International Society of Arboriculture Hong Kong Chapter, Newsletter Issue No.2

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARBORICULTURE HONG KONG CHAPTER Newsletter Issue No. 2

Technical Articles on Tree Cavities and Urban Forestry ISAHK Events and Activities 2018 Interview : The Vice President of The Chapter

ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Table of Content

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARBORICULTURE HONG KONG CHAPTER

Newsletter Issue No. 2

February 2019

PUBLISHER International Society of Arboriculture Hong Kong Chapter CHIEF EDITOR Leon LAU EDITORS Alvin TANG Anny LI Karena HUI Mike LEUNG Steve NG LAYOUT & DESIGN Colin CHUI COORDINATOR Florence YEUNG SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISEMENT EQUIRY admin@isahongkong.org EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Chairman : Steve NG Vice-chairman : Leon LAU Financial Controller : Mike LEUNG Secretary : Anny LI Members : Alvin TANG Colin CHUI Karena HUI Your contributions to and comments about ISAHK Newsletter are welcome.

Please submit all materials to ISAHK office.

Address: PO Box 83282 Concorde Road Post Office, Hong Kong Telephone: 5228 5526 Email: admin@isahongkong.org

Message from the President and Editor’s Note

3 4-5

Interview I Ian ROBINSON - ISAHK Vice President : Horticulture and Arboriculture will not Cease to Evolve, with Education as the Key

By Ryden LI

6-7

Students’ Corner 1. Study of Senescence and Falling of Roystonea regia Fronds with Respect to Risk Management

By Ka Hei NG, Chin Kiu HO, Sze Wing HO, Cheuk Sang LIU, Chun Man YUEN, Ka Chai HO, Cheuk Yuet WONG 2. 古樹減少本港空氣污染物的情況 - 胡竣軒

Interview II 歐陽卓立(<香港觀賞樹木彙編>三冊作者) - 鄧銘澤及祝承謙

8-9 10

Game

11-13

Climbers’ Corner 如何正確攀爬棕櫚樹 -吳志雄

Photo Album : Activities & Events 2018

14-15

Awardees’ Corner

16-19

1. Asia’s First ITCC Winning Female Arborist

By Kay CHEUNG 2. Hong Kong Arborist Presented with ISA’s Practical Arboriculture Award : Samuel MA spreads arboriculture knowledge throughout Asia

20-30

Technical Articles 1. The Importance of Tree Cavities in Hong Kong - the Ecological Perspective

By Dickson WONG and To CHAN 2. Urban Forestry Series 2 : The Direction of Urban Forestry in Hong Kong

By Chiky WONG

Annual Review 2018

31

Poetry

32

ISAHK Credential Holders

33

ISAHK Membership Application Forms

34

Cover credit : Ms. Fiona POON

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Message from the President Year 2018 has come to an end while many of the ISAHK activities are still in full swing. We have just completed the 3rd International Conference with a full house and the HKTCC cum Arbor Funday with great success. The concept of engaging the public in tree preservation and tree appreciation brought out in our conference ties in with the missions of ISAHK. Through research, technology, and education, the International Society of Arboriculture promotes the professional practice of arboriculture and fosters a greater worldwide awareness of the benefits of trees.

----The ISA Mission Statement We believe public education and engagement is one of the key elements for the promotion of best practices of tree preservation. We successfully organized several large-scale public engagement events last year including the Science Festival 2018 for the general public to experience tree climbing and to appreciate the value of trees. The public workshops in town halls for estate management officers and Incorporated Owners helped participants to understand the government’s requirements and the role of the ISA Certified Arborist in tree maintenance, as did the recent TCCHK 2018 cum Arbor Funday.

The ISAHK also actively engages in local and international arboriculture development. Locally, we have proactively communicated with the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (QF) in the past year to foster a better framework for the ISA arborists and the arboriculture and horticulture industry.

Internationally, we joined the first World Forum on Urban Forests (WFUF) on 28 Nov - 1 Dec 2018. We will bring and share the latest concepts of urban forestry to our industry during 2019.

Editor’s Note Welcome to the 2nd issue of ISA (Hong Kong Chapter) Newsletter. In this issue, we further diversify and enrich the contents to include interviews with veteran arboriculture practitioners, Climber’s corner to share knowledge amongst tree-climbing specialists and awardee’s corner to honour outstanding arborists.

