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)).

ISA HK/China --- Arrival of Station Logo

Dear All,

It is the utmost pleasure of this Station to announce that a Station Logo which is the 'Kathy Ng & Derek Chong 3' in the attachment, has been chosen by the CA Family today after voting for the use of ISA HQ & our future correspondences until further notice. Please kindly note 'Kathy Ng & Derek Chong 3 & 4' are actually identical.

This Station wishes to thank Kathy Ng & Derek Chong for all their hard work in submitting several designs for the consideration of the CA Family.

Please also note all other entries are given in the attachment for the judgement of our now 390 no. of Station Members & overseas partners. This Station remains open to accept any future design proposals because this is the way to improved ourselves. Please therefore do not become shy to forward your comments which will be past to the CA Family for discussion.

Now with the Station Logo, this Station is moving one step closer to the eventual set-up of the ISA HK/China Chapter. This Station has been designed as a testing ground for our future Chapter owing to its virtual existence & flexibility at present. The experienced gained in our Station will become the backbone of our Chapter later. All we need now are more enthusiasm & participation from our Station Members.

Our Station is now 2.5 years old & has made tremendous advances in our development with a correct attitude & contribution to our society. We have been seen as a breath of fresh air in the landscape industry with Integrity, Professionalism & Participation in our community. We shall carry on in this manner to help our trees & our people relentlessly.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- China Tree News (Manufacture of Mature Trees & Tree Pruning Competition)

*** 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 2 set of news extracted from a China National Newspaper, one of which is truly shocking to the Arborist World.

1. Tree Pruning 'Competition' in Beijing

Never known in the Arborist World in advanced nations, some 60 landscapers from parks, landscape schools & research institutes in Beijing took part in a ' Tree Pruning Competition' recently, for demonstrating the 'Education & Standards' of the candidates of these organizations to celebrate the coming 2008 Olympic Games in China.

The Competition was divided into a written test & a practical test to ascertain the candidates for their abilities in mastering Tree Pruning. A winner was elected for his excellence in work.

This Station is never aware of any similar competition of this nature anywhere in the Arborist world. Although the knowledge of Tree Pruning maybe able to be tested in a written exam, but how it can be compared in a practical cutting session would intrigue even the most experienced Arborists in the world.

In order to be tested fairly in any competition by international standards, the competitors are required to enter into a race of equal opportunity at the same level, e.g. in a 100 m sprint, every athlete will run 100 m at the same time on the same track. When it comes to trees, it is almost impossible to find a group of trees to be tested belonging to the same dimension & same geometry. If not the diameters of the branches are different, the branching arrangement & taper will be different. To compete on unequal trees will be like competing to shaving fruits but some are shaving apple & some on pineapple. How do we decide a winner for this ?

Our brother & sister up north constantly invented ideas completely out of this world, but some of us in HK have become their dedicated followers. We really wonder why?

2. Manufacturing 'Mature Trees' with 'Young Trees' to ease market demand

This innovation is absolutely shocking to the Arborist World anywhere on this planet !!

In order to ease market demand for Mature Trees all over China, some genius in China have invented a method to manufacture Mature Trees from Young Trees. They are also applying for a National Patent in China for this 'exceptional' invention.

The method is simple. Two or more seedlings of 2 cm -3 cm will be stripped off the bark & be bundled together to form a bigger tree. The contacting surfaces will be disinfected & secured for fixed attachment. The new combined seedlings will be grown under normal maintenance for 3 to 5 years & then a new 'Mature Tree' will be formed. The inventors claimed that they have had success in production this way for species like Osmanthus, Lagerstroemia & Podocarpus, & over 5,000 of them are already successfully grown. It is also said that the manufactured 'Mature Trees' will have a higher aesthetic value than naturally grown trees. They would have a higher transplantation success because they have more fibrous roots. The inventors also claimed that buyers from all over China are rushing to placed orders because Mature Trees are becoming short in demand nowadays ...

From a scientific point of view, the description of the above manufacturing process seems to imitate that of Grafting which is commonly used in fruit tree production. Whereas in Grafting a scion will be inserted into a mother stock to form a union, the Chinese method is simply forcing the cambiums together to hopefully fuse a union to form one single tree. Even if successful, this process is not known scientifically to produce a strong attachment between the stems, because the union will not have the weaving effect of a normal branch attachment & may split by weight of the foliage in wind & rain later on. It may be seen as just another expression of 'Included Bark', although without bark.

