There are some 500 old and valuable trees (OVTs) with distinctive characteristics throughout Hong Kong, and all can be easily found in the urban and rural areas. Some of these trees are particularly large in size or have outstanding forms, while some have botanical and ecological value. Others have a long history and have witnessed Hong Kong’s development over the years. They have become part of the community and our cultural heritage. Some OVTs even contribute to our valuable landscape.

The “Our Favourite Old and Valuable Trees” Contest is now on. You may visit www.trees.gov.hk/treescontest for details of the OVT candidates and cast your votes. As there are a number of candidates, I will briefly introduce to you the four categories in the contest for your better understanding:

(1) The “Remarkable Form and Size” category
Due to their large size, the OVTs under this category are usually the highlights in district greening. Some of them are species with a large size and a long lifespan, such as the camphor tree and the Chinese banyan. Others have special or outstanding forms and high aesthetic merits, such as the silk tree and the rain tree with wide, symmetrical and spectacular canopy spread; the white jade orchid tree, which blossoms in summer with a unique fragrance; and the autumn maple in the Lai Chi Wo fung shui wood.

(2) The “Botanical and Ecological Value” category
Many trees under this category are local species or imported species of distinctive value. Trees in the former category include the incense tree, the lance-leaved sterculia, the Chinese laurel, the thitmin and the sweet gum, while the latter category includes the West Indies mahogany, teak and the dammar pine. These OVTs all have significant amenity value. Furthermore, the leaves and fruits of these trees change colour with the seasons, such as the Chinese mahogany with young red leaves in spring, the lance-leaved sterculia with attractive crimson fruits in midsummer and the sweet gum with burgundy leaves in late autumn.

(3) The “Historical and Cultural Significance” category
Many trees have been growing in Hong Kong for decades or even over a century, witnessing Hong Kong’s social changes throughout the years. Examples are the historically significant “Tree House” in Kam Tin, the “Five-finger Camphor” fiercely protected by villagers in the Lai Chi Wo fung shui wood during the Japanese occupation, the Chinese banyan trees at Yung Shue Tau in Yau Ma Tei providing shade and shelter for the local market and the community, and the more than 170-year-old Burmese rosewood at the main entrance of the former Central Government Offices. In addition, there are also the stonewall trees unique to Hong Kong, the old Chinese banyans which have grown up with our old public housing estates, and the big-leaved fig trees preserved in a railway construction project. These trees are not only our natural assets, but also part of our cultural heritage.

(4) The “Contribution in Landscape Setting” category
In this category, the OVTs located in the vicinity of each other provide a shared greening effect and offer substantial landscape contributions to the local community. Of particular interest are the rows of Chinese banyans on both sides of Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui forming a continuous green corridor, and the vigorous camphor trees with beautiful branching along Haiphong Road. In addition, the stonewall trees located on Forbes Street and in King George V Memorial Park provide substantial greenery for urban areas within confined spatial settings. In Stanley, the Indian almond cluster not only provides shade for the adjacent Pat Kan Uk (“Eight House Units”), but is also a remarkable landscape feature in the district with the leaves turning brilliant purplish red in winter.

The “Our Favourite Old and Valuable Trees” Contest uses online paperless voting. As they read through the descriptions of the candidate lists, participants will gain a lesson on Hong Kong’s natural environment and cultural history. I very much hope that you all will join the contest and vote for your favourite OVTs before September 12 to recognise their unique value and show support for their healthy growth.