流纜，固定，移除高大樹木，野外觀察，拆除蜂、蟻巢及拯救樹上動物等等。
2. 負責操作機械平台，吊重，各式鏈鋸及樹上工作器材。
3. 負責教育及訓練初級攀爬人員，其中包括 “康樂攀爬” 和 “職業攀爬”。

ISA HK/CHINA 對本會的 註冊樹藝師 及 註冊攀樹師 要求擁有 “ 誠信，專業和參與社會，並抱有找尋事實及道出真理的專業態度 ”。( Integrity, Professionalism & Participation into society with an attitude of Fact-Finding & Truth-Telling ).

樹藝名言

1. 所謂 “美麗” 或”好看”的樹木在國際上並沒有絕對鑑驗標準，但樹木的 “結構” 和 “健康” 則有。
2. 如果一棵樹在設計，選料，護養，修剪，定期檢查或風險評估當中犯錯，則此樹最終不會成為社會資產，反會成為公眾包袱。
3. 不去作出專業 “診斷” 的樹木 “處理” (例如修剪) 是一種魯莽行為。
4. 在任何的樹木設計上，最終會由大自然去決定成敗，而並非設計人員。
5. 一棵胡亂 “處理” 的大樹最終會變成一個計時炸彈。
6. 樹藝師 就是 “樹木醫生” 和 “樹木偵探”。

Sammy Au 27.12.007

攀爬一族

「攀爬一族」是由一群本地熱愛攀樹活動的ISA教官及考牌官發起組成，族員包括政府及私營機構的職業攀爬人員，民間業餘愛好者及教育機構的專業攀樹隊。「攀爬一族」是目前全港最大及代表性最廣的攀樹活動機構。

「攀爬一族」 的活動包括安全攀樹、樹藝知識和器械操作的訓練及考核，亦經常組團參與海外的攀樹活動和比賽。

無論是因工作需要的「職業攀爬」或業餘興趣的「康樂攀爬」，攀樹運動是一種寧神健體，增強斗志，嚴求紀律和愛樹保育的優質運動項目，非常值得推廣。當今社會人類用腦太多，運動太少，攀樹活動可令參与者重歸大自然，注重保育和舒展筋骨。

攀樹活動在西方國家經已流行數十年，至今全球已有數十萬人參于過此項活動，而人數正在不斷增加。在鄰邦日本和台灣，兩地已發展攀樹活動達十年之久，亦已發展到「醫療攀爬」，專門為身體有缺陷及精神受創傷的病人幫助其回復自信，詳情請溜覽http://www.treeclimbing.jp/ 。

攀樹活動與攀石運動其實並不完全相同 。攀石運動主靠手腳攀登，而攀樹活動則主要依繩索攀登，兩者性質並不全同。基於迎合樹上工作的需要，攀樹器材的安全要求往往比攀石運動高出數倍，攀爬紀律也較為嚴格，目的是為了令意外發生率減至零。

從西方國家經驗指出，攀樹活動是適合任何年齡和身體狀況的人參于。只要在接受適當訓練後，由6歲以上至87歲的人仕都可以攀樹到一定高度，而學歷背景並不成為限制。目前凡有興趣學習攀樹的專業或業餘愛好者，均可登入「攀爬一族」網址http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk 內找尋「入族申請表」填回加入，或電郵至 egc@netvigator.com 查詢。

現時入族費用全免，歡迎任何人仕加入。

Sammy Au 27.12.2007

ISA HK/China --- CUGE training programs in 2008

Dear Station Members,

Below is the latest greenery training programs provided by CUGE of Singapore for your interesting study. Please kindly take a view to decide which one is to your requirement & then apply directly to CUGE for reservation.

For our 84 no. of Certified Arborists in the HK/China Region, we all need to collect 30 CEU within 3 years for the re-certification at ISA HQ for our credential. CUGE programs can supply such CEU for this purpose. As for others, CUGE offers quality training in the greenery field in various aspects to a standard not available in our public institutions locally. Please select & upgrade yourself if any of the programs is appropriate for you.

Please do not hesitate to contact CUGE directly, or through this Station, for any matter concerning the CUGE training.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager



----- Original Message -----
From: yong fook chyi
To: egc@netvigator.com
Cc: 'Iqbal SANJIMAN' ; 'Juliana HO' ; 'Fook Chyi YONG'
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 9:18 PM
Subject: CUGE Training Programmes 2008

Dear Sammy,

I trust that you had a great X’MAS and Boxing Day.

