ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Flood Lighting a Mature Albizia & Tree Butchery in a School)

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

Attached are some recent tree news of HK to show the world & it was sadness all the way unfortunately:

1. Flood-Lighting the Mature Albizia in Sau Mau Ping

The Station Manager has great admiration towards this tree when he was taken by Mr. P Mok of Housing Dept in Jan 2006 to visit this beautiful giant. A Station Mail named ' Housing Dept Champion Trees' was also produced at that time to praise this magnificent tree with photos of good images. It is very sad now that this last line of fine trees of HK has gone to such waning & seems to be entering the Spiral of Decline. If nothing is to be done to it, this tree is likely going to die off part by part, just like the 200 year old ' Champion Ficus' in Kowloon Park.

There is a lack of research data on tree's reaction to constant lighting around the world because in most Western nations, Mature Trees would not usually be flooded with strong light throughout the night in the name of visual pleasure. Trees have been in existence on this planet for over 200 million years & the world has invented flood-lighting for less than 100 years. Trees in their natural habitat will not be flood-lit throughout the night. There are already over 100,000 species of trees discovered & we do not know which one would enjoy flood-lighting all night. Would strong light not disturb the physiology of a Mature Tree in its sleep? If some would say it is proper to light up a Mature Tree all night long, can they provide valid research to convince the world?

As for any good landscape, it is always ' Mother Nature makes the rules, not us '. If we go against Mother Nature, we would usually obtain an opposite effect, not matter how we use our words to provide the cosmetics.

2. Concreting Tree Roots on ground & slopes

Some of us do not seem to appreciate that trees, like animals, need also to breathe. Trees do not have a circulation system like animals & tree roots get their oxygen from only nearby. If this oxygen is depleted, by soil compaction or flooding, tree roots will die.

When tree roots die, the canopy above will wither gradually because it would lack the water & nutrient supply from below. Then diebacks will appear & tree parts may fall to hit something or somebody below. In HK, we tend to call this an ' Act of God'.

But is it really ??

3. Topping at a Tsuen Wan School

From the picture so shown in the newspaper cutting, this might as well be called Tree Butchery instead. What is ironical is that it happens at a school, where they would preach our young to respect life. Is any tree not a life? Do we mutilate a person if he/she grows too tall??

If Leung King Estate got punished by topping without approval, then why should this incident get away? Are they private trees, & should private trees receive no respect?

It is a general misunderstanding that any tree growing tall will collapse. If the tree has been well cared for, this worry is entirely incorrect. If a tree would collapse after attaining a certain height, there will be no standing Mature Trees in the forest, or even anywhere in Western cities. What the HK public need to understand is how trees grow & die, yet they can not get the correct information except from our Station, & our Station can only write in English.

Sad to see our Mature Trees disappearing one by one due to our mal-practice. HK is seen to be without basic tree care by international standard for our many Mature Trees. Then what trees are we going to leave to our next generation ? Tiny topped trees in the name of ' flowering' from inadequate China nurseries? Do we call this our good landscape??

Then who should be responsible for all these ??

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- Free Arboricultural Consultation to Political Parties (DP)

To: Board of Directors, The Democratic Party of HK (DP)

From: ISA HK/China Station

Dear Sirs,

Free Consultation on Tree Related Issues to DP

We are ISA HK/China Station, an Associated Organization of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA; www.isa-arbor.com) for the region of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China. We currently have over 390 Station Members from all walks of life including Civil Servants, Academics, Engineers, Architects, Consultants & Contractors working in the landscape industry. We have been rather low key in our existence because we are not an activist group like a lot of the NGO's. We only focus on trees & tree care, practically nothing else. Our official correspondences are in English since we circulate overseas, although we all understand Chinese.

The Arborist Profession mainly involves Tree Care, including Tree Selection, Tree Installation, Tree Maintenance, Tree Pruning, Tree Transplantation, Tree Inspection, Tree Risk Management & Tree Climbing. ISA HK/China Station now governs the 41 no. of Certified Arborists (CA) in HK & we organize CA exam in HK every April & October. We are the true specialists in tree care & practice by international standards. We also have a Code of Honour to abide Integrity, Professionalism & Participation into our society with an attitude of fact-finding & truth-telling.

Ever since the falling apart of the 200 year old ' Champion Ficus' in Kowloon Park a little while ago, our Station has received communication from Station Members urging us to positively approach the relevant Govt Depts & public sector for exposure of proper tree care to protect our precious trees, which are getting fewer by days for one reason or another. After some consideration & discussion, we have decided to open ourselves to the public for free consultation on arboricultural matters over e-mail & phone call. The CA Family of our Station would also entertain invitation in giving Free Arboricultural Seminar to anybody subject to the CA Family's convenience. The Station Manager below can be contacted at egc@netvigator.com or 9090 6719 from 8 am to 10 pm everyday for such arrangement. DAB is welcomed to contact him anytime for anything relating to tree affairs in HK/China for free advice.

ISA HK/China issues a Station Mail weekly on our local tree affairs in English circulated to arboricultural organizations in HK, Macau, Taiwan, China, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand & USA. Anyone is welcomed to be included in the circulation. Samples of our Station Mail are attached for your interesting reference & DP is welcomed to come on list of our circulation anytime. No cost or charges is involved hidden or expressed for this service.

ISA HK/China also maintains a Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com to keep some of our Station Mail on display to the public. However, photos or images would not be attached in full due to the Blog size allocated by the web.

Trees are an important part of our environmental protection because trees are the community centre for all wildlife on land. The benefits of trees are too many to mention & a summary is produced by ISA at www.treesaregood.org open to the world. DLO of the HK Govt is the coordinating Dept of any tree issue on Govt Land & keeps the gate for any application for Tree Felling, Tree Transplantation, Tree Pruning & Master Landscape Plan. In the longer run, ISA HK/China would like to see an Arborist Report is to be required for this kind of application at every Govt Dept & let Arborists take the legal & technical risk in the assessment. After all, Western Nations would not ask their Lands Dept to assess trees. It would be their Arboricultural Office doing the job & taking the liability. In the present political environment in HK, ISA HK/China can offer help indeed.

DP is by far an influential political organization in our Govt & DP can demand policies affecting the quality of life in HK. Many a times in the past our activists have requested Tree Laws to be proposed at Legco, but who are qualified to draft Tree Laws? Would not education come first to achieve a general understanding & acceptance within our society before Tree Laws are drafted for the sake of social harmony? ISA HK/China can certainly help in providing international experience in this aspect.

Thank you all Sirs for your time & DP is welcomed to contact us anytime for anything relating to tree issues.

Serving our society well is the commitment of any good Arborist in the name of Participation.

best regards,

Sammy Au
ISA HK/China Station Manager
ISA Chief Proctor for the HK/China Region
ISA Certified Arborist / Certified Tree Climber no. ML-0174AT
International Tree Failure Database (ITFD) Coordinator for HK/China
Independent Tree Specialist to the HKSAR Govt
Lecturer for Tree Supervision at CITA

ISA HK/China --- Free Arboricultural Consultation to Political Parties (DAB)

To: Board of Directors, The Democratic Alliance for Betterment of HK (DAB)

From: ISA HK/China Station

Dear Sirs,

Free Consultation on Tree Related Issues to DAB

We are ISA HK/China Station, an Associated Organization of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA; http://www.isa-arbor.com/) for the region of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China. We currently have over 390 Station Members from all walks of life including Civil Servants, Academics, Engineers, Architects, Consultants & Contractors working in the landscape industry. We have been rather low key in our existence because we are not an activist group like a lot of the NGO's. We only focus on trees & tree care, practically nothing else. Our official correspondences are in English since we circulate overseas, although we all understand Chinese.

The Arborist Profession mainly involves Tree Care, including Tree Selection, Tree Installation, Tree Maintenance, Tree Pruning, Tree Transplantation, Tree Inspection, Tree Risk Management & Tree Climbing. ISA HK/China Station now governs the 41 no. of Certified Arborists (CA) in HK & we organize CA exam in HK every April & October. We are the true specialists in tree care & practice by international standards. We also have a Code of Honour to abide Integrity, Professionalism & Participation into our society with an attitude of fact-finding & truth-telling.

Ever since the falling apart of the 200 year old ' Champion Ficus' in Kowloon Park a little while ago, our Station has received communication from Station Members urging us to positively approach the relevant Govt Depts & public sector for exposure of proper tree care to protect our precious trees, which are getting fewer by days for one reason or another. After some consideration & discussion, we have decided to open ourselves to the public for free consultation on arboricultural matters over e-mail & phone call. The CA Family of our Station would also entertain invitation in giving Free Arboricultural Seminar to anybody subject to the CA Family's convenience. The Station Manager below can be contacted at egc@netvigator.com or 9090 6719 from 8 am to 10 pm everyday for such arrangement. DAB is welcomed to contact him anytime for anything relating to tree affairs in HK/China for free advice.