Another query this Station would have is how to prevent the decay development among the wounds in the bundle even by disinfection. World research has shown that no chemicals can eradicate decay development in a tree permanently & the tree can only compartmentalize the wound, if successful. Our brothers & sisters up North are completely overturning international research in this aspect & claimed that they can achieve normal growth by bark stripping. Would it mean China has finally led the world in Arbor research for once ??

About 2 years ago, a Mainland Chinese gentleman somehow became a Professor in an US University & had invited two of his fellow friends who were both Professors working in the Dept of Forestry in Beijing, to apply to ISA HQ for starting up an ISA Chapter in China. Our Station at that time was young & not as influential as now, & we invited these Professors to communicate with us for a joint approach. We wrote to them but have never received any reply from any of them whatsoever. It may have been a good thing for us to hear nothing from them so that we could carry on the ISA way independently to now without their participation. Now our Station covers Mainland China as our territory besides Macau, & Taiwan. We are ready for an approach into China anytime when our regional partners are ready to go with us.

China is indeed full of surprises to shock the world in Arboriculture. No wonder we have followers of them in HK because some of their innovation are indeed 'exceptional'.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- Recreational Tree Climbing in Taiwan

Dear Station Members,

Just when some of us may feel to be the lucky few Tree Climbers in the HK/China Region, this Station has recently learned that at least 1,000 no. of recreational Tree Climbers have already been trained up in Taiwan in the past 1.5 years !! For confirmation, please kindly browse into the following websites:

1. Taiwan Times newspaper report --- http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2005/01/28/2003221320
2. Taiwan Tree Climbing --- www.treeclimbingtaiwan.org

To this Station, training up over 1,000 Tree Climbers within such a short time is truly an amazing feat. In HK, Tree Climbing is not something encouraged by our Govt & there is no official Tree Climbing training open to public anywhere in our Govt facilities. The average age of our Govt Tree Climbers is currently over 40 (AFCD & LCSD) & it is an offence to climb any tree in our public parks by law in HK. Platform truck & ladder are thought to be able to replace tree climbing for tree work, & Tree Climbers are regarded more like performing acrobats just for fun & show.

The Taiwan Tree Climbing website contains excellent information on the benefit & FAQ of recreational Tree Climbing. It is interesting to learn how many intellectuals & children are learning to climb. Several universities in Taiwan now have their own Tree Climbing Team & wildlife observation at canopy level is a popular event. The website also gives clarification on the myths & fear about getting up high on a tree & who can climb or not. It reported even 90 year old are climbing in the USA ! So, those of you who say 'can't climb', think again.

Tree Climbing has always been a lure in the beginning & an addiction at the end. Every tree has a different geometry & every tree is a challenge to climb. Tree Climbing requires physique, concentration, dedication & determination, such are all good qualities in training our younger generation. Recreational Tree Climbing has always been a favourite past time for Professional Tree Climbers local & overseas. The Station Manager trains the Fung Kai Climbers just for fun without money. Tree Climbing is a fascinating experience & those who have tried would have to agree.

This Staton has been calling the Taiwanese Tree Climbers & are waiting for their reply. By linking up with one another, maybe in the near future, we can cross to each other's land by the short one hour flight, for the mutual benefit & interest of both sides.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

PS: Those of you who wish to try Tree climbing, please come to attend the Climbing Jamboree Family Day at Fung Kai School on Saturday afternoon of 20 Jan., 2007 !! A Tree Climbing demonstration is being requested at the North District Flower Show at Fanling Park from 23 - 26 Dec., 2006. Getting permission from LCSD is now the key, although the organizing committee has already verbally agreed.

ISA HK/China --- Training future Tree Climbers for HK

Dear All,

It is the pleasure & privilege of this Station, with the kind help & guidance of Arbor Global LLC of Hawaii, to be able to train a group of young boys & girls of the Fung Kai No.1 Secondary School to become Recreational Tree Climbers for school activities & public functions in HK. These young boys & girls are aged between 15 - 17 years old & they can truly climb like monkeys. On once speed assessment, the best climbing boy could climb a height of 25 ft & then limb walked 15 ft or so, all in 37 seconds!! This is 3 times the speed of the undersigned who was panting like a dying patient after the race. They are truly magnificent & are in the prime time of their life.

Since these young boys & girls were trained to be Recreational Tree Climbers only, all they have learned were basic climbing skills without rope advancement, redirect, double crotching & pruning. However, if these students were to become working climbers, the necessary training would be really minimal & easy, since they have already mastered the basic skills required.