We are pleased to attach the CUGE Training Calendar 2008 at http://www.cuge.com.sg/content/view/89/78/ and the CUGE Training Programmes registration in Jan and Feb 2008 http://www.cuge.com.sg/content/view/145/75/ for your perusal and onward transmission to your members, colleagues and friends.

Thanks for the support to CUGE so far. We look forward to greater collaborations with you and your team.

Cheers and we wish you a great and prosperous New Year 2008 ahead.

Fook Chyi

ISA HK/China --- Participation into the 2007 North District Flower Show

Dear All,

ISA HK/China & TCHK (http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk) will jointly participate into the 2007 North District Flower Show at Fanling Park, NT from Dec 22 to Dec 27 inclusive. Details of participation are attached for general reference.

ISA HK/China has participated into the North District Flower Show since 2005 & sizeable membership has been collected from public during the participation. This is the first time that TCHK is participating into such major public event & TCHK will keenly try to collect membership for its steady growth. TCHK has collected a membership of over 60 since its birth on 8 Nov 07 & the average age of membership in TCHK is below 30. TCHK has indeed attracted a different crowd willing to learn & enjoy tree climbing & activities on tree.

It is our regret that the North District Flower Show Committee did not arrange ISA HK/China nor TCHK for a tree climbing demonstration like last year which has overwhelming success. However, Equipment Display, Knots Station & Wood Samples Display will be on show to educate the public as well as to arouse membership entry. In an event like this where most visitors are local Chinese not speaking English & with a lot of students attending, TCHK may have an edge in obtaining membership since it is Chinese speaking. TCHK wants young men & women to join indeed.

If any Station Member would like to provide volunteer help at the Flower Show on any day, please kindly contact this Station for arrangement.

Looking ahead a little, ISA HK/China & TCHK are planning to participate into the biggest flower show in HK which is the HK Flower Show in Victoria Park next March. We anticipate to make an impact at this important event to contact the public for education on proper tree care & modern arboriculture. It's about time our Station to make an appearance in major event after all these years. We are still largely unknown in the public at large although we are successful in penetrating the professionals.

Any help or suggestion to get us in for a seminar in Chinese or a small display booth to show our websites at the HK Flower Show?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- CITA Training in Tree Work for Management Companies

Dear Station Members,

The HK Govt is once again showing positive support in developing proper tree care in our territory by arranging an Introductory Training for Tree Work for Management Companies at CITA as per the attached details. This is another effort in improving the local knowledge in handling urban trees after the Tree Work Supervision Course which is mandatory for the construction staff in accordance with ETWB TC 3/2006 & in conferring the status of Independent Tree Specialist & Competent Person for Arborists to take part in Govt landscape contracts & in LAO PN 7/2007. Who can say now that our Govt is not taking step to protect & preserve our trees?

The current landscape system in HK appears to weigh the major liability of the landscape construction to end at the Defects Liability Period (DLP) which would count usually in less than 24 months from the date of Practical Completion of the works. Most installed trees would not die during this short period of time, in considering the life span of most trees to last over a decade to show any Spiral of Decline. After DLP, the site is usually handed over to the management company for on-going maintenance, be it Govt or private. Over time, any inappropriate design, improper nursery stocks selection &/or incorrect installation will stress the in-situ trees further. Conflict between trees & construction may gradually surface. If further improper tree care is to be given to the suffered trees, the trees would go into further decline & may eventually fail. When tree fails, it can kill or cause major damage to properties below as shown by many examples in the past.

We need to remember that it is always Mother Nature makes the rules, not us. If a tree is improperly designed, selected, installed, maintained & inspected, it is likely to become a liability rather than an asset.

Although Arborists do not usually get involved with tree design, selection & installation in our territory at present in accordance with the current landscape practice, we can still provide support in maintenance, inspection & risk management to the management company after DLP. ISA HK/China Arborists are required to maintain Integrity, Professionalism & Participation with an attitude of fact-finding & truth-telling. We can advise the management company on the best solution to take care of their existing trees, from proper maintenance, correct pruning to possible removal if no other alternative is deemed appropriate. Arborists can help our management companies to manage their trees indeed.