ISA HK/China issues a Station Mail weekly on our local tree affairs in English circulated to arboricultural organizations in HK, Macau, Taiwan, China, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand & USA. Anyone is welcomed to be included in the circulation. Samples of our Station Mail are attached for your interesting reference & DAB is welcomed to come on list of our circulation anytime. No cost or charges is involved hidden or expressed for this service.

ISA HK/China also maintains a Blog at http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/ to keep some of our Station Mail on display to the public. However, photos or images would not be attached in full due to the Blog size allocated by the web.

Trees are an important part of our environmental protection because trees are the community centre for all wildlife on land. The benefits of trees are too many to mention & a summary is produced by ISA at http://www.treesaregood.org/ open to the world. DLO of the HK Govt is the coordinating Dept of any tree issue on Govt Land & keeps the gate for any application for Tree Felling, Tree Transplantation, Tree Pruning & Master Landscape Plan. In the longer run, ISA HK/China would like to see an Arborist Report is to be required for this kind of application at every Govt Dept & let Arborists take the legal & technical risk in the assessment. After all, Western Nations would not ask their Lands Dept to assess trees. It would be their Arboricultural Office doing the job & taking the liability. In the present political environment in HK, ISA HK/China can offer help indeed.

DAB is by now the biggest & most influential political organization in our Govt & DAB can demand policies affecting the quality of life in our society. Many a times in the past our activists have requested Tree Laws to be proposed at Legco, but who are qualified to draft Tree Laws? Would not education come first to achieve a general understanding & acceptance within the community before Tree Laws are drafted for the sake of social harmony? ISA HK/China can certainly help in providing international experience in this aspect.

Thank you all Sirs/Madams for your time & DAB is welcomed to contact us anytime for anything relating to tree issues.

Serving our society well is the commitment of any good Arborist in the name of Participation.

best regards,

Sammy Au
ISA HK/China Station Manager
ISA Chief Proctor for the HK/China Region
ISA Certified Arborist / Certified Tree Climber no. ML-0174AT
International Tree Failure Database (ITFD) Coordinator for HK/China
Independent Tree Specialist to the HKSAR Govt
Lecturer for Tree Supervision at CITA

ISA HK/China --- Latest Aerial Rescue techniques from 2007 ISA International Conference in Hawaii

Dear Station Members,

One of the missions of the delegation from our Station to the 2007 ISA International Conference was to bring back the latest knowledge & techniques from international researchers. While the other candidates focused on various topics in arboriculture, the Station Manger paid heavy emphasis on Tree Climbing & mingled with the International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) competitors & judges to learn the latest equipment & techniques. Aerial Rescue is one such area which is constantly under development in Europe & America. Nearly every time the Station Manager would hear something new from the practitioners by attending a conference on this topic.

Tree Work is very dangerous indeed. In North America, arboriculture is a profession with an average annual fatality rate about 10 times the all-industrial average. More tree workers are killed every year than Firemen & Police put together in the USA. In HK, tree work accidents are not specifically classified by the authorities. However, from hearsay among contractors & supervisors, nearly every company will have tree workers injured on ground or on tree in every season at work. What is not cooked up by the media does not mean it does not happen in reality.

In the Western world, all Tree Climbers are required to learn Aerial Rescue as a protocol as part of their working duty. In the past, most training would encourage the rescuer to bring down the victim from the tree as soon as possible, thinking that this would save life faster. However, recent research has shown that by doing so, the victim may actually become more injured in the process since most rescuers are not medical expert to make judgment on injury, or the Fire Service would find the rescuer getting in the way for their trained procedures, therefore delaying the rescue process instead of speeding it up. Research has also shown that resting the victim on tree to await arrival of trained help, rather than bringing him/her down in a hurry, may actually reduce the chance of further injury. All such information is now coming out to challenge the old thinking.

Attached is information on Aerial Rescue given by perhaps the world's best Tree Climbing training company called ArborMaster in the USA. ArborMaster can be more or less recognized as the official ISA Tree Climbing training agent & has developed many techniques & equipment with which Professional Tree Climbers are using all over the world including the Station Manager. ArborMaster's website is www.ArborMaster.com & is full of good information.

Aerial Rescue is one of the requisition to apply for the ISA Certified Tree Worker (CTW) exam. There are currently over 20,000 Certified Arborists in the world but only around 650 CTW's, even though CTW exam only tests basic skills. CUGE (www.cuge.com.sg) currently offers training programs in Basic Tree Climbing with Australian credentials. CUGE may proceed to the CTW credential later when they can build up the number of their Tree Climbing candidates as time goes along. The Station Manager may be invited to proctor CTW exam in Singapore in future when needed. Tree Climbing is already becoming a requirement for Tree Maintenance Contracts in Singapore. It looks like Singapore will be taking the lead in this aspect again in Asia.

ISA HK/China currently has no intention to conduct CTW exam in HK/China until further notice.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

Attached & below are bundled Press coverage on the recent Tree Failure of the 200 year old 'Champion Ficus' at Kowloon Park:

1. http://hk.news.yahoo.com/fc/news_fc_hk200tree.html
2. http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070814/60/2dkvp.html
3. http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070818/60/2dvql.html

This Station has never thought such Tree Failure which is frequent nowadays in HK/China, have attracted so much media attention in the past weeks. It just shows the HK public is becoming aware of our current tree affairs & demand improvement.

It appears among the comments from the media that the general sentiment is that of mistrust & disappointment towards how LCSD has been handling our Mature Trees. Everything negative has been said about LCSD, & hardly any sympathy but suspicion was shown for their explanation. In return, the media demanded better Tree Care on our Old & Valuable Trees (OVT) & some expressed doubts for their existence in the long run.

From the information so given, this Station has the following thinking:

1. It is not known in the ISA World that a 200 year old tree ripped apart for 1/3, could ever be recovered to its former glory by any of the current known techniques. The wounds are far too big to be compartmentalized. We shall wait & see how LCSD will use their better skills to recover this 'Champion Ficus' & will be most willing to learn from their treatment, if successful.

2. Decay Detecting Devices (DDD) such as Resistograph, Tomograph & Root Radar were demonstrated in full at the Regional Arboricultural Seminar in Singapore in April 2007 at which the Station Manager was present. The Station Manager asked a question at the British expert from Fujimura (Europe) that whether DDD could predict precisely the decay situation in a tree & the answer was 'No'. He was told that the wood density, moisture content & microorganisms present could deviate the results. The final assessment would still depend on the experience of the arborist to make an interpretation. It would be like a doctor receiving the best surgical tools in the world, but would still need to know how to utilize the findings. Let's hope with all these expensive tools on hand now, LCSD can diagnose & treat our Tree Failures especially for the OVT.

3. At the 2007 ISA Internatinal Conference in Hawaii, several presentations from international experts focused on the wisdom of using DDD against the traditional expertise of the Tree Assessor on diagnosing Tree Failure. One presentation by a British arborist was given the name of 'Putting the Cart before the Horse', laughing at some Tree Assessors rushing to use DDD instead of relying on running basics. The Station Manager was rather impressed with the presentation & found using hand-drill & mallet would be just as good for initial diagnosis, rather than diving straight at the complication of deploying DDD. This presentation can be obtained on request from ISA HQ.

4. With all these money spent on purchasing expensive DDD, would it not a cheaper & better alternative to send down staff to receive Tree Failures training at CUGE in Singapore this week? Prof. Mattheck's Workshop will cover DDD to explain their advantages & disadvantages. Is Prof. Mattheck's teaching not good enough for us? Then where should we go for it??

5. Station Mail is now circulated around the Pacific Rim from Japan to New Zealand to many arbor experts in the region. If any of them reckons our 200 year old 'Champion Ficus' ripped apart 1/3 at the trunk can be saved to its former glory, this Station will brush its ear to listen & publish the information.

6. What happens if this 200 year old 'Champion Ficus' eventually dies from the current treatment? Would it be an 'Act of God' again?

Mature Tree Failures are getting more interesting each day in HK/China indeed.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- ChinaTree News (Why China can not produce quality Landscaping Trees?)

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

The attached piece of news came out from a national newspaper in China. It showed a 'Model Tree Farm' in China producing what they would reckon as 'quality landscaping tree'.

By international standards, arborists would look at a quality landscaping tree for the followings:

1. Central Leader --- A straight stem from bottom to top for growth form prediction & good structure.

2. Taper --- Trunk & branch narrowing from base to tip for maximum wind resistance.

3. Live Crown Ratio (LCR) --- Height of foliage / Height of tree. A 67% LCR is most desirable because it proves the tree has enough foliage to carry out Photosynthesis & good wind resistance.

4. Strong Branch Attachment (SBA) --- Diameter of branch / Diameter of Stem to be less than 0.5 at point of union for SBA. This is for good wind resistance against breakage.