These students will perform their first Show Climb on 7 July publically in Fung Kai School for the School Speech Day. A free VCD will be produced by the School & issued on request to anyone who is interested to view the event. The Fung Kai Climbing Team will also look forward to any Tree Climbing Contest to be organized by this Station or anywhere else, against experienced tree climbers form Govt & Private organizations in the near future. Who knows one day they may fly the flag for HK in an International Tree Climbing Contest?

The Fung Kai Climbing Team has produced a VCD of their current climbing activities which can be obtained free of charge on demand to anyone who is interested to see their boys & girls in action. Please kindly contact their Head Teacher Mr. CY Chow at cy_chow138@yahoo.com.hk for details. Also, anyone who wishes to book these young boys & girls for employment after their graduation in Summer 2007 is also advised to contact Mr. CY Chow for arrangement.

Anyone who wishes to learn Basic Climbing Technique (BTC) is advised to join the BTC training so organized by Arbor Global LLC of Hawaii as per the attached e-mail.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- The Singapore Experience (Episode 3)

***Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only. Comments from outsiders are usually not entertained.***

Dear Station Members,

As promised, the Station Manager is issuing the report of the April 2007 Study Tour to Singapore within a week. There were primarily three major events that our Station has the reason to organize this visit to Singapore:

1. The chainsaw & horticultural machinery training at Outboard Marine Ltd in Singapore
2. The Regional Arboricultural Seminar organized by the National Parks Board of the Singapore Govt (Nparks)
3. The Inauguration of the Centre for Urban Greenery & Ecology (CUGE) of the Singapore Govt

There were altogether 6 participants joining this Study Tour. We have returned with knowledge & bonding with our regional partners.

Similar to all our previous reports, this report was written with factual & objective observations. Some of the contents may be challengeable & we shall leave the discussion to our Station Members, local & overseas by now. Constructive view points to be given by Station Members will be issued on public Station Mail through the Station Manager.

This report, like all others, was written with simplicity & efficiency. Enquiry for details on any part of the report can be made to the Station Manager individually.

(A) Outboard Marine Training

As shown in the diagrams given in the attachment, chainsaws were taken apart & put back again for diagnosis. The training provided here has been different from common chainsaw training & emphasized on the mechanical assembly & tuning the chainsaw into an efficient cutting tool. Comparison of different brands of chainsaws were provided, with detailed analysis on their advantages & disadvantages.

Many a times when a chainsaw breaks down on site, staff time is wasted & repair costs time & money. On the other hand, most chainsaw suppliers in HK do not provide adequate support on parts & technical advice on repair. Very few chainsaw suppliers could actually work on a tree with a chainsaw themselves. Imagine a car dealer who can't drive... Most of the time they would simply tell the customers to buy a new one for commercial reason.

There are also some interesting points learned from Outboard Marine during the training session :

1. Singapore now runs a Grade 1 to Grade 5 at their CIDB which is a regulatory body of the Govt to endorse works skill. It was learned that there are approx. 270 CIDB registered landscape contractors employing something like 3,000 workers in the landscape maintenance business at present. Landscape contracts now given by Nparks are all Direct Contract without a middle party like construction contractor for better control of quality of work.

2. Landscape contractors would receive bonus if they perform their work ahead of time & in excellence, something we used to practice in HK during our construction boom in the 1980's.

3. Outboard Marine, the largest horticultural equipment supplier serving something like 70% of the Singapore market, would provide free of charge Basic Chainsaw Training to the buyer on how to use & maintain the chainsaws after purchase. This is part of the after-sale service that is valued highly by the buyers in Singapore.

4. Because trees in Singapore practically would not stop growing any time of the year, tree pruning is big business for the landscape industry over there. Nparks require all their trees to be structurally pruned & therefore chainsaw operation has become a definite requirement. Outboard Marine alone would sell something like 400 chainsaws every year of different sizes & brands. Outboard Marine reckoned Nparks would spend close to HK$ 500,000,000 in their landscape maintenance contracts every year.

(B) Regional Arboricultural Seminar at CUGE

This is the first ever Regional Arboricultural Seminar in Asia organized by Nparks & participated by ISA organization of Singapore, Malaysia, Australia New Zealand (NZ) & HK/China. Among all the participants, Malaysia was the youngest but most acutely positive. Details given below would show that Malaysia is likely to take over HK in arbor development very soon with their strong Govt support & active civilian participation.