Management companies in HK are usually over-burdened with daily chores & they are rarely trained with tree care in any details. The CITA training now can provide them an insight to learn of the support of the local Arborists to help them to protect & preserve their trees. This will generate a better quality of living to the benefit of all at the end.

It would be a big help to the management companies if our Station Blog of http://isahkchina.blogspot.com can be given to them at the CITA training so that they would know where to find Arborists in HK as well as keeping in touch with our local tree affairs. ISA HK/China Station liaises the 84 Certified Arborists in our region & handles all ISA exams, training & other activities relating to proper tree care in our territory of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China. Our Station is the right place for them to approach.

It is our thanks to the HK Govt as well as to our Civil Servants (Arborists or not) for showing their positive support to take another step to protect & preserve our precious trees. ISA HK/China will work diligently with our Govt to develop proper tree care in our community for a better way of living, one tree at a time.

Our thanks & appreciation to the HKSAR Govt indeed.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager


Introductory Course on Tree Works for Management Staff of Contractors and Property Management Companies Organized by Construction Industry Training Authority

The Hong Kong Government is striving to uplift the quality of our living environment through active planting, proper maintenance and preservation of trees together with other vegetation.

To enhance the quality of our workforce and provide the construction industry with updated knowledge on tree works, a new introductory course will be launched by the Construction Industry Training Authority (CITA) and supported by the Development Bureau for the management staff of contractors, property management companies, etc in January 2008.

Course Content:

1. Roles and responsibilities of managers on tree issues
2. General arboricultural knowledge
3. Value of arborists and the way to find them
4. Application procedure for tree removal (felling or transplanting)
5. Tree preservation clause for lease control

Target Participants :

Management staff of contractors, property management companies, etc.

Class Schedule :

This is a two-hour lecture course. Class will be held on request. Class capacity is 25.

Venue :

Kowloon Bay Training Center, Construction Industry Training Authority
No. 44 Tai Yip Street,
Kowloon Bay, Kowloon

Tuition Fee :

HK$140 per participant

Medium of Instruction :

Cantonese

Certificate :

An Attendance Certificate will be given to each participant.

Admission :

Enrolment can be on individual or on company basis. Interested parties may contact CITA - Management Training and Trade Testing Centre at 2903 0633 or 2903 0304 (fax: 2814 1674)
Priority will be given to company registration. Individuals or staff of different companies may be grouped together to form a class.

ISA HK/China --- Tree Failure by suspected Erythrina Gall Wasps

*** 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 Station is broadcasting a message received & replied to a Station Member's enquiry a little while ago with all identity protected. This Station has the following comments on this received message:

1. Although the case resembled very much an attack of Erythrina Gall Wasp, it is still best to have a laboratory confirmation before an issued statement.

2. It is a public mis-conception that any tree having lots of green shining foliage would be a healthy & structurally sound tree. Many of our 'tree experts' & 'tree inspectors' in our territory would make the same mistake. If they are not convinced, they may wish to study any fallen tree or broken branches failed after storm or typhoon. Did these failed parts not bear 'green foliage of normal sizes' when fallen onto ground? Foliage is a temporary organ which actually comes & goes as part of tree physiology. Evergreen trees would also lose foliage from time to time & be replaced. Having shining foliage does not mean a tree is absolutely healthy or structurally sound. There are other factors to consider. Please refer to ETF specifications for a structurally sound tree in nursery requirement.

3. There was no storm happening when the branch failed, according to the report given by the author. Therefore, do not assume a tree or its parts would only fail in storm. It can fail by its own weight any time in calmness.

4. If the failed tree branch did hit someone or something below, the tree owner is likely to be held legally liable for personal or property damage in Civil Action. An Arborist can easily provide an Expert Witness to disclaim an Act of God, since the tree would likely be under care by somebody, being in a populated area.

If a tree is not designed, installed, maintained, inspected & assessed for risk properly, the tree is likely to become a liability rather than an asset. In any situation for a successful tree planting, it is always Mother Nature makes the rules, not us.

It is lucky that this time nobody is hurt by God's blessing. Would it happen like this the next time?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager


----- Original Message -----
From: xxx
To: Eurasian Garden Ltd.
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 10:58 PM
Subject: An incident of Erythrina variegata
Dear Sammy,

I would like to bring this issue for all CA's discussion.