5. Adequate Sized Rootball --- Recommended rootball size is 10 x DBH for maximum transplantation survivability & rapid recovery after transplantation.

The above are just a few of the most obvious requirement for good nursery stocks in Western Nations.

Let's now see whether this 'Model Tree Farm' can meet the international requirements.

1. Central Leader --- The Central Leaders for a lot of trees so shown went straight up for a while, but then branched out to form Co-dominant Stems or Multi-Branching.

2. Taper --- hardly any Taper can be detected from these trees.

3. Live Crown Ratio --- Most of the trees have a LCR below 40% as far as the picture can tell.

4. Strong Branch Attachment --- At the branch unions, it can be seen that SBA does not happen for a lot of the shown trees, making them vulnerable to break in wind.

5. Adequate Sized Rootball --- The trees were planted very close to one another. It appeared that the tress were only 2 m apart. During lifting, especially for the trees in the centre, roots of the adjacent trees will get in the way. To drag a tree so heavy & tall from the middle of the planting in this scenario, machines rather than humans would need to be deployed. However, machines are unlikely to enter this jungle of trees while they are planted so close to each other & human labour would seem to be the cheapest alternative. And how much heavy can human labour uplift ?? If not, the rootball will have to be trimmed very small to facilitate lifting & the tree is likely to be topped for dragging out among other trees. The trees so seen grown in a 'good' form will come out like match sticks with football-sized rootballs for use in the landscape.

Then why can't our brothers & sisters try to produce landscaping trees to international requirements?

It is because they produce trees with their forestry production methods. Forestry trees are produced for economic values & Taper, Live Crown Ratio & Strong Branch Attachment are not desired. Forestry trees will be logged out at the end & therefore a 10 x DBH rootball is not a consideration. In commercial consideration, who would like to buy a wooden pillar with Taper & SBA anyway? Excessive branches are wastes & will require labour to cut off. Then the wastes would require transport to dump. Customers would buy only clean logs without branching & very straight stem without rootball. Our brothers & sisters are simply producing landscaping trees in a complete wrong manner !!

What is seemingly hard to change in China is not the construction of the nation, but the mentality of the people. In Chinese, we say ' 江山易改，品性难移'. For those of us who must buy from the Chinese & have to follow their supplying standards, we wish them good luck. However, bringing them down to our territory is likely to increase maintenance & to produce Tree Failures in the longer run. We may buy cheap for a quick fix, but ruin our landscape for our children. The many Tree Failures in the past year have given facts for themselves. Is that not even good enough to make us think twice? If not, why not ??

Would anyone now doubt why ETF was set up 3 years ago to give an example of quality landscaping trees to our brothers & sisters in China?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Aftermath of the falling apart of the 200 year old 'Champion' Ficus

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

Further to the media report of the falling apart of the 200 year old 'Champion' Ficus by the newspapers yesterday, the event was shown at the Main News at 6.30 pm at TVB as a rare occasion. More media comments are given in the attached newspaper cutting & the link below:

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070814/12/2dktc.html

This Station felt that this incident has attracted more publicity than the falling branches of the Wishing Tree in Tai Po in 2005, maybe because the public has grown with arboricultural knowledge & would not be satisfied with traditional explanation anymore.

In both media comment & private conversation, this Station has heard only criticism about the treatment this poor tree has received, & sadly never any support on LCSD's explanation. The general sentiment is that of disappointment. Criticism ranged from doubting the ability of LCSD to look after our Mature Trees & even hinted the change of the Tung Govt in 2005 could be related to the falling of the branches of the Wishing Tree !! Our media has truly fascinating imagination indeed.

Station Mail is written with facts & professional arbor knowledge, & is never meant to attack anybody. On the other hand, Station Mail is circulated to the media & is on Blog (http://www.isahkchina.blogspot.com/). The media also frequently call up the Station Manager for comments on tree affairs in our territory. Therefore, they have found ways to study modern arboriculture through straight or narrow.

From all the evidence gathered, this 200 year old 'Champion's Ficus seems to be entering a ' Spiral of Decline' already & very little can be done to it for full recovery. The newly grown part would be attacked by the decaying part because the defense system of this Mature Tree seems to be very weak already. At present, it is rather like an Aids patient receiving a cocktail treatment of medicines. The medicines may prolong life of the patient for a while, but could not prevent the eventual reality, which is death.

From the state it is observed, if this dying 'Champion' Ficus would ever recover to its former glory, it may become the ' 8th Wonder of the Tree World' & a detailed Station Mail will have to be produced to announce such achievement to the ISA World ! Station Mail is nowadays circulated overseas to many Govt Depts & Institutes, & is influential.

If this tree would die, uproar may arise among the media all over town. Our media have never seemed to be happy about the treatment of our many ailing Mature Trees anyway. They would be like sharks hunting blood & would open the history book on our Mature trees to count the numbers. Someone may have to take the blame.

What is happening now for this 'Champion' Ficus may also spread to other Govt Dept looking after trees, since there are altogether 9 Govt Depts involved with Greenery in HK. Greenery or Environmental issues can not ignore trees.

This poor tree is now stuck at a dead end. Apparently very little can be done to it for full recovery. The only imaginary solution would be to consult our Mainland Chinese brothers & sisters for any' Magic Cure' to save this tree. If it does not work at the end, they can take the blame & let the media go after them ...

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Falling apart of the 200 year old 'Champion' Ficus)

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

As predicted by many, the 200 year old 'Champion' Ficus eventually fell off 1/3 of its tree parts at 1 pm yesterday in the rain. It hit & trapped a passer-by, & scared him to pieces. Luckily, the victim was caught between branches & escaped with only a scratch. He may never stand underneath a Mature Tree in HK in future after this event.

The report of this incident is captured in the attachment & in the newspaper links below:

1. http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070813/60/2diaf.html
2. http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070813/60/2dia4.html

It appears that the media has been collecting better history & data of the Mature Trees of HK than this Station. One media has also the excellent foresight to urge the Govt to require an Arborist Report in Tree Work which can be defined as Tree Selection, Tree Installation, Tree Maintenance, Tree Pruning, Tree Transplantation, Tree Inspection, Tree Risk Management & Tree Preservation in Construction Site.

A lot of the Tree Work mentioned will require Tree Climbing. ISA HK/China has already linked up with CUGE in Singapore & Tree Climbing International to provide such training overseas. Our Govt has made laws against Tree climbing in our urban parks & housing estates in the name of safety, & even qualified Tree Climbers are not allowed to climb trees with international safety standards in HK at present.

Arboriculture is all about proper Tree Care & Arborists are trained to look after trees from cradle to death. Arborists are Tree Doctors & Tree Detectives. Arborists in HK/China is governed by the ISA HK/China Station & our Station believes in Integrity, Professionalism & Participation with an attitude of fact-finding & truth-telling. Our Station maintains good discipline & high respect for our Station Members & our CA Family. Arborist in the CA Family are selected individuals to abide to the Code of Honour required of a Professional Arborist. Eviction from the CA Family is the highest disgrace that any Arborist can receive in the HK/China Region. A simple phone call or e-mail to this Station can confirm anybody in the CA Family or not.

Our Station works like a Gymnastic Contest in our discipline. Any Station Member coming in will receive a full mark of 10. If a Station Member does not comply with our Code of Honour, marks will be deducted to until he/she will be terminated. Any terminated Station Member may never re-join this Station as a matter of respect to our Station. Termination is more painful than prison for an Arborist. Eviction from the CA Family may be announced in public Station Mail.

Therefore, Arborists have established ourselves with a new position in the landscape industry in the HK/China Region. In the 2.5 years of history among the current 41 no. Certified Arborists in our territory, this Station has not received one single complaint for mal-practice of any of our Arborists in public or private communication. This Station intends to keep up our image in this manner & let Arborist be someone to be respected in our landscape industry.

Some Govt Depts will be sending large number of candidates to attend the CA exam later this October. This Station hopes the graduated CA from these Govt Depts can join us & carry on our tradition, so that the Arborist Profession will become a breath of fresh air in our Greenery development.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Tree Failures after Typhoon Pabuk)

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

The mini-typhoon of Pabuk practically came as nothing to feel on Aug 9, 2007 to attack HK. Most of us would feel more rain than any effect on wind really. According to HK Observatory's information, typhoon signal no. 3 of wind between 41 - 62 kmh was hoisted for a mere 8 hours. Even with that, a reported 35 Tree Failures happened all over HK as per the attached newspaper cutting & the following link:

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070809/60/2dc3i.html

This Station wants to emphasis that the above is the 'reported failures', not including those not reported to Govt authorities. No one would probable know the true figures of Tree Failures all over HK in any typhoon incident because we do not have an agency to collect them.