Altogether around 110 persons from 5 different countries joined the Seminar. Most of the participants were CA in her own country & actively joined the Seminar for regional exchange. Being on home ground, Singapore sent out nearly 90 CA to the Seminar, with Malaysia 7 no., Australia 2 no., NZ 1 no. & HK/China 1 no. Exchange on information & comparison between countries were the greatest benefit seen by the Station Manager in this Seminar. Only by standing on an international platform, one would know where his/her country would compare. Our Station has learned a great deal during the comparison indeed.

Though nothing spectacular to tell anybody about our HK trees, the Station Manager has been wrongly favoured by the Singaporean media to carry out interviews with the major English & Chinese newspaper there, plus a TV interview in English & Mandarin about our participation. The Station Manager only wished that he could promote the HK Tourism Board there too. We shall definitely love to see more Singaporean visitors coming to HK besides all the Mainlanders.

The first day of the Seminar began with technical presentation on decay detecting devices like Resistograph, Picus Sonic Detection, Tree Radar, etc. by Fujimura Europe Ltd. One disadvantage amongst all these devices is that they can only propose the extent of the decay or show where the roots are underground, but could not determine whether the inspected tree would fail or not. The data collected has still to be analyzed by the arborist to determine the tree stability. Some of the equipment would also require great skill to calibrate & operate, whereas interpreting the results involves great skills. Some of the participants simply told the Station Manager that they would prefer to continue with their hammer & drill, since they were old dogs & were shy to learn further. Isn't the world becoming more & more complicated everyday?

The first day afternoon went on with equipment demonstration on the mature trees inside the world famous Singapore Botanic Garden & it was an interesting event to watch. Despite heavy rain, the event went on with enthusiasm & many photo taking. The rain might have dampened the equipment but not the heart of the participants. All went on with efficiency & success.

The second day morning was a demonstration of the world smallest Wood Chipper made by Komatsu which was self propelling & reasonably quite. If HK would ever accept Wood Chipper at all, this Komatsu model seemed to be an acceptable choice. It was good enough to chip up to 8 inch diameter log & the wood chip would come in several sizes adjustable by scale. Best of all, it was self propelling & could go up a 15 degree slope, something fit enough for forest pruning on rugged ground. The noise was not ear drum hurting. It sounded like 90 dB only & comparable with a 14 inch chainsaw. However, the price of nearly HK$200,000 per unit would fend off a lot of buyers from HK, where they could throw the cut logs into Govt dumps instead at an insignificant cost. That's the tale of the two cities...

The second day afternoon began the important presentations from different countries & encouraging news was given by the ISA President-elect in his keynote address. ISA has now penetrated the Asia Pacific Region with success with Singapore taking the determined lead, followed by Australia, NZ & Malaysia. ISA is now the single & most influential arbor organization in all these countries. It was also worthwhile to note that the European Arboricultural Council has now recognized ISA CA to be their acceptable standard of practice & ISA CA credential is interchangeable with the EAC equivalent. That would mean our CA in HK now can fly over to Europe anytime & join their practice. This is fantastic news indeed for all those who desire to be there, since over 2 million HK residents now are holding foreign passports of one kind or another. As for the Station Manager himself, he would prefer first to polish his French, German & Dutch before entry. Otherwise, 'legumme' in French may become 'legume' in English...

Some highlights presented by the individual countries were noted as follows:

1. ISA Australia

a. ISA is now the biggest arbor organization in Australia with over 500 members after the collapse of the Australian Arboricultural Association (AAA) some years ago. There are still some fractional arbor groups here & there but they are not expected to last long.

b. Australia has its own National Standards called TAFE in practicing arboriculture & consists of Level 1 to 5 like in Singapore mentioned above. ISA credentials are a bonus to many & are popularly sought after by candidates for international status.

c. ISA Australia influences heavily on arbor policies & safety standards in Australia, & would attend board meetings & conferences on technical matters organized by the states.

d. ISA Australia is growing with promising strength & is expected to absorb all other local arbor groups gradually.

e. ISA Australia will organize an ISA Asia Pacific Arbor Conference in May 2008 in sunny Brisbane & would invite representatives from the Asia Pacific Rim to attend.