We also have a new section - student’s corner - to showcase arboriculture students’ research work. Academic research is fundamental in advancing knowledge in the fields of science. We value students and their schools’ generous sharing and look forward to many more fruitful studies.

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter and your feedback is very much welcome.

From the latest policy address, we are glad to learn that the Government Chief Executive has proposed a study on the introduction of a registration system for tree management personnel in response to the aspirations of the public for a local arborist registration system. We are optimistic about the development of the registration system and will monitor and support its development. The direction of the study depends on many factors while we believe that public aspirations remains the key.

This issue of the ISAHK newsletter covers different topics related to our industry; from interviews, climbing techniques, to technical articles. These are jointly produced by the editorial committee and our dedicated writers.

Enjoy, and I wish you all the best in the New Year.

Leon LAU CHIEF EDITOR VICE CHAIRPERSON OF EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Mike LEUNG President – ISA Hong Kong Chapter

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Horticulture and Arboriculture will not Cease to Evolve, with Education as the Key Text : Ryden LI

INTERVIEW - I

Interview : Ryden LI & Anny LI

Mr. James Ian Robinson is an experienced professional in the Horticultural and Arboricultural Industry. He was a member of the Steering Committee for the ISA Hong Kong Chapter in 2012 and is currently a Board Member and the Vice President of the Chapter.

Fortunate to have an interview opportunity with Ian, I was curious to know more about the path he had taken to date.

Back in 1974, Ian started his studies for the Higher National Diploma in Landscape Technology at Askham Bryan College of Horticulture and Agriculture in North Yorkshire. At that time, the industry was shouting out for people with related qualifications for management positions. As soon as he graduated three years later in 1977 as an early cohort of graduates of the course, he immediately gained the position of Landscape Manager in Tilhill Forestry Advisory Limited in the UK. In Ian’s opinion, Landscape Architects and Arborists are not two individual professions, instead, they work together to make Hong Kong look better and improve the overall standard of Horticulture and Arboriculture. “We need Landscape Architects, they need us too! There’s definitely going to be some synergy.” “It’s not all about trees, there is landscape in there as well”.

Mentioning about trainers for new blood in the industry, Ian thinks

To him, the industry in Hong Kong is on the right path with the establishment of the Tree Management office, identifying two separate streams and having individual sections handling landscape issues and tree management issues. And with the ISA coming over here in Hong Kong 10 years ago, when there were only 5 or 6 people becoming Certified Arborists before the number started to snowball.

“There’s still a lot ISA can do, I think we can help a lot more with its qualification framework.”

that there are several good trainers in Hong Kong but there could still be more. “In time it will snowball but there are probably not enough trainers at the moment to train all of those people that we need throughout the different layers of the industry. There is a lot of work needed to bring grassroot gardeners and maintenance contractors up to a professional level of proficiency. I think that maybe in the short term we have to bring more trainers in from overseas in order to produce a critical mass of suitably trained workers.

One piece of advice that Ian gives to people who are ready to join the industry is to look for a mentor, someone who is willing to pass on skills and knowledge. “Try to find somebody who is knowledgeable and latch onto them, follow what they do, learn from what they do and try to get them to coach one on one.

Try to find somebody who is looking for an assistant, somebody who has been in the industry for a while who can transfer the information to you.”

He is glad to see that there are more vocational trainings courses related to horticulture and arboriculture now when compared to the past years. He could see the number of horticulturists who are really knowledgeable about plants has substantially increased over the last 20 years. “That can only be a good thing. That is a change for the better. It is a slow process but still changing. It’s always good to have more technical knowledge.”

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Speaking of his favourite tree species, there are five in total. They are Cinnamomum camphora, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Senna surattensis, Plumeria rubra and Liquidambar formosana. He reckons that it does not matter whether the species is indigenous or exotic, the ‘right tree for the right place’ should prevail let alone that a large portion of plant material is in fact introduced to Hong Kong.