Matures Trees have now become time bombs in our city particularly in storm & wind. Most of the Tree Failures encountered in our city belong to the Mature Trees category. Mature Trees are all over the place now in streets, parks, housing estates & highways. This would mean tree owners & tree managers would need to be held liable for their trees, if they failed to hit someone or properties causing injuries or damages. Yet how many of them have ever sought the assistance of arborists for inspection, risk management or maintenance? Are arborists not qualified to carry out tree work? Then who is?

In our city, Tree Failures rarely would hit headline in the media. Tree Failures are no attraction as compared to some Mainland Chinese family chopping each other to pieces & throwing their children over the balcony. Trees are dispensable & they are there to abuse. When our city temperature becomes too high, our 'experts' would submit their 'innovation' on 'Roof Top Greening' instead, not planting & caring trees in the proper manner. Some would even encourage us to learn 'proper landscaping' from China. What have we become after 1997 ??

HK's success has been from learning & comparing with the world in the past 150 years. By now, nearly all our Station Members would agree the same when it comes to practising arboriculture as well. ISA is the biggest & most historical arbor organization in the world since 1924. If we do not develop ISA arboriculture in HK like Singapore has done, should learn it from our brothers & sisters up north?

If the trees in HK would improve like in Singapore for all their benefits to be given to our public, maybe our proposed Arboricultural Office is a necessity to achieve this important objective.

Requiring an Arborist Report for any Tree Inspection, Tree Felling, Tree Pruning & Tree Transplantation at the various Govt Depts including the DLO may be the shotest & simplest solution for better tree care at present.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- 'Tree Protection' Work to destroy trees

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

These appalling pictures were sent in by a Station Member on his way to work. Apparently some kind of 'Tree Protection' work was been carried out in accordance with approved design & specifications for existing trees for the enjoyment of the public.

It can be seen that the root zone near the trunk were ringed by an elevated planter wall & the root spreading area seemingly compacted by building materials. It is likely that topsoil will be added into the elevated planter for shrub/groundcover planting to 'beautify' the design. It is probably regarded that the eventual outcome would justify the time & expenses well spent by public funding.

The stone planter wall would weigh around a ton to cut into the radial roots of the existing trees. There may even be some kind of concrete foundation to support the stone planter wall & root cutting may become necessary to accommodate the foundation. If any topsoil is to be added into the inside of the planter for whatever purpose, further root suffocation for the tree & drainage problem may occur, killing the roots under even further.

The dying process may not happen immediately but gradually. Dieback at the canopy would first appear & the trees would gradually lose vigour. Leaves may drop. Pest problem & decay may appear as a secondary attack. Then may come some storm or wind, & the trees or their parts would fell to hit the ground below.

Then some would call it an 'Act of God', never the fault of human intervention.

Poor trees indeed which have no way to protest for all the malpractice & ill-treatment they have received. We human do not appreciate that when trees are in trouble, we are also in trouble. Look at how our city temperature has raised & how air is polluted. Research has shown that a good tree planting community usually lower crime, heal the mind & body faster, & the residents lives in better harmony. Look at Singapore as an example. Good tree planting does have its psychological benefits & it is up to we human to explore them. If more of our public can be attracted to discuss trees instead of universal suffrage, we shall have less social unrest & screaming in our media.

These poor trees may fell to hit someone or something eventually. The designers & tree owners may wake up one day when they were to be invited to face an Expert Witness Arborist in Court for a civil claim. Arborist can prove with research & experience that soil compaction & root suffocation can damage trees. Can the opposite side prove vice versa?

In HK, we always hear our Greenery personnel are busy at work. Is this the kind of work that they are busy at? Are we result-orientated in our attitude towards work any more? Or do we just enjoy heavy work?

And whose money is being spent?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- Tree Failures Workshop by Prof. Mattheck at CUGE, Singapore

Dear Station Members,

Please kindly find attached a very relevant Tree Failures training course offered by CUGE in Singapore from August 22 - 24, 2007.

The trainer of the course is the world famous Professor Claus Mattheck who has spent years in Tree Failures research & has produced numerous research reports published in Europe & ISA. Professor Mattheck is also an award winner for many tree related events & is well respected in the international arbor community. CUGE has this foresight & connection to invite this VIP over to lead them on Tree Failures, which in reality, would be a more relevant subject to HK/China because of our frequent events over here in typhoons or not.

The Station Manager himself is deeply interested in attending this very important training because he is interested to study Tree Failures over the years, despite from just returning from the Hawaiian Conference. However, he has a CITA lecture to give in the evening of August 22 & needs to look for help in replacement to relieve himself to attend the training.

If anyone would like to attend this important training, please kindly enrol yourself directly with CUGE or contact this Station for further arrangement.

Thank you for your kind attention.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager




----- Original Message -----

From: Iqbal SANJIMAN
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 5:46 PM
Subject: Leaf and Roots Mechanics by Dr Claus Mattheck

Dear Industry Partners,

We're pleased to inform you that the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology(CUGE), NParks will be conducting the above course on 22 - 24 Aug 07. SLICAssociation members will enjoy a 10% discount.

If you're keen to find outmore on tree failure, this is the course to attend. Details are in theattached brochure. Registration will be closed on 15 Aug 07. You'd bepleased to note that ISA Certified Arborists will be attain 19.5 CEUs byattending this workshop!!

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you need furtherclarifications. I can also be reached at 91728303.(See attached file: BrochurePublic.pdf)Have a great day!!

Iqbal Sanjiman § Manager (Manpower Development) § National Parks Board §Tel: +65 64719939 § Fax: +65 64723033

Privileged/Confidential information may be contained in this message. Ifyou are not the intended recipient, you must not copy, distribute or use itfor any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person. Pleasenotify the sender immediately if you receive this in error. § Check outour website at http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

ISA HK/China --- Tree Failures Workshop by Prof. Mattheck at CUGE, Singapore

Dear Station Members,

Please kindly find attached a very relevant Tree Failures training course offered by CUGE in Singapore from August 22 - 24, 2007.

The trainer of the course is the world famous Professor Claus Mattheck who has spent years in Tree Failures research & has produced numerous research reports published in Europe & ISA. Professor Mattheck is also an award winner for many tree related events & is well respected in the international arbor community. CUGE has this foresight & connection to invite this VIP over to lead them on Tree Failures, which in reality, would be a more relevant subject to HK/China because of our frequent events over here in typhoons or not.

The Station Manager himself is deeply interested in attending this very important training because he is interested to study Tree Failures over the years, despite from just returning from the Hawaiian Conference. However, he has a CITA lecture to give in the evening of August 22 & needs to look for help in replacement to relieve himself to attend the training.

If anyone would like to attend this important training, please kindly enrol yourself directly with CUGE or contact this Station for further arrangement.

Thank you for your kind attention.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager


----- Original Message -----

From: Iqbal SANJIMAN
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 5:46 PM
Subject: Leaf and Roots Mechanics by Dr Claus Mattheck

Dear Industry Partners,

We're pleased to inform you that the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology(CUGE), NParks will be conducting the above course on 22 - 24 Aug 07. SLICAssociation members will enjoy a 10% discount. If you're keen to find outmore on tree failure, this is the course to attend. Details are in theattached brochure. Registration will be closed on 15 Aug 07.

You'd bepleased to note that ISA Certified Arborists will be attain 19.5 CEUs byattending this workshop!!Please do not hesitate to contact me should you need furtherclarifications. I can also be reached at 91728303.(See attached file: BrochurePublic.pdf)Have a great day!!

Iqbal Sanjiman § Manager (Manpower Development) § National Parks Board

§Tel: +65 64719939 § Fax: +65 64723033Privileged/Confidential information may be contained in this message. Ifyou are not the intended recipient, you must not copy, distribute or use itfor any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person. Pleasenotify the sender immediately if you receive this in error. § Check outour website at http://www.nparks.gov.sg


Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology, NParks is proud to present a three-day workshop entitled “Leaf and Roots Mechanics.” The workshop will provide participants with valuable information on the mechanics of tree failure. This workshop will be conducted by Dr Claus Mattheck, an expert on the mechanics and fracture behaviour of trees and on fatigue fractures of mechanical components.

Details of the programme are as follows:

Workshop Date : 22 Aug to 24 August 2007 (Wed to Fri)
Time : 8 30am – 5.30pm
Venue : Multi-Purpose Hall, Peirce Road Depot
(lunch and tea-breaks will be provided)

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

Day One – 22 Aug 2007
8.30am Registration
9.00am Introduction by Prof. Dr Claus Mattheck
VTA-Elite lecture: Tree Engineering
9.15am Introduction into a spoken mechanics for arborists
Failure modes at trees and at objects around trees
10.30am Tea Break
10.45pm Playground tools around trees
Mechanical aids for trees
How to analyse failures ex post
12.30pm Lunch
1.30pm Limit load analysis better than wind load assessment
Forces of trees introduced in the surrounding
Spectacular new design rules in nature
3.30pm Tea break
3.45pm Understanding the wind
New court cases from Germany
5.00pm End of Day 1

SIGN UP TODAY!