This is an individual of Erythrina variegata located at Mui Wo. The incident happened at about 22:00Hr, 4/12/07. The broken branch fell off from the tree suddenly onto the basketball field without obvious symptom before. This branch almost hit on a group of boys playing basketball underneath (one of the boys is my colleague's son). It is merely a luck to have nobody hurt!

Closer inspection on the cut of the broken branch identifies some small grey holes in the wood. Before it fell off from the mother tree, all the leaves seemed healthy, at least not abnormal in this deciduous season.

Is it the fall solely the act of the insect Erythrina gall wasp (Quadrastichus erythrinae Kim)?

My colleague has consulted his friend and here is his comment (just for your reference only as I haven't got permission to circulate around although I suppose it is no big deal):

I would say that this Erythrina had been seriously damaged by Quadrastichus erythrinae Kim: Common names: Erythrina gall wasp now prevalent in Hong Kong, China & South Asia.

This erythrina gall wasp inserts its eggs into the young leaf and stem tissue of the tree. The larvae then develop within the plant tissue forming galls in leaflets and petioles.

This infestation causes curling of leaves, and petioles and shoots become swollen forming many thick-walled globular galls. After feeding within the galls, the larvae pupate, and the adult wasps cut exit holes through the plant gall material to emerge. Trees with large populations of wasps within the leaves show the symtoms of having reduced leaf growth, and the plant declines in health.

Severe gall wasp infestations may cause defoliation and the death of the tree.
In addidation to this there is a seed weevil “Eurybrachys tomentosa” that lives off the decaying wood tissue left by the Erythrina gall wasp.

I am the option that it is best not to plant any Erythrina species as they age the branches are prong to snap without any apparent reason.

As the cortex layer, the outer portion of the stems of these Erythrina trees, which are bounded on the outside by the epidermis and on the inside by the endodermis thus showing no outward sign of the damage lying beneath except for the bore holes which in many cases are eventually covered by the growth of the cortex layers.

From the photo it seems that the leaves are still on the branch and the quantity is not small as being infected...it's strange...as it is now winter, yellow leaves are also normal. It's bad that I haven't had time to visit the tree or I can get more information.

I think many of our CAs may have experiences on this species and may like to share. Just discuss and study together!

xxx

ISA HK/China --- A genuine Tree Murder in Sheung Shui

*** 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 was shocking for the Station Manager to see what are attached in this e-mail of those trees apparently 'murdered' for convenience in Kam Tsin Road, Sheung Shui when he went to work on Dec, 4, 2007.

The trees appeared to belong to the species of Ficus benjamina, which is a common ornamental species used in landscape. The trunk diameters ranged from 150 - 200 mm & these trees would be classified as semi-mature. They were apparently growing & developing well before being pulled out. Why they were displaced & dumped at this spot has been a mystery, & could be a matter of conflict with development or were replaced by another species. Any speculation would be as good as the evidence showed.

Since the Station Manager would pass through the same spot for work everyday, he did not see the trees being there in the evening of Dec 3 when he departed after work the same way. Therefore, it is likely that the trees were placed there during darkness of Dec 3 without too much public notice because this is a rather quiet spot at night. The whole operation appeared to be deliberate & well planned.

The Station Manager did hunt around to look for suspect but every door was closed in the surrounding with securities or guard dogs. For ornamental trees of these sizes, it might be only upper grade development would prefer to use & there are not that many of them nearby. It would be a shame if the rich would do something so degrading without a sense of social responsibility.

So, we have a genuine 'Tree Murder' here, well planned & well executed, apparently for the sake of convenience by somebody to save money & effort for the disposal. If nobody would remove them at the end, then it will be a Govt Dept eventually taking them away by spending the taxpayer's money. We may then ask why we should let someone take advantage of others by breaking the littering laws to get away for personal benefit?

Yet how can we catch the culprit?

The trees were still on the same spot at the time this Station Mail was issued at 8.50am on Dec 6, 2007.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Tree Grill removal by cutting roots)

*** 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 recent media report showing a tree grill removal operation with re-surfacing of the tree planter.

A reader wrote in to complain about the root cutting & coating on the cut roots, & queried whether it would damage the trees. The management replied since the tree roots were girdling around the tree grills, they had to be cut off so that the grills &/or the cement around it could be removed successfully. The management also emphasized that the operating method was provided by an 'approved landscape contractor' & the cut surface of the roots would be painted with protective sealant with soil cover afterwards. A curb & re-tiling would be carried out so that the trees would be given an even better growing environment.