For greening in the metro area, he points out that rooftop greening is a good way to improve the built

As a Chartered Horticulturist and Certified Arborist who has handled thousands of projects in Hong Kong since 1982 until the present, Ian said that most of the problems brought about in Landscape Design are abiotic, they are generally caused by inappropriate species selection. For instance, some plants could not grow well in certain locations due to unideal environmental conditions which were not expected. “…eventually found that it’s too shaded or it’s too windy or there’s air conditioner…areas get too compacted or the drainage doesn’t work properly.”

landscape in the city. “All new buildings in the urban areas should be designed with green roofs,” He understands that the loading capacities in many existing building rooftops are not enough for rooftop gardens because those structures were not designed for it. However, in the future, this technique should be greatly incorporated into newly designed buildings to balance the temperature inside buildings and reduce the ‘heat island’ effect.

In his eyes, Hong Kong has a beautiful natural landscape worthy of appreciation. The country parks are well-managed and act as places for people to destress themselves.

As for the future of the industry, he expressed that although in the 80s, there were a lot of working opportunities created out of new towns’ infrastructure development, all such areas as highways, parks, public recreation areas, podium decks and every property that has a landscape area still needs to be maintained forever. This remains a prosperous industry to get into. “I don’t see work drying up anytime soon for horticulturists and arborists at all,” he said. In addition, the type of work has moved more from infrastructure to high-end residential, indicating people are realizing that a lot of the social problems — high anxiety, for example, can be relieved with a greener environment to live in or with somewhere shaded to sit out. Property management offices are also starting to take up more responsibilities of removing the ticking timebombs of dangerous trees by commissioning more Tree Risk Assessments. All of these situations create job opportunities for the industry.

It is hoped that the benefits of having a professional systematic education programme in Hong Kong will deliver many more knowledgeable and qualified individuals in the coming 20 years’ time.

Ryden LI is a Year 2 student of the programme “ Higher Diploma in Conservation and Tree Management” at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education Anny LI is the Secretary of ISAHK Editorial Committee (2016-18)

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Academic Researches This section aims at giving credit to student researchers and encouraging more local scientific studies in the areas of Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. Publicizing the results does not imply that ISAHK has reviewed the full data or accuracy of the contents, nor has it endorsed the conclusion of the studies or their parts.

STUDENT CORNER

1. Study of Senescence and Falling of Roystonea regia Fronds with Respect to Risk Management 1Ka

Hei NG, 1Chin Kiu HO, 1Sze Wing HO, 1Cheuk Sang LIU, 1Chun Man YUEN, 2Ka Chai HO, 2Cheuk Yuet WONG

There were accidents of fallen palm fronds (weight of up to 5.06kg) of Roystonea regia (王棕) which caused injuries in various extent. For fear of such accident happened again, some management teams then decided to prune the fronds regularly but sometimes over-pruning which affects the tree growth and health may be resulted. The study investigated the time required for frond falling from the onset of senescence (sample size: 180 trees from different LCSD sites). Time required for a frond, and sheath remained after pruning to fall was studied. Relationship of frond falling time with palm height, trunk diameter was also compared. Scale of frond chlorosis (S0 to S5, indicating different stages of chlorosis) was established to record the stages of senescence.

The survey reveals that it takes approximately 40 days for fronds of R. regia to be shed (to be pruned in recent practice) after the onset of chlorosis (S1).

Without human interference, whole frond would fall within 14 days upon discovery of S4, so removal of this kind of fronds should be implemented timely.

Regardless of the stage of chlorosis at the beginning, removal of blade through pruning would trigger the shedding of the remaining sheath to within 29-42 days. So removing blade too early would likely trigger early shedding of the remaining sheath. *The study was published as poster presentation in the 2nd Asia Pacific Urban Forestry Meeting, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nation (September 2017, Seoul) 12017

Graduate of the Higher Diploma Programme in Conservation and Tree Management, Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) 2Lecturer

of the Higher Diploma Programme in Conservation and Tree Management, Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE)