! An insight into tree
mechanics!
! ISA Certified Arborists will
get 19.5 CEUs!!
Leaf and Roots Mechanics
by Dr Claus Mattheck

Day Two - 23 Aug 2007
9.00am New VTA-book and Leaf Mechanics
-leaf mechanics
-wind deformation of leafs
-maximum forces of leafs introduced into the branch
10.30am Tea Break
10.45pm -is there a critical slenderness for branches?
-new ideas on summer branch drop
-measured side support of branches and wrong pruning
12.30pm Lunch
1.30pm -branch pruning and stand thinning in comparison
-limitations of drilling, sounding, pulling diagnosis
3.30pm Tea break
3.45pm -fights about hollow trees
-effects of drilling to trees
-how to simulate biological growth without computer
5.00pm End of Day 2

Day Three – 24 Aug 2007
9.00am Root Mechanics
-how trees anchor in the ground
-the double nature of root plates
-sinker roots as shear killers
10.30am Tea Break
10.45pm -how far grow roots away from trunk?
-lateral pressure of roots and related failures
-reading in cracks of hard cover or buildings
-assessment of loads introduced in pipes and houses
-anchor help for trees
12.30pm Lunch
1.30pm -good stones and bad stones
-high water level and root plate
-new container formulae tailored to the individual trunk size
-is the container formulae good for trenching assessment?
3.30pm Tea break
3.45pm -do trees stabilize or sabotage slopes?
-a new wooden model to illustrate wind throw and soil shear
-root- and branch attachment in comparison
-future of trees in narrow cities
5.00pm End of Day 3

TRAINER PROFILE

Prof. Dr Claus Mattheck is from Germany. He Graduated in Theoretical Physics in
1973, qualified to lecture in Damage Analysis at Karlsruhe University in 1985, and
now lectures on biomechanics as professor. Head of Department of Biomechanics
at the Institute for Materials Research II of the Karlsruhe Research Centre, expert
on the mechanics and fracture behaviour of trees and on fatigue fractures of
mechanical components. Awarded the Science Award of the Industrial Research
Foundation for the computer simulation of biological growth in 1991; the Literature
Award of the Karl Theodor Vogel Foundation for technical journalism in 1992; the Georg Winter
Award of the European Society for Biomaterials in 1993; honorary membership of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Great Britain & Ireland in 1997; the Science Award of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences in 1998 (founded by the Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz Foundation); the Chadwick Award of the ISA for arboricultural research in 1998; the Henry Ford European Conservation Award (environment technology); and the Inge & Werner Grüter Award for science journalism in 1999; the 2002 Annual Award of the Arboricultural Association (UK); honorary membership of the Urban Tree Diagnosis Association of Japan in 2003 and the German Environmental Award 2003.

WORKSHOP & ASSESSMENT FEES

Course Fees : S$1,530.10 (inclusive of GST)
Course Fees for SLIC Association Members (10% CUGE Privilege Discount) : $1,377.09*
(*LIAS, SILA, IPR, FAS, Orchid Business Cluster and Golf Clubs Managers' Association)

REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT

Please complete and the enclosed registration form (together with payment) by 15 Aug 2007 to:

Attn : Iqbal Sanjiman
National Parks Board
Industry Division
Singapore Botanic Gardens
1 Cluny Road
Singapore 259569

CANCELLATION

National Parks Board reserves the right to change the workshop venue, cancel or reschedule it if
necessary or warranted by circumstances beyond our control.
There will be no refund of fees for withdrawal. However, if the registered participant is unable to attend a representative may be allowed to attend at no extra cost. Please inform us of the
changes by phone, email or fax 2 working days before the commencement of the workshop.

For further enquiries, please contact:

Mr Iqbal Sanjiman, DID: 64719939, Fax: 64723033, Email: iqbal_sanjiman@nparks.gov.sg
QR-CUGE-01.5
NATIONAL PARKS BOARD

“Let’s make Singapore Our Garden!”

SHORT COURSES / SEMINARS REGISTRATION FORM

Course Title : Leaf and Roots Mechanics (22 - 24 Aug 2007)

To register to attend the programme, please send the completed form and payment to:

Attn : Iqbal Sanjiman,
Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569
Tel: 64719939 Fax: 6472 3033 Email: nparks_cuge@nparks.gov.sg

PERSONAL PROFILE

Name: *Mr / Mrs / Miss
NRIC/ Passport No.: Date of Birth:
Nationality: Singapore PR: * Yes / No
Address:
Professional Qualification : Language Proficiency:
*English/Malay/Mandarin/Tamil
Highest Educational Qualification:
Years of Experience in Industry:
Home No.: Office No.:
Mobile No.: Fax No.:
Personal Email:
COMPANY PROFILE
Company Sponsored * Yes / No Salary: ______________ Job Designation:
Company's Contact Person Company Contact No.________________
Company Name:
Company Address:
Company Email :
Association Membership:
PAYMENT DETAILS
Cheque Details: ______________________ Cheque Amount _________________

Terms and Conditions:
! CUGE reserves the right to cancel the course.
! Full payment should be made at least 5 days before the programme commences. Applicants who do not make
full payment will not be allowed to attend the programme.
! All cheques should be crossed and made payable to "National Parks Board - CUGE".
! There will be no refund of payment once the application is confirmed.
I certify that all information in this Registration Form is true and correct and I have understood all the Terms and
Conditions.
I certify that my company and I have arranged for adequate insurance coverage.
Signature of Applicant Date

ISA HK/China --- Linking up with Tree Climbing Japan

To: Dr. John Gathright ， Hara San, Morita San & Kawajiri San,
Tree Climbing Japan,
Japan


Dear John & Tree Doctor Friends of Japan,

皆さん、今日は。 こネは ISA HK/China と もう します。 どぞ、よろしく、お願いします。

It has been such a pleasure & honour to have met you all at the 2007 ISA International Conference in Hawaii. Your website of

www.treeclimbingjapan.org

is well known to us in HK. We have also learned something about the prestigious Japan Tree Doctors System in

http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia24/en/feature/feature08.html

before coming to Hawaii & we have great respect for the Japanese Tree Doctors both as a scientist & artist combined. When a Japanese Tree Doctor has also mastered Tree Climbing, is there anything that can challenge it in Tree Care?

Down here in ISA HK/China where we administer ISA development for the region of HK, Macau, Taiwan & China, we are at a beginner's stage in modern arboriculture. Whereas international arboriculture has already finely branched into Commercial, Municipal, Utility, R & D, & Tree Climbing, some of us here are still debating wither horticulture is part of landscape design or vice versa. Tree abuses happen commonly all over our territory & old masters would fend off modern practices.

That's why we are seeking help everywhere to upgrade ourselves.

In reality, ISA arboriculture & the Japan Tree Doctors System do not conflict with each other like Herbal Medicine (漢藥) & Western Medicine (洋藥). If any Japan Tree Doctor can become an ISA Certified Arborist (CA) as well, he will be riding on top of the world. I personally do not see any domination of one system over another as some Japanese Tree Doctors would worry, & more communication between both sides will certainly promote better understanding.

We in HK have a long association with Japanese culture for decades already. HK is only 3.5 hours flight away from Tokyo & we may have more Japanese people living in HK today than HK people living in Tokyo. Japanese TV is on show 24 hours a day & 80% of our cars are made in Japan. HK people have good respect towards Japanese culture & would ask our brothers & sisters in China to learn manners, hygiene, public order, self-discipline & law abiding spirit from Japan. The Japanese language is the 2nd most popular foreign language in HK besides English. I myself have learned it in evening classes at Chinese University for 7 years & I can read a Japanese Newspaper reasonably well today.

ISA HK/China currently is the closest location to practise ISA arboriculture from Japan & we also organize ISA CA exam in English every April & October. We do not provide advanced training at present because we are short of personnel & expertise in HK. We rely on the Centre of Urban Greenery & Ecology (CUGE, www.cuge.com.sg) in Singapore to provide us such training. CUGE can also administer ISA exams several times a year more often than we do. If any of you would like to develop yourselves in this area of practice, you are most welcome to contact CUGE who are very friendly people.

ISA HK/China produces a weekly Station Mail on local tree affairs & ISA activities in our region. Our Station Mail now circulates free of charge to HK, Macau, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand & USA. I am enclosing a typical Station Mail for your interesting reading. If Tree Climbing Japan would like to be included in our circulation list, please just kindly advise.

On the proposed Study Tour of ISA HK/China to Japan to visit your beautiful landscape & Tree Climbing, we are thinking of either matching the time of Cherry Blossom in April or Red Maple Season in September. We shall discuss this more among our Station Members & liaise with Tree Climbing Japan in future.