As shown in the photo of the attachment, it can be seen that a gap has appeared at the root collar level upon the forceful removal of the tree grill attaching to it. Any qualified Tree Climber/Worker with chainsaw operating experience would recall such appearance similar to a Bypass Cut on any tree part to be removed & would hesitate to define the stability of the tree when something like this has happened in the wind. Wound painting is an obsolete practice belonging to the 1950's & research has shown that the protective cover produced by the sealant would encourage decay rather than stopping it due to the moisture contained.

It is noticed that no Arborist advice appeared to be sought & the service of Arborist might have been deemed unnecessary for tree work of this kind. The 'approved' contractor's advice was regarded as sufficient.

If an Arborist was employed to provide technical advice in this case, as very likely as in Western countries or even in Singapore, it is likely that the Arborist would first study the damage occurred to the root system & whether the buried tree grill parts can be left in place with the excessive part cut off only, so that the stability of the tree would not be compromised after the operation. The Arborist would also study whether the re-surfacing with alkaline concrete & cement would alter the pH of the surrounding soil, & whether the renewed surface would add more weight to the existing root system for further compaction. It would be irresponsible for any Arborist to contemplate only aesthetics, & sacrifice the health & structure of the trees in longer term with potential risk of failure in wind to be created to the pedestrians & traffic below.

By now, ISA HK/China has already 83 Certified Arborists working in our territory. Besides the Civil Servants, we wonder how many of them have been asked to provide frequent tree care for our society. Are Arborists some kind of unwanted excess in our landscape industry? Then who should take our place & can they do our job ?

Or, should we carry on the same way as before to face the world ?

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/)

ISA HK/China --- Special Note of Thanks for ATCC Sponsorship

各位親愛的 '攀爬一族' 族人：

特别銘謝啟示

本族于發出 '亞太地區攀樹比賽' (ATCC) 的通知的當日內，收到 ISA HK/China 成員 Sam Chun 的以下信息，自願無償地奉献上港幣一千五百大元，作為本族參賽成員的差旅費津贴。

既知阿Sam並非本族成員，本身亦非 '爬手'，此舉只能推測他乃發自熱血良心，寄望本族有人能夠為港為國爭光，改寫歷史。

本族對于阿Sam的熱血豪情，深為感動，除立此銘謝之外，亦會努力督促參賽族人偈盡全力，莫負眾心。

阿Sam，你真好野，立盡大將之風，'攀爬一族' 會記住你！

'攀爬一族' 同人 敬禮
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/treeclimbinghk


Dear Station Members,

Special note of Thanks to a Rare Good Man

Upon the notice of our participation for the Australian Tree Climbing Championship (ATCC) yesterday, we have immediately received a message form our Station Member Mr. Sam Chun to sponsor HK$1,500 for the event. We wish to express our sincere thanks for his selfless devotion.

It is known to us that Sam himself is not a Tree Climber & his intention to sponsor us for the ATCC should be entirely out of goodwill & conscience. This Station has never called for sponsorship & has started to calculate how much it would cost for our student climbers to come to the event. The sponsorship of Sam can be seen as a good beginning & as positive support of our Station to represent HK/China in a regional competition. It is anticipated that each student climber would cost around HK$15,000 to send & they have practically no income. It is likely that this Station will limit to sponsor only two student climbers within our best effort.

It can be felt that Sam devoted his sponsorship not for fame or fortune. In fact, this Station has never notified him that we would issue this Thank You note in advance. This Station wishes to pay respect for this rare good man with a kind heart & enthusiasm to see others bring home glory & honour to our society. On the other hand, has our territory of HK/China ever before sent out a tree climbing team to compete in any regional or international event? Is tree climbing not a sport or a profession to upgrade our tree practice?

Our society seem to dive straight like China to making quick cash by ignoring positive action to upgrade our standard of living. Quality standard of living can not do without good trees. Good trees can not happen without proper tree care. By the time we have built our city into a solid concrete mass & then want good trees, it may not happen anymore because it is always 'Mother Nature makes the rules, not us ...'