2. ISA Malaysia

a. Malaysia has a Dept of National Landscape since 1995 to look after their Greenery System like Singapore. Malaysia intends to 'green' at least 50% of the land mass as a national policy. Their Prime Minister has given positive backing to the Greenery System in Malaysia. Tree Protection Order is practised.

b. Rather like HK at present, Malaysia Govt has no position for City Forester or Urban Arborist in the Dept of National Landscape but is seriously working to set one up. Malaysian landscaping system has been traditionally occupied by landscape architects & horticulturists but individual landscape units have now begun to employ arborists for tree care. Govt administration has treasured the value of trees & would regard trees to be their national asset to be looked after by experts like arborists.

c. ISA Malaysia has been invited by the Govt to develop their national standards for arboricultural practices. Nursery Standards & Tree Management Standards are being studied. Particular attention has been paid to Tree Selection at the design process to avoid future liabilities. Rather like Singapore, Malaysian arborists do not just blindly go for flowers in the tree selection, but rather would consider the overall structure & health in designing their trees. Pruning Standard is being developed in Malaysia & Risk Assessment is following that of ISA. Malaysia is positive to follow ISA Standards in their national arbor practices, & is seen to be rather determined to catch up with Singapore.

d. Malaysia does not have many professional tree climbers at present & does not have even one no. of ISA Certified Tree Worker (CTW). However, ISA Malaysia has taken steps to begin training their CTW possibly with invited overseas trainers from Australia or through CUGE. Topping is the popular pruning method in Malaysia at present but ISA Malaysia is working with their Govt to forbid this damaging practice. The Malaysian Govt has been most receptive & cooperating with ISA Malaysia, all in favour to protect their valuable trees.

e. ISA Malaysia has organized two CA exams in Malaysia already in Jan 07 & Mar 07. The passing rate has been 23 out of 30 & 10 out of 18 respectively. So there are at least 33 CA in Malaysia by now as compared to 21 CA at present in HK.

f. Our Station Mail has been circulated to relevant Govt system in Malaysia & has been well recepted. Malaysia is keen to collaborate with regional partners to upgrade their Greenery System & is positive to connect to the world. ISA Malaysia suggested to organize an ASEAN Arboricultural Conference to share our information on tree care among the tropical/subtropical countries. Would HK be invited?

3. ISA New Zealand

a. The arborist profession ranks high in priorities in NZ immigration requirement since NZ is short of qualified arborist at present.

b. ISA NZ was formed in 1978 & their first meeting was held in a local chapel without funding & support. ISA NZ was meeting heavy resistance from other landscape professions to be an outcast for some years. Now ISA NZ is the largest arbor organization in NZ & influences heavily on national standards & practice in their country.

c. NZ has a National Certificate in Arboriculture (NCA) as a National Standard of practice in tree care & NCA is aligning with the ISA CA training in principles & training. NCA candidates would normally take their CA after getting NCA & there are currently around 45 CA in NZ only. ISA CA is regarded as a prestigious credential in NZ.

d. There are now 3 Code of Practice for arboricultural work in NZ all developed by ISA NZ & the relevant statutory bodies. NZ has not had one single case of arbor fatality in their national history as recorded, which is something the Kiwis can be very proud of indeed.

4. ISA Singapore

a. Nparks has over 900 species & 1.3 million trees in their Tree Inventory in Singapore at present. Over 1 million of their trees are managed under the GIS system. Regular Tree Inspection is scheduled for all 1.3 million trees at 12 months, 18 months & 24 months intervals. Structural Pruning is practised right after DLP in project work. Singapore has over 40 years of experience in their Tree Management Program already. Trees are regarded as the backbone of the Singapore Garden City & Singaporeans are extremely proud of their trees.

b. Nparks emphasises on science-based tree care & has started upon Failure Analysis & field-based research on species susceptible to structural failure. Survey has begun for wood strength with Fractometer to test fracture strength, fracture angle & fracture moment (MPa) for various species. Post mortem on failed trees is carried out for educational purposes in Singapore, which is something we would like to have in HK. Failed trees in HK are usually quickly removed by construction contractors for obstruction. Swietenia macrophylla (available in ETF now) has been identified to be a tree with good strength & good timber, something we might need in HK against our yearly typhoons.

c. Nparks now has 95 CA working for them in their Greenery System as Civil Servants, out of the total 125 CA practising in Singapore. CUGE is now churning out dozens of CA every year for the Govt & private sectors in Singapore, & Singapore has been taking the lead in producing CA in the region. Nparks is now encouraging their contractors to be trained in the ISA CA program to upgrade their working standard. Risk Assessment for Trees is now a standard requirement in Nparks' Tree Management Contracts.