We have one small request to ask from Tree Climbing Japan if at all possible. We are particularly interested in your research in the Therapeutic Values of Tree Climbing to the handicapped & mentally disordered patients. If you have any research material in English that can be passed to us, we would like to send it to our Medical Associations for their further studies. We also hope some of their Medical Doctors can even set up Tree Climbing HK for which ISA HK/China will be pleased to provide every assistance. The values of Recreational Tree Climbing now has become recognized by your great Prime Minister & the Japanese Govt. ISA HK/China would like to learn & develop this aspect with Tree Climbing Japan in our region.

It has been a pleasure to have met all of you in Hawaii & we certainly hope ISA HK/China can strengthen relationship with Tree Climbing Japan in future for the benefit of both society.

In your reply to us, you can use either English or Japanese, or a combination of both. If I am stuck, I shall consult the dictionary.

今、また。失礼 します。

With warmest regards,

Sammy Au (歐永森)
ISA HK/China Station Manager
ISA Chief Proctor of the HK/China Region
ISA Certified Arborist / Certified Tree Climber no. ML- 0174AT
International Tree Failure Database Coordinator in the HK/China Region
Independent Tree Specialist to HKSAR Govt
Lecturer of Tree Supervision at CITA

ISA HK/China --- Regional collaboration with the Philippines in arboriculture

To: Professor Armando Palijon
University of the Philippines Los Banos,
Philippines

Dear Armando,

It was such a pleasure to have met you in Hawaii during the ISA International Conference & have learned that you have positive interest to become an ISA Certified Arborist to develop ISA arboriculture in the Philippines. I understand that there is no ISA Certified Arborist in the Philippines at present. If you later become the first one, your name will be down in history in the Philippines because no one can ever replace you as the first. It will be a great family honour for you indeed.

We ISA HK/China would like to provide our support to you if you would ever need it, because we are only 2.5 years older than you are & are equally developing ourselves from scratch. The successful experience in our territory can help you as a developing nation to overcome obstacles like we have had.

It is nice to learn that in the Philippines, you are having foresters acting as arborists to advise on tree affairs at present. As you become more involved in arboriculture, you may find that the two disciplines differ in many ways from nursery stocks to maintenance, & forest tress usually have lower human targets as compared to urban trees. Forest trees would also grow in groups whereas urban trees usually grow as individuals. The growing condition for both are rather different from each other & treatment would also deviate accordingly.

I have already placed you into the circulation list of our weekly Station Mail on local tree affairs & ISA activities in the HK/China Region. You may wish to circulate it within the Philippines at your pleasure to anybody interested. Our Station Mail has given up copyright & is written with ISA principles on tree care & education. It is currently distributed to HK, Macau, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand & USA for their onward circulation, usually by 'bcc' to protect privacy.

As I have mentioned to you in Hawaii, ISA HK/China conducts Certified Arborist exam twice a year in HK, usually once in April & another in October. Our Filipino friends are welcomed to come to sit for the exam & ISA HK/China will assist all of you in finding accommodation. HK is only 1.5 hours flight from Manila & the air fare by Cebu Airlines now can be as low as US$100.00 per trip. There are currently over 150,000 Filipino workers living in our tiny city of HK. I'm sure none of you will become lonely upon arrival.

HK & Philippines have a long-standing relationship for centuries & HK is the closest ISA organization to the Philippines at present. Although HK is nowhere advanced in tree care when compared to Australia or Singapore, we tend to be in a similar position like the Philippines in our arboricultural development & we can be a poor man's choice for reference if you would ever require our service. The proximity & common language will help us bond each other more easily.

Shortly after this message, I shall send you a packet of selected Station Mail to help you understand some of our past happening. They are quite sizeable but educational, & we hope you may find use in them during your spare time.

Thank you for making friend with us & please do not hesitate to contact us for anything of help to you. Together we work, we can make our territory a better place to live, one tree at a time.

best regards,

Sammy Au
ISA HK/China Station Manager
ISA Chief Proctor of the HK/China Region
ISA Certified Arborist / Certified Tree Climber no. ML- 0174AT
International Tree Failure Database Coordinator in the HK/China Region
Independent Tree Specialist to HKSAR Govt
Lecturer of Tree Supervision at CITA

ISA HK/China --- Root disturbance in the name of 'Cultivation'

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

Just one more Station Mail before Hawaii.

The Station Manager drove passed this site yesterday & saw a bunch of landscaping workers busy digging with hand tools & excavator to churn the 1 ft. topsoil upside down, & raked anything in the way for collection as garbage in storage bags for disposal.

Upon asking what they were doing, the workers replied that they were told to carry out 'Cultivation' as required in their landscape contract. It was said that the 'Cultivation' was absolutely necessary to loosen & aerate the soil to avoid 'compaction'. When it was examined what kind of debris would be removed from the 'compacted' soil in the storage bags, over 90% of them were tree roots. The roots of the mature trees underneath were matting to form an extensive network at the 1 ft. topsoil for water & nutrients absorption, & they were treated as debris during the so-called 'Cultivation' process. They were cut, grabbed & pulled out in a genocide fashion for the purpose of 'Aeration'.

It is known to Arborists all around the world that the Absorbing Roots of a mature tree would grow & mat the 1 ft. topsoil in most places. Absorbing roots are also Primary Growth which would not regenerate upon damage & would simply die. If a mature tree would lose too many absorbing roots for water & nutrient uptake, being senile, it would lose vigour quickly & may not be able to generate new roots quick enough to support all the living functions of the canopy above. What the mature tree may do is to divert energy reserves within cells to compensate root loss, at the expense of the defence mechanism. If pathogens nearby could take this opportunity to invade the weakened tree at the many wounds inflicted during 'Cultivation', depending on its energy reserve & vigour, the mature tree may not be able to compartmentalize adequately & would be attacked by pathogens.

When so happened, dieback & internal decay may happen. Internal cracks & cankers may develop. The tree may try to fight back by adding more compartmentalization, burning up remaining energy reserves up to a point. Then if incorrect pruning like Lion-Tailing or Topping would happen at the same time during 'Cultivation', the tree may not be able to replace its energy loss & may decide to give up of some of its boundaries to pathogens for co-existence. This compromise may persist for a few years. Then a storm may come & break off the tree at its weakest parts, & perhaps hit somebody or a car passing by.

Then can we call this Tree Failure an 'Act of God' ?

The Certified Arborist acting as Expert Witness in Court certainly would not. If a tree within a managed domain has been tampered with horticultural practice, the Tree Failure would not be regarded as an 'Act of God' in most Western Courts. It would simply be a Civil Negligence or a Tort. The tree owner may be responsible for the action.

Somehow our territory has mixed up practices of Horticulture with that of Arboriculture. Some horticultural experts would regard their practices on shrubs & herbs would be equally applicable to trees. If they were right, ISA would not need to start in 1924 & the 20,000 Certified Arborists around the world would be out of a job. The hundreds of Govt bodies, Universities & Research Institutes around the world would be wasting time & money to study trees & tree care. Our Station would simply pack up & go home, & would not grow to the size of today. Tree Care is a specialist subject.

Trees are the tallest & longest living creatures in this planet. They were there long before humans learned to walk (for 200 million years) & modern civilization could not exist without trees. Trees dominate the forests & would determine the smaller plants underneath to survive or not. Tree Care can not be compared with that of the smaller plants.

Knowing all these, do we reckon we would need Arborists to look after our trees? Or would we prefer to see Veterinary Surgeons operate on humans in our hospital ?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- Tree planting to curb air pollution in HK

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

The Chief Executive (CE) of the HKSAR Govt, His Excellency Mr. Donald Tsang, has recently spoken out about his desire to 'restore our Blue Sky with a magic stick' in view of our current air pollution. Details of his interview in Chinese can be visited at:

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070720/60/2byrn.html

Although the result of our current air pollution is complex & would require the cooperation of our Chinese neighbours up north, there is at least one thing our Govt can do to ease the situation in our city area within our ability --- by installing Urban Trees properly.

One of the benefits of trees is trapping air pollutants in their foliage & bark, besides absorbing heat, providing shade & supplying oxygen. Western cities including Singapore have recognized these benefits years ago & they have implemented massive Tree Planting in their Greenery Program, not just for ' flowering' like China & HK emphasized so much upon, but environmental & ecological benefits as given in research. Just visit any successful Western city in Europe, America, Australia, NZ & Singapore, & check out their Tree Planting. Are their trees like ours especially in terms of structure & performance? The facts have spoken for themselves.

Another important issue our CE has mentioned is that he has encouraged our Civil Servants ' to break away from old thinking, & to openly discuss & listen to the public during policy making & resolution'. This is an excellent comment indeed so pleased to be heard by all of us, because this would mean our current Govt will no longer work like the old one making unilateral decisions without participation of public & would force-feed those policies in the hope that they would be acceptable & admired by the receptors. Hasn't HK had enough of these in the past 10 years? Otherwise, there would not be half a million protesters marching out on street in July 2005.