Thank you cordially Sam for your excellent insight. You might have spent a few percent of your monthly salary on this sponsorship, but your name will live within us in this Station for a long long time to come.

with kindest regards,

Sammy Au
ISA HK/China Station Manager
http://isahkchina.blogspot.com



----- Original Message -----
From: fdo2.lu@hyd.gov.hk
To: Eurasian Garden Ltd.
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 2:57 PM

Subject: ISA HK/China (Professionals) --- Invitation to Participate in 2008 Brisbane Regional Tree Climbing Competition

Dear Mr. Au,

Though I am not able to become a team member representing ISA HK/China forthe ATCC, I would like to sponsor HK$1,500 to those Fung Kai Climbers who will take part in the Competition.

The amount I sponsor is only minimal when compared to the total expenses those young participants have to bear, but I think my move will eventually encourage a lot others to do the same.

Yours truly,

Sam

ISA HK/China --- Invitation to participate in ATCC of May 2008

Dear Station Members,

The challenge has finally come.

ISA Australian Chapter (ISAAC) has sent us an invitation to participate in the Australian Tree Climbing Championship (ATCC) next May in Brisbane. The details of the competition are attached. Are we ready for it?

It is likely that tree climbers from Japan, Australia, New Zealand & some other countries will participate in this regional tree climbing competition. We, ISA HK/China, represent a region comprising HK, Macau, Taiwan & Mainland China. We are perhaps the largest in term of territorial size & population among all ISA Chapters & Associated Organizations in the world. With all our wealth & population mass, yet can we organize & send out a tree climbing team to represent our region ??

To the knowledge of this Station, the HK tree climbers should be the best trained & most experienced within our territory, with Macau only just started, Taiwan unknown internationally & China not even begun. HK is the best bet we can have for this ATCC. We have the Fung Kai Climbers who are all below 20 years old & a few of them are now working as professional tree workers in HKGC. With some training & sponsorship, they may be our best hope.

On the other hand, we have other professional climbers from HKAS, CLP & KFBG. We also have AFCD & LCSD climbers of an average age of over 40. We do not know how interested they would be to take part in an event as such.

Nevertheless, any of us wishing to take part in the ATCC will represent ISA HK/China for the territory of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China. Winning anything back will be a lifetime honour & glory for our region. ATCC will be the first time that our territory will ever enter in an international scale to compete with the world. It will be an unforgettable occasion.

So, able young men & women, are you ready for the challenge? Are you ready to fly our flag & take up the heat to push up a tree like our regional partners? This Station is waiting for your call.

Who will write history for us in our region ?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager


----- Original Message -----
From: Doug Sharp
To: richard.wanhill@horttraining.ac.nz ; egc@netvigator.com ; Ganesan_S_K@nparks.gov.sg ; john@treeclimbingjapan.org
Cc: Craig Hallam
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 12:10 PM
Subject: Invitation

Dear all,

Attached is an invitation from ISAAC for representatives from your region/chapter to compete in the Tree climbing events in Brisbane next May.Please don't hesitate to reply to me for more info if required.

Regards,

Doug Sharp
Business Activities
Earth Sciences
NMIT
p. 61 3 92698914f. 61 3 92698912m. 0417541157e. dougs-hrt@nmit.vic.edu.au


Dear International Guest,

Hopefully by this time you have received and read information regarding the Inaugural ISA Asia Pacific Conference, Tree Climbing Championship and Workshops to be held in Brisbane on 9 to 14th May 2008.

On behalf of ISAAC and the Australia Tree Climbing Committee we cordially invite the your Chapter/affliation/station to enter 2 male and 2 female contestants to compete in the competition to be held over the 9 & 10th May 2008. Please follow this link to the ISAAC website to download the entry forms . Entries will close unconditionally on 11th April 2008 and 8th May for the Head to Head Footlock.

*Please note that International competitors are eligible for the Masters Challenge, however they can not be named as Australain Champion, the highest placed Australian will take this honor.

Traditonally nominated climbers have been the highest ranked placings in your local event. Should you choose to enter persons through an alternate selection process, ISAAC stipulates that the person MUST have competed in a local, state or national event previuosly, all entrants MUST be financial ISAAC/ISA members.

As you are also aware without officials to run the events it does’nt happen, therefore we would greatly appreciate it you we able to provide 2 officials/judges to assist on Friday and Saturday.

The Australian Tree Climbing Championships are an integral part of this entire event, in 2008 we are anticipating an event of the proportion not seen in the southern hemisphere before, infact we believe it will be a world first.