(C) CUGE Inauguration

The Centre for Urban Greenery & Ecology, or CUGE in short, is jointly established by the National Parks Board & the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. CUGE has a critical mass of knowledge to share & advanced expertise in Urban Greenery & Ecology. CUGE provides professional skills training programs for all levels of professionals & is a national training institution of the Landscape Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) system. CUGE serves as a regional repository of best practices to advance urban & green living environment.

CUGE has the vision to be a Regional Centre for advancing & sharing knowledge in the use of Greenery & Ecology to enhance urban living environment. Two major types of training programs are currently available:

a. WSQ System --- works skills training for landscape operators at the worker & supervisor level
b. Professional Certifications --- designed for landscape professionals & recognized as National Standards. Training includes Landscaping Practices, ISA Certified Arborist (CA) Program, & Certified Practising Horticulturist Program

Through their training programs, CUGE will upgrade the standard of practice for the landscape profession in Singapore. The Station Manager has not wasted the opportunity to request CUGE to consider intakes from HK, & it was said that our participation will be warmly welcomed.

(D) Conclusion

As can be seen in the events experienced in this Study Tour, all our regional counterparts are positively surging ahead in developing their local tree care practices. Everyone of them is actively involved with their Govt in determining arbor standards in safety & practice. They are all like rising sun. ISA Malaysia seems to be at a similar starting point to ISA HK/China at present but our Station admires the resources & Govt backing that ISA Malaysia is getting to the point of sour grapes, when compared to our own. We expect ISA Malaysia to do well in the race in the near future.

The value of this Regional Arboricultural Conference has been in the exchange of information between different countries. By comparing with each other, our Station has found out where we stand, although much of the future development in HK will be outside our control. If HK is to have any chance in matching with others in practising arboriculture, we really have to pull up our socks. For all those who do not agree, please come with the Station Manager to the ISA International Conference in Hawaii & see for themselves. What's good is it to compare ourselves only inward & northwards, but not to look east, south & west ??

On the other hand, our Station is truly grateful for the warm reception given by Nparks & their staff during this Study Tour. Newspaper & TV interviews were organized by Nparks to show their hospitalities for us. HK has been a shining Pearl of the East for years. Would we also shine for our trees ?

Every one of ISA Conferences has been full of education & knowledge. No beer or sumptuous seafood was served in any part of the Study Tour. In fact, the Station Manager was staying in a no-star hotel with funny cries at 4am in the morning. The flight was also the cheapest available, bumpy at times. Nevertheless, we have returned with valuable news & information. Doesn't it really all depend on what one is going to a conference for?

Would anyone care to join us for the ISA International Conference in Hawaii this July?

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

ISA HK/China --- The Singapore Experience (Episode 2)

*** Station Mail is for the information of Station Members only. Comments from non-Station Members will not be entertained.***
Dear Station Members,

Thank you for your patience to await this important Singapore Study Tour Report of Dec 16 - 19, 2006. To keep it simple & concise, there are 4 major areas of investigation to focus on this report:

(A) Feedback on the Certified Arborist (CA) training at the National Parks Board of the Singapore Govt (Nparks) & future Arborist training programs at Nparks for beginners & CEU
(B) Impression of the first-ever Equatorial Flower Show, the Singapore Garden Festival (SGF)
(C) The myths behind the success of the Greenery Program in Singapore
(D) The role of CA in Singapore

Each subject of discussion can be a sensitive issue. As Station Mail is circulated in several countries & pirated in China nowadays, the Station Manager is under pressure to present this report with his best abilities in accuracy, but would not be complacent in claiming this report as a perfect description of what is going on. This report is supposed to be factual & objective, with the observation of the Station Manager of the events in situ. Readers please do excuse the Station Manager for his incompetence & unintended mistakes.

(A) Feedback on the CA Training & future Arbor Programs at Nparks

When the 2 week CA program was initiated back in Sep 06, there were complaints all over the Station for it being too long. Most of the CA trainees said the same thing before departure & the Station Manger was under pressure to advise Nparks to shorten it to just 7 days.

But, to the surprise of even the Station Manager, every candidate he met reported to him that the 2 week CA program was not long enough !! Some said 3 weeks or longer would be a better arrangement. Some said the CA exam should be delayed or be taken in HK afterwards instead of right after the training. So, why ?