When it comes to Tree planting, the issue of proper Tree Care can not be ignored, because if a tree is not selected, installed, maintained & inspected properly, it will eventually become more a liability rather than an asset to our society. Just look at the number of Tree Failures in our city in the past few years. We have perhaps lost more trees in a month after typhoons in Aug 2006 in the thousands, than Singapore would have lost in total since Singapore became a nation from the 1960's. Something must have gone wrong with our mature trees & it would be difficult to imagine how happy the public would accept that. Changes in our old practices need to happen if our CE's words are correct.

ISA may have arrived in our region just a little too late. After developing in advanced nations for years, our Station has finally invited ISA to land in HK with their international connection & expertise, & it looks like ISA is here to stay, despite opposition. Because if not, ISA would simply divert the resources to our neighbours like Taiwan & China, & help them there. It is a free world for ISA indeed & the choice is on their hands.

If so happened, wouldn't it be hard then for us to swallow if we were to be taught ISA by our brothers & sisters from around with perhaps their half-English, whereas we would continue to be proud of our old practices to invite more Tree Failures in time to come ??

It appears that the choice is apparently ours.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- Tree Planting to cool HK Pt. 2

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

Further to our station Mail a little while ago on the benefit of Tree Planting to cool our over-developed city, another warning came from the Director of HK Observatory Mr. CY Lam, on 14.7.07 that HK may lose its winter in a mere 40 years, instead of the initially estimated 50 years mentioned by him in less than a month ago.

His comments in Chinese can be visited at:

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070714/60/2bhp8.html .

HK is indeed getting hotter & hotter year by year. The Station Manager has noticed that it was 37C outside his office in Sheung Shui at 2 pm on July 16 & it was an alarming 39C at ETF during his visit at 2 pm on July 15. While the trees were so chosen to tolerate this temperature by selection at ETF, it was not so for the poor workers there working under sun. They could simply only recess & ETF was losing productivity.

Singapore has taken a measured foresight to cool their city by massive Tree Planting since the 1960's & they have preferred canopy coverage for practical reason instead of going blindly for flowering. After all, flowers on trees are really meant for attracting insects & birds for reproductive reason. We human just so happen to enjoy them as uninvited guests. On the other hand, how long a period would any flowering last for most of our trees anyway? Maximum for a month? How useful would these trees really be after flowering, to meet our desperate need of cooling our city, if they would really flower according to design (Flowering actually require many physiological criteria) ?? Maybe the answer can be obtained by counting the number of people strolling our city parks during high noon in summer. Many, or just a few ? Why ? Is it too hot to stay ??

If our 'flowering' trees do not have adequate canopy coverage to trap sun's ray, it will then be our concrete & other hard surfaces to absorb & release the heat to us day & night. In our current city texture, they are apparently the winners.

Then would anyone still insist to select our trees for 'flowering' only & whose money are being spent? Is that money really justified for individual compassion?

Some research papers published recently on the Cooling Effects of Trees have over-emphasized the reflectivity (albedo) of trees & have actually ignored the total energy absorption of Photosynthesis in its simplest form:

6CO2 + 6H2O ---> C6H12O6 + 6O2
or
Carbon Dioxide + Water ---> Carbohydrate + Oxygen

During Photosynthesis, the sun's energy is absorbed, turned & stored in the form of chemical energy in carbohydrate, which is then transformed through physiological processes with other compounds (partly from fertilizers) to form plant tissues, the predominant of which is Wood. If this wood is not immediately used as a an energy source by primarily combustion, it can be stored or compressed through time to be turned into fossil fuels, which during burning, will give us the energy so trapped by the sun. Therefore, trees are storing the sun's energy in an efficient & environmentally friendly manner, besides their many other social & psychological benefits to us. Just look at how human & animals stow under trees to get cooled in the tropics.

However, if we are going to plant trees to trap sun's energy & cool ourselves, we shall need to understand how to select, plant, maintain & inspect these eventually massive structures so that they will not become our liabilities. Mature trees can fall to kill people & damage properties, in storm & in tranquillity. Hence Western countries require Arborists to look after their trees, so does Singapore. Arborists are Tree Doctors & Tree Detectives, & tree care is their subject.

It is a practice that in Western countries, Arboriculture is a Practitioner Trade & Arborists need to touch trees, not only books & computers. ISA was inaugurated in 1924 when a lot of other Greenery Institutes were not even conceived. ISA was established out of a social need, not as a hobby.

If HK is going to select, plant, maintain & inspect our trees properly so that trees can become our asset instead of liability like in Singapore, it is only logical that we need Arborists to look after our trees. The Station Manager has always compared Horticulturist as Veterinary Surgeon to Arborist as Human Doctor. Each specializes in their own field. What organization can then supply & maintain qualified Arborists to international standard in HK/China at present? Perhaps only ISA HK/China with our growing 390 Station Members & international connection, because we are the biggest currently & very much alive.

Our Station will no doubt participate more & more into the HK society, if HK would demand quality trees to become our asset. Taiwan & China will be next.

If not, may be we shall need to turn on our air-con higher, & higher, & ...

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- An 'Imaginary' Arboricultural Office in the HKSAR Govt

*** 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.***

Dear Station Members,

For years politicians & experts in HK have been calling to set up a Govt Dept to handle all tree affairs & to legislate Tree Laws. However, nobody has come up with a solid proposal on how to do so. Maybe one reason is that hardly any of them understands enough about proper tree care in international practice & the complexity of skills involved. Can car drivers design aeroplanes?

Our Station has taken some time to study the structure & functions of various overseas Arbor Offices in several countries & have come up with a proposal to design such a controversial Dept suitable for our current condition for the reference of anybody. We call it the 'Imaginary' Arboricultural Office, because in HK we believe in innovation.

The structure of the Imaginary Arboricultural Office (ArbO) is given in the attachment for study by our Govt & public. Please print it out & refer.

ArbO will consist of a Principle Arboricultural Officer (PAO) & 4 Arboricultural Officers (AO(1) to AO(4)) besides the usual admin & finance staff. These 5 major officers will form the backbone of ArbO. They are all specialists in their own field & their duties are as follows:

1. PAO --- This team leader will design & operate ArbO to the satisfaction of the Govt & public on any matter relating to Urban Tree Care. The PAO must be knowledgeable in Arbor trade & be political enough to face Govt bureaucrats & politicians alike. The PAO must be fluent & eloquent in local languages, & be experienced enough both in office & on trees to earn the respect of staff & opponents. PAO will be the star of the show & his/her leadership will determine the survival of ArbO in the initial 2 year trial period of ArbO. If the wrong person is chosen, ArbO is doomed to fail.

2. AO(1) --- This is the Policy Division led by an office type of Arborist mostly dealing with approval & submission of Master Landscape Plan with focus on trees, Tree Surveys, & Felling/Transplantation/Pruning Application of mature trees on site. AO(1) is also responsible for unifying General Specifications on Trees for all Govt Depts, Law Enforcement & Prosecution of any violation of Tree Laws, Protection & Preservation of Trees, Design & Safety Advisory on tree matters, & preparation of Tree Legislation as so required by Legco. AO(1) will need to go on site to study trees in situ for various applications & complaints. An Arborist with landscaping background is recommended for the post of AO(1).

3. AO(2) --- This is the Operation Division over-looking all tree actions on site & is to be led by a qualified Tree Climber with adequate knowledge in field operation. AO(2) will be responsible for Inspecting Nursery Stocks, Planting Supervision, Maintenance Supervision which includes Tree Felling & Structural Pruning, Protection & Preservation Supervision which includes Lightning Protection, Cabling & Bracing, Advanced Tree Climbing Operation to help AO(3) in Tree Inspection & Hazard Analysis when necessary, to help AO(4) in training Govt & Private Tree Climbers, & Emergency Clearance Operations during typhoons & unexpected tree failures. AO(2) will be the action person among the 4 Divisions, & will be ready to work round the clock during emergency & at weekends for training purpose.

4. AO(3) --- This is the Urban Forestry Division to be led by an experienced Tree Assessor Arborist with ability to build a Tree Inventory for the 730,000 no. of our Urban Trees all over HK. Besides this massive operation, AO(3) will have a team to carry out yearly Tree Inspection & Hazard Analysis to minimize potential tree failures in our territory. In a way, AO(3) is on call 24 hours a day & 7 days a week for particularly Emergency Tree Hazard Assessment which could lead to immediate tree removal during stormy weather, together with AO(2) operating during emergencies on site. AO(3) will advise AO(2) on which trees to remove, because AO(2) is supposedly a more experienced Tree Assessor. AO(3) & staff must also be qualified Tree Climbers on machines or ropes when necessary, for Aerial Inspection & Rescue during Tree Inspection & Assessment. The Old & Valuable Trees Management will also fall into the domain of AO(3).

