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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
In the past few weeks at least 2 incidents had been reported where trees have fallen to the ground thus causing temporary traffic obstruction, and in one case a woman was injured thereby; can the Chairman give an assurance that steps will be taken to improve whatever inspection system there is, so as to minimize the recurrence of such incidents?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
I confirm that the Urban Services Department does carry out regular inspections of all street trees in the urban area. Pruning work takes place throughout the year. Where necessary, tree surgery is carried out using special preservatives and cement. If a tree cannot be saved, it is felled. But in many cases it is not possible to observe from the external appearance of a tree that it is being attacked by insects or disease.
Two incidents are referred to in the second part of the question. The one which is alleged to have caused injury to a woman did not involve a tree growing on a street. I understand that this tree had been attacked internally by white ants, and that there were no external signs of impending collapse. The other incident involved a banyan tree at the junction of Morrison Hill Road and Tin Lok Lane. This tree appears to have been attacked by a fungus which caused the inside of the trunk to rot away, so that the tree was easily blown down. Externally this tree appeared to be healthy.
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, could I ask a supplementary on this? Surely this sort of thing comes, does it not, into the province of the Forestry Department? I must give you a little explanation of that. Around where I live they come around from time to time from the Forestry Department tapping trees to see whether they are in any way diseased by white ant or fungus. Could co-operation perhaps be sought from the Forestry Department on this question?
CHAIRMAN: Dr. BELL, the final part of your question suggests that there is something deficient in the present arrangements, but I have tried to make clear in my answer that, in these two particular cases where trees fell, it would probably have been impossible to say that they were liable to fall.
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, I am sorry I must take issue with you on this. I believe that there are ways of knowing whether trees are diseased or not, just as the experts have ways of telling whether the skirting boards are diseased with white ants or not.
There are methods and I would ask you again whether co-operation with the Forestry Department could not be sought with regard to this.
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CHAIRMAN: Yes, Dr. BELL, I will certainly ask the Director of Agriculture and Forestry. The method employed by our own staff is to observe the trees, and where they appear to require closer inspection, they notify the tree inspector. I have some doubt whether the Forestry Department operates inside the Urban area, but you have just said that they come around your residence, so I will speak to Mr. Nicholls and find out what we can do.
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, again may I clarify? My residence is just within the Urban area; perhaps they don't quite know that.
MR. BERNACCHI: Mr. Chairman, I am not in any way an expert on this, but I do agree with Dr. BELL that an expert might be able to tell whether the inside has been eaten away by white ants or fungus. Is the tree expert a member of your Department, or do you call him in from the Agriculture and Forestry Department?
CHAIRMAN: The staff concerned now belong to the Urban Services Department, but the tree trimmers were originally in the Agriculture and Forestry Department. They have had ten years' service with us since being in the parent department.
MR. BERNACCHI: Do the tree trimmers inspect every tree every year, or only inspect the trees that are visibly even to an inexperienced eye, failing?
CHAIRMAN: Sir, they are supposed to inspect every tree. They look at it and from their experience they judge whether it is a healthy tree or not. If there is any suspicion that it is not in good health, then the tree inspector is called in for a more careful examination.
MR. BERNACCHI: And is the tree inspector a member of your Department, or a member of the Agriculture and Forestry Department?
CHAIRMAN: I am not absolutely sure. I have always assumed— (Laughter) I have always assumed, Sir, that he was a member of the Urban Services Department.
MR. BERNACCHI: Thank you.
REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE RESETTLEMENT MANAGEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE.
CHAIRMAN: That concludes our questions. Item No. 4 on the Order Paper is a report by the Chairman of the Resettlement Management Select Committee on a change of membership of his committee.
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