The CA candidates at Nparks were trained by specialists in their own field for each individual domain. They were not just confined in the classroom to study power point but were taken to laboratories & field to have hands-on experience. For Tree Biology, they were taken to the forest to study tropical trees in situ. For Climbing & Safety, each candidate was required to wear full PPE & body-thrust to a side branch for limb walking. The students were shown Pruning in action with chainsaws & they were shown nasty diseases & pests in the laboratories. They met experienced Practicing Arborists in their work site & they were guided round the world-famous Singapore Botanical Garden for various topics. 14 days would definitely not be enough for all these. That's why the students wanted longer.

Maybe a month is better for such complete training if we need well trained CA for HK. Maybe we think we can provide the same at home but do we have a world-class Botanical Garden like Singapore with so many Arboricultural experts? Do we have their well maintained trees & healthy attitude towards trees? Would our local candidates have the same determination to learn as hard as those who have paid & travelled to Singapore? Would not our local candidates develop a 'territorial instinct' if the learning is given at home instead? Could they develop bonding with overseas counterparts by staying at home?

An Evaluation Form provided by the CA candidates & comments from some of the candidates are attached for the judgment of our Station Members. Both have reflected the success of this program. The Station Manager felt that he has not wasted his time to organize the Nparks training & HK needs a complete program for our future Practicing Arborists. HK would need the best & we always aim for the best.

So said all the nice words but those who have not been there may doubt. HK seems to prefer the fast food culture when it comes to collecting credentials & this attitude has been made clear to Nparks for their future training arrangement for us. In summary, this Station has asked Nparks to split the future CA training program into two parts. The first part of 7 days will be a fundamental program for anyone who has limited knowledge in Arboriculture (Pre-CA Program). Practically anyone from HK is recommended to attend this, no matter how good they think they really are as discovered in the last CA training. Then the proper CA Program of another 7 days will be given to anyone who has, or has not, joined the Pre-CA Program. Exam at the end of the training will be optional. It can be taken right after the CA Program or be taken at the regular intervals of every April/Oct in HK. The candidate will have to state clearly on this option before joining. The Station Manager would actually encourage the exam to be taken in HK for better revision time, as suggested by the last lot of CA trainees.

Besides the CA Program, this Station has also been fighting for our Station Members to join the general Arbor training sessions of Nparks designed for their local candidates. Most of these programs will carry CEU for our CA/CTW, & they will be open to any of our Station Members with or without experience in Arboriculture. Participants from other ASEAN countries may be present. Programs will include Basic Tree Climbing, Chainsaw Uses, Diagnosis & Treatment, Tree Mechanics, Fungal Diseases in Trees & many others. It is to the understanding of this Station that Nparks will arrange international experts, & not just Commonwealth experts, to lead these programs. It will be a great opportunity for our HK candidates to obtain world class knowledge in these sessions. The opportunities will be announced in Station Mail when received.

(B) The Singapore Garden Festival (SGF)

In the opinion of the Station Manager, the SGF is beyond the level of appreciation of our common HK citizens who are used to browsing annuals & herbs in our own flower shows. SGF is much more sophisticated than that. It is designed for the inspection of landscape professionals. It is like the Director's choice for a movie & commoners may be lost.

International gardening experts competed with each other in presenting their best in this excellent show. Every minute detail was attended to in an imagination seemingly fit for the masters. The visitors would have to study & analyze what the designers was trying to put forward in an intrinsic thinking beyond what was visually observed. This is the depth of the SGF & that 's why it is worth seeing.

There was one drawback in the SGF & that would be it was indoor. The camera flashlight of the Station Manager was not powerful enough to capture brightly for a lot of the scenery & only the legible ones are presented in this report. It was said that the next SGF may be held outdoor & rain/sun shelters will be provided. This Station is looking forward to that.

During the SGF, the Station Manager was given an outline of the landscape design of the famous 'Gardens by the Bay' in Singapore, which is similar to our Water Front Development in Central District of HK Island as below:

www.gardensbythebay.org.sg

Maybe our Station Members would like to take a peek at the design requirement as compared to ours. Singapore provides an arena for international gladiators to knock out each other with their best, & then the winner will be scrutinized by the Practitioners (not Designers) to ensure the design will work. Maybe this is the secret of success in their landscape.