Friday will commence with the competitiors and officals meeting at the Sthil breifing session at the Royal on the Park (conference hotel) on Friday 4.30-7.00pm. Once the meeting is complete all competetors will then relocate to the Footlock event which is being held underlights and commencing at 7.30pm. We will be using electronic timers with the view of a World record time being recorded.

At the conclusion of the competeion event, we will move directly to a open head to head footlock, eligible entrants must have a recorded time of 20 secs for men and 30 secs for women.
Prizes to value of $500 for men and women are on offer.

Times are also eligible for a World record. Please note the head to head event is open to anyone in the world that qualifies. Saturday’s remaining events will commence at 7.30am with the females masters starting at 2.00pm. At 6.00pm Staurday evening the Stihl Tree Climbing awards will be presented with some finger food sponsored by Stihl

Also a practical climbing and rigging workshop, along with several other workshops are running on the Sunday which may also be of interest to your climbers, the full conference is of course is open to them. Go to www.isaac.org.au for registration and information.

ISAAC and the ISA look forward to seeing you in Brisbane. Please email or call me if you require further details at your earliest conveinence.

Regards

Doug Sharp
ATCC Director
03 92698914
0417541157
dougs-hrt@nmit.vic.edu.au

ISA HK/China --- Our Station went on 'Arborist News'

*** 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 an honour & pride for ISA HK/China Station to appear on the international magazine 'Arborist News' in the October 2007 edition, as shown in the attachment. Once on this magazine, readers from 50 countries around the world will see our image as edited by this influential publication.

The interview of the Station Manager to Arborist News took place actually several months before the printing in order to catch up with the editing. Within these few months, positive development has occurred in our territory for arboriculture. Therefore, some of the information so mentioned in the interview may already be outdated by today's standard. In a nutshell, ISA Arboriculture is seen to be receiving attention from our Govt by sending in Civil Servants to sit for the Certified Arborist exam & by arranging seminars for our Station to participate. New positions such as the Independent Tree Specialist (ITS) & Competent Person (CP) were created to allow Arborist to practise in Govt Contracts. Trees of international quality were begun to be required by Govt Depts. We feel our Govt are lending gradual support to recognize the values of the Arborist Profession in available manner in order to protect & preserve the trees in our territory.

On the other hand, the public sector did not seem to advance much in the recognition of proper arboriculture as compared to the Govt. There were numerous complaints for tree malpractice in the media but hardly any organization would invite us to give them a talk on proper tree care or ISA. Action appears to be far lacking behind from that of the Govt. Many reasons may account for this phenomenon, with perhaps the existing interest of certain groups or commercial interest remaining the major concern possibly. After all, the employment of Arborist would involve additional cost & new learning. No employer would prefer to pay extra if it can be ever avoided, & would try to fend off Arborist unless absolutely required by Govt administration. This appears to be a fact of life.

It can be seen that in Singapore with the massive number of Arborists working in their Govt Depts has produced some of the finest trees, & thus quality living environment, in Asia. Singapore does not seem to stop there & would demand the best all the time. The National Parks Board of the Singapore Govt (Nparks) recently paid extra to buy two container load of quality trees from ETF to serve as comparison to their local stocks. They have emphasized by action that quality stocks is the first key to success.

HK would obviously like to do the same, although resistance in HK is likely to be heavier especially in the private sector. HK tends most of the time to place price over quality & HK is influenced heavily by China in nursery stocks supply. Some buyers would even regard having topped trees for landscape would enhance survival & reduce water stress. The long term vision of having cheaper maintenance with quality trees would not bother a lot of the contractors because they would only last to until the end of DLP. Then it becomes the liability of the maintenance party. HK speaks a different story indeed.

On the other hand, HK people are known to be adaptive & innovative. Once the knowledge is exploited by them, things may begin to change. It would be hard to be self-complacent in your landscape when your trees would fail like dead flies after every storm. Complaints & law suits may follow. Facts speak stronger than words.

This Station will remain dogged in the development for modern arboriculture in our territory as we should do, despite resistance & obstacles. After all, we are not the first of our kind in the world. We are simply followers of many others. ISA was started in 1924, long before many horticultural groups or landscape groups have even been born. May those who believe in our course lend support to proper design, installation & maintenance of quality trees in our territory, so that our trees can truly become our asset in place rather than on paper.

May we all persist.

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/)