5. AO(4) --- This is the Education & Research Division responsible for Arbor training in Govt Depts & public. AO(4) will work with various institutes & private developers to offer Arbor Seminars & to explain Govt policies on Tree Affairs. AO(4) will organize & supervise Arbor training with local & overseas trainers for Arbor training at different levels. Collecting Tree Failures Data is part of AO(4)'s research besides identifying suitable trees for landscaping use in urban areas during the routine Tree Inventory & Tree Inspection of AO(3). AO(4) will also assist PAO in answering Legco enquiries & will advise AO(1) in Prosecution & Legal Affairs with the latest development in international Arbor research. AO(4) is the liaison with regional Arbor partners & International Organizations such as ISA, Nparks, USFS, ITFD, FAO, etc. on Arbor research & practices. AO(4) will conduct Tree Climbing training to Govt & Private Sector in conjunction with staff of AO(2). Since AO(4) is really the Publicity Officer & Training Organizer of the 4 Divisions, AO(4) should also be a qualified Tree Climber & is likely to work day & night for the various social functions, training & seminars.

Out of the 5 major officers in ArbO, only AO(1) is not required to conduct regular Tree Climbing, although knowing how to climb is an obvious technical advantage. AO(4) may need to perform Basic Tree Climbing in conducting seminars & training sessions, but should be familiar with all the Tree Climbing & Rigging Skills, at least in theory, for selecting local or overseas Tree Climbing Trainers. Although the AO(1-4) will work independently from each other, support to each other is deemed necessary because ArbO will work as a team, & not individual heroes.

It can be seen that ArbO is an unusual office full of experts with specialist skills working day & night for more a mission than salary & welfare. Arborists all around the world have a common character of respecting their profession more than money, & most are willing to sacrifice for the course & not bent.

The administration of ArbO is proposed to be as follows:

1. Every person in ArbO should be signed on a 2 year contract for practical reasons:

a. If ArbO does not perform as expected, it can be closed down after 2 years without too much disturbance to the Govt system.

b. It is likely that staff from other Govt Depts will be seconded to join ArbO & they may not enjoy the pressure of work & strict discipline demanded in ArbO. Tree Work is a very dangerous profession indeed. More Tree Workers are killed or injured every year than Firemen & Police put together in USA .

c. Although it is a Govt policy to work 5 days in a week in HK, in view of the tremendous amount of initial work in ArbO, it is unlikely that PAO & AO(1-4) will be working less than 6 days/nights per week in the first 2 years when ArbO is started. In short, the senior ArbO staff will work at least one day free of charge for our Govt & public, to earn respect from other Depts & anybody. Some of the staff may not want to carry on after their 2 year contract has expired. A change of guard may become necessary after every 2 years. In fact, the PAO is not even expected to take any vacation in the 2 year contract because of the apparent workload. ArbO can not be lenient if it is to be started well, sustain & to earn the cooperation instead of jealousy from other Govt Depts & suspicion from the public. ArbO will be truly 'blood & thunder' all the way until our tree affairs are on proper track in line with international practices.

2. In admin structure, ArbO should be attached directly to the Chief Secretary for authority instead of placing it under any Govt Dept to avoid departmental interest over-riding ArbO, if ArbO is truly desired to perform its duties. In Singapore, Nparks is placed under the Ministry of National Development which is just under the Prime Minister Office. Nparks is no. 3 in the ladder & can not be easily disturbed in its work. If attaching ArbO to the Chief Secretary invites too much criticism, ArbO should be at least attached to the Environmental Protection Dept (EPD) for independency.

3. Owing to the high level of expertise involved, hardly any Govt Dept at present will have adequate knowledge to supervise ArbO in its technical performance. Hence, the future ISA organization of HK/China can be invited in a committee format to help analysing the progress of ArbO & advise the Govt on ArbO's technical performance.

4. ArbO staff should comply to the principles of Integrity, Professionalism & Participation with an attitude of fact-finding & truth-telling laid down by ISA HK/China in their work, on top of Govt regulations. All ArbO technical staff should belong to ISA HK/China for moral discipline & let ISA HK/China govern their behaviour. In a nutshell, if any ArbO staff is evicted by ISA HK/China on moral ground, it's time for ArbO to consider terminating his/her contract.

ArbO will become a unique office in the HKSAR Govt. ArbO should be a model & an example of Govt Depts. ArbO staff will not aim solely for job promotion & welfare, but will require their work to be done well with honour. ArbO will no doubt intercept opponents both in Govt structure & public because of their influence & dedication. However, with Integrity, Professionalism & Participation as competition banner, armed with fact-finding & truth-telling, may the best team win at the end of the day !! All in all, it will be the public who benefit if ArbO survives.

Although the ArbO structure is primarily aimed for the HK Govt, our regional partners are welcomed to make reference if they would like to set up their own.

If ArbO can ever begin in the HK Govt, maybe it can take reference from some famous events in military history.


"In January 1879, the Zulu King of South Africa decided to go to war with Britain in consideration of their superior number & military success locally. On 22 January 1879, a Zulu army of 20,000 crushed & killed 1,329 British & native troops in Isandhlwana & over 4,000 of them were then marching to attack the small British Army depot at Rorke's Drift which was held by a small regiment of 139 Welsh Engineers commandeered by Lt. Chard & Lt. Bromhead.

The Zulus were known for their ferocity in battle & their warriors could outrun Calvary horses. They could run 50 miles in a day & then fought a battle at the end. Their weaponry was efficient in hand to hand combat. The Welsh Engineers seemingly had no chance to hold their position against these formidable warriors with their smaller number & open position. Just before the battle started, the native volunteer soldiers accompanying the Welsh Engineers abandoned the depot & called the British mad & suicidal. However, Lt. Chard, the senior in command, ordered Lt. Bromhead to prepare defence because they had no order to retreat. They were ready to do their duties.

Waves of tidal attacks descended from the Zulu who just won a victory the day earlier on the small Welsh garrison & the Zulus regarded this small regiment of British Army an easy prey. However, the British repelled successfully attacks after attacks with dogged determination to stand their position, never yielding in spite of their inferior number & heavy casualties. The fighting went on for two days & Zulus were losing their hundreds with the British defence lines broken at several pockets. Despite casualties & exhaustion, the British fought on without giving up. They stood their valour without fear in front of a crushing enemy in a ratio 1 to 28.

At the end of repeated charges, the Zulu Chiefs decided the defenders deserved respect & honour for their bravery. Even the savages have principles for gallantry. After chanting war praise to the Welshmen in a farewell bid, the Zulu army withdrew in an orderly fashion & left the defenders to lick their wound. The 139 Welshmen, dead & injured for many, had held their position & performed their duty.

This small band of Welsh Engineers now left their names in history & let the followers admire their deeds. They were eventually awarded 11 Victorian Crosses to their commanders & soldiers for their exceptional performance, honouring them for their gallantry & bravery in an impossible battle. The Rorke's Drift Defence has been the most ever awarded with Victoria Cross in a single battle in the British military history."


The setting up of ArbO in our Govt is anticipated to be something like Rorke's Drift, at least in the beginning. Only the brave & determined should come into ArbO to leave their names in Arbor history in HK/China.

The famous song 'Men of Harlec' was resonated by the Welsh Engineers during the Zulu battle:

'Men of Harlec on to glory.
This will ever be your story.
Keep these burning words before ye.
Welshmen will not yield ...'

The staff of ArbO may need to remember these words in their push against odds in their future 'mission impossible'.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

Structure of the ‘Imaginary’ Arboricultural office (ArbO) in the HKSAR Govt


Principal Arboricultural Officer (PAO)



Administration Finance Arboricultural Arboricultural Arboricultural Arboricultural
Manager Manager Officer (AO1) Officer(AO2) Officer (AO3) Officer (AO4)



Asst Asst. Asst. Asst. Asst. Asst. Asst. Asst.
Arboricultural Arboricultural Arboricultural Arboricultural Arboricultural Arboricultural Arboricultural Arboricultural
Officer (1a) Officer (1b) Officer (2a) Officer (2b) Officer (3a) Officer (3b) Officer (4a) Officer (4b)

Notes:

1. AO(1) is the Policy Division responsible for submissions in Master Landscape Plan, Tree Survey, Felling, Transplantation, Structural Pruning, etc, & for Prosecution, Enforcement, Protection & Preservation, Design & Safety Advisory, & Legislation of Tree Regulations.

2. AO(2) is the Operation Division responsible for Nursery Stocks Inspection, Planting Supervision, Maintenance Supervision, Protection & Preservation Supervision, Tree Climbing Operation, Emergency Clearance (Sudden Failure & Typhoons) Operation & Tree Climbing Training.

3. AO(3) is the Urban Forestry Division responsible for Tree Inventory (Urban), Regular Tree Inspection, Hazard Analysis, Old & Valuable Trees Management.

4. AO(4) is the Education & Research Division responsible for Govt staff Training, Community Education, International Liaison, Tree Failure Analysis, & Tree Climbing Training for Govt Staff & public (in conjunction with AO(2)).