(C) The Success of the Greenery Program in Singapore

The Station Manager has been deep-probing into Nparks' CEO & Directors to the point of annoyance, to try to discover why Singapore is so successful in their Greenery Program as compared to our own HK. Nparks is the leading agency in driving the Singapore Greenery Program with limited budget & only around 800 staff to manage 300 parks, all streetscape & natural reserves, & most development projects; as compared to our AFCD (Country Parks & natural reserves), LCSD (Urban landscape), Architectural Services Dept (Development projects), Housing Dept, Highways Dept, CEDD (Govt engineering works), DSD (Drainage works), Planning Dept & a string of other committees & appointed agencies. Singapore is now a renowned Garden City in the world & can we call our HK anywhere near that? Are we spending less money or with fewer experts in our many Dept & agencies in our Greenery Program, & are we getting our investment worth?

In simple terms, the Station Manager has been told by Nparks that the Greenery Program in Singapore is Practitioner Driven. Nparks by tradition has been led by Foresters, Arborists & Horticulturists up to this moment. Designers like the Landscape Architects (LA) have been playing only supportive role all the way. Any design by LA in Singapore will be subjected to scrutiny by the Practitioners like the CA & Certified Horticulturist (CH) before execution. If the CA & CH do not find the design working, it will be sent back to the drawing board for revision.

For instance, the Master Landscape Plan (MLP) of a development project in Singapore will be reviewed by a panel of judges at the Parks & Trees Regulatory Section (PTRS) of Nparks for approval. The Board Members of the PTRS consist of CA, CH & Administrators only, & no LA. Yes, the Station Manager asked the same question twice, & he was told both times that the PTRS consists of no LA !! Our LA in HK will scream blue murder to this practice, but this is how the Greenery Program in Singapore works & it is apparently working with great success.

In a way, Singapore would ask the Captain to steer the boat, & not the boat designer. In HK, the boat designer will steer the boat & the Captain will only be called in when needed. We are Designer Driven.

This may be the ultimate secret of success of the Greenery Program in Singapore when compared to ours in simple terms. There are obviously Departmental interest & other factors to consider but this will be the same in Singapore. Any Govt in the world will have red tapes. But from the overall perspectives, the Greenery Program in Singapore, driven by Practitioners & led by a single agency (Nparks), has earned world reputation with a smaller budget & much fewer manpower than ours. Would this not be something that our administrators need to compare & advance upon??

This Station has also been told that the street trees in Singapore are given regular Tree Inspection & regular Structural Pruning, usually once or twice a year, to avoid developing potential hazard. This will be like regular medical check-up of a middle aged person & prevention is better than cure. Would this not be something that HK can copy about in view of our typhoon attacks?

(D) Role of CA in Singapore

It is now a Contract Requirement to employ CA in any Govt Maintenance Project in Singapore for supervision & execution. It is also a strong recommendation by Govt agencies to employ CA in landscape contract or MLP submission in any development in Singapore. If a CA is not involved in any major development in the planning, submission, execution & maintenance processes, it is more or less bound to run into brick wall everywhere with Nparks. Singapore is Practitioner Driven & designs are enforced to work.

The Greenery in Singapore is led by Nparks & Nparks is led primarily by CA. CA is recognized as the major Practitioner & is given the status & respect it deserves. On the other hand, Singaporean CA have been diligently working Singapore's Greenery to a world standard appraised by the international community. CA there work in harmony with other contributors of the landscape industry & contract dispute is far less uncommon when compared to our own. Everywhere the Station Manager saw were smiling faces in project sites & resentment was hardly recognized or felt as much. Could this be the magic of the Practitioner Driven program so chosen by Singapore?

Singapore has 125 CA by Dec 2006 & we have only 13 CA in HK by this time. There will be a few more joining after the exam results are announced from the last training at Nparks.
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To conclude, at an expense of HK$3,800 ($2300 airfare + $1000 hotel(3 nights) + $500 sundries, US$1 = HK$7.8)), this Station has achieved its goals of assessing the CA training, visiting the SGF, unravelling the mystery of success of the Greenery Program in Singapore & determining the role of CA in Singapore, within a designated time frame of only 3 working days. This Station has also promoted relationship with Nparks like good neighbours with deeper understanding on both sides. Some say HK competes with Singapore in many areas but this Station would say we can at least collaborate for Arboriculture & Greenery. After all, competition is healthy & are we afraid to compete for HK?

Let's now all of us move forwards.

best regards,

Sammy Au
ISA HK/China Station Manager
ISA Chief Proctor for the HK/China Region
ISA Certified Arborist / Certified Tree Worker (Climber Specialist) no. ML-0174A