With spring in the humid air, flowers are in full bloom. Yesterday, I attended the “Hong Kong Tree Planting Day 2017”, which aims at promoting nature conservation, tree protection and public participation. While we enjoy lovely blossoms with our families at a park during holidays, have we ever realised that regular care is crucial to the healthy growth of trees? Trees, like any other organisms, have a natural life cycle. They grow, age, become weak and die. Their conditions also vary with time and the surroundings. To create a comfortable and save living environment, it is not only the efforts of government departments to maintain the trees professionally, property owners and management personnel should not take the matter lightly. They have to examine and properly maintain trees on their properties before the onset of wet season.

Getting prepared to reduce risk

The wet season is coming soon. Relevant government departments responsible for tree management will not slacken their efforts. Before the typhoon and rainy season, colleagues have commenced preparation works proactively, which include tree inspections, risk assessments and risk mitigation measures to manage trees with potential danger so as to reduce the risk of tree collapse and to protect public safety. The Tree Management Office (TMO) of the DEVB has been providing assistance to private property owners who are responsible for maintenance of trees on their properties. Online information on tree care is provided to property owners  to help them understand their responsibilities and equip them with knowledge of proper tree care. In addition, the TMO issues letters to private property owners every year to remind them to engage qualified arborists to conduct risk assessment for trees on their properties before the onset of typhoon and rainy season, and to carry out necessary mitigation measures, such as pruning, provision of supporting structures or removal of trees with failure risk for the safety of residents and the public.

Field demonstration to strengthen communication

The TMO introduced the “Handbook on Tree Management” in 2016 to provide guidelines and standards of good practice on tree management.  The Handbook also reminds private property owners the importance of conducting tree risk assessments and carrying out mitigation measures before the wet season and after typhoons and heavy rainstorms. Apart from disseminating information through written materials and indoor briefing sessions, the TMO has also arranged field demonstration to help property management personnel understand the application of the Handbook better.

The TMO organised a field demonstration in November 2016 for property management personnel to explain the key points of tree care work in  private property and the proper ways to conduct tree risk assessment. The briefing provided a good opportunity for us to have face-to-face interactions with property management personnel and strengthen mutual communication. We are pleased to see active participation from the property management staff who gave us a lot of valuable feedback. This year, we will continue to work with different property management organisations to arrange similar field demonstrations so as to promote proper tree maintenance.

Multi-pronged approach for publicity campaign

Hong Kong is a beautiful city with lots of skyscrapers while green spaces can still be found everywhere. Trees are our city’s valuable assets. To enhance the public’s knowledge on tree care, we understand that wider publicity and educational work is essential. The TMO will continue to embark on  promotional initiatives through various channels, such as placing advertorials inside MTR compartments and on newspapers as well as organising public talks on “Tree Care before Wet Season”, so as to integrate promotional message of tree care into people’s lives and foster a tree care attitude and concept. We hope to work together with the public on the education front, so that trees in our city can grow healthily and Hong Kong will continue to be a safe, livable and sustainable city.

For further details, please visit: http://www.greening.gov.hk/en/home/index.html