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

2. 古樹減少本港空氣污染物的情況 胡竣軒 i-Tree 是提供都市及社區森林分析與效益評估的工具，由美國林務局 (United States Forest Service) 設計出來的軟件。可量化都市樹木提供的服務及評估 都市林結果，以幫 助社區加強都市林管理與推廣。 樹木是本地的珍貴自然資源和文化見證。 基數資料包括每棵樹的種類及胸高直徑，收集越多每棵樹的資料，分析效果越好，包括生 長狀態與維護需求的能力，更換價值，地點物種資訊和病蟲害測定 400 多項。 自 2004 年起，政府選定了 500 多棵樹木編入古樹名木册。該名册的樹木可按照下列準則分類： •大樹 •珍貴或稀有樹木品種 •古樹（例如樹齡超過一百年） •具有文化、歷史或重要紀念意義的樹木；以及 •樹形出衆的樹木 研究利用政府網上樹木資料庫及地圖搜尋器，蒐集全港 400 多棵已登記古樹名木（Registered Old and Valuable Trees） 的樹冠高度、葉面面積等資料，交由美國 United States Forest Service 進行「i-Tree Eco」分析，以了解不同品種、分區、 生境的古樹在降低空氣污染物的能力，分析過程中包括使用香港本地的基線環境數據。 綠化植物可改善空氣質素，減低二氧化碳排放量是人所共知。歐美國家早年已利用綠化評估工具「i-Tree Eco」分析樹木對 減低空氣污染物的作用。有見香港空氣污染問題持續嚴重，古樹名木近年屢被砍伐，胡竣軒決定於香港展開相關研究，從經 濟及環保角度，證明香港古樹名木的存在價值，鼓勵社會積極保育古樹名木。 結果發現，古樹名木每年為香港減少逾 1,300 公斤空氣污染物排放量，其生態經濟價值每年達 35 萬元。其中以細葉榕 （Ficus microcarpa）、樟樹（Cinnamomum camphora）的碳吸存量最高，同時細葉榕隔除空氣污染物能力最好。

胡竣軒是香港高等教育科技學院（THEi）園藝及園境管理文學士課程學生

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

專訪<<香港觀賞樹木彙編>>系列作者歐陽卓立 採訪：鄧銘澤及祝承謙

INTERVIEW - II

撰文：祝承謙

《香港觀賞樹木彙編》是一系列在樹木界眾所周知的參考書，作為樹木管理的初哥很好榮幸能夠與作者歐陽卓立先生會晤， 進行簡單的訪談。 問: 請問歐陽先生對香港城市樹木規劃有甚麼看法？ 答: 關於香港城市樹木規劃，必須了解其先天性的局限因素。 首先，是土地規劃方面的限制。一般而言，無論是舊區如深水 埗、灣仔和中西區，或是新落成的私人屋苑，綠化地帶僅僅是 規劃後剩餘的土地。這些餘下的狹小空間有些三尖八角，或是 被建築物遮蔽而無法獲取充足的陽光，甚至有些是土壤瘠薄， 而樹木就在這些建築物群之間以插針形式種植。當生長環境受 到一定的限制時，樹木生長隨之欠佳，將來會衍生出大量樹木 管理及公眾安全問題。 其二就是氣候問題。香港的夏天(及初秋)受西南季候風影響， 經常出現滂沱大雨，加上每年數次襲港的熱帶氣旋，對於樹木 生長是一個重大挑戰，考驗一些尤其是抗風力弱的樹木品種， 於強風下容易出現倒塌或斷枝的情況。 另外，香港人口密度高也是一個變數。其實樹木倒塌於世界各 地都時有發生，可是當事件發生在香港這個人口密度較高的地 區時，造成傷亡的機會就會遠高於其他城市。故有時候並不單 是樹木規劃和管理出了問題，惡劣天氣和人口密度都是箇中重 要因素。

《香港觀賞樹木彙編 3》

問: 《香港觀賞樹木彙編》第三冊即將出版，請問在出版這系列書 籍中有何困難及有趣的事情？ (註: 訪問於 2018 年 7 月 26 月進行，該書現已出版。) 答: 撰寫書本需要付出很多時間，而這一套三冊都是利用工餘時間完成，過程中當然要有所取捨。 在寫書的過程中，我都會盡量收集每一個品種的樹葉、樹皮、花朵和果實的照片。收集資料耗掉約一半私人時間。有些樹木 的花期很短，只有一兩個星期，錯過了就要等下一年。有些樹木並不常見，花上一兩個小時的交通時間，就只是為了去看看 它有沒有開花。假如未開，隔一段時間便需要再去。 另一半時間則用於內文編寫。當中，核對植物標本和文獻回顧需要時間相對較多。香港的市區樹木，大多數屬於外來品種， 誤認的情況不時出現。每個品種都必須翻查標本並加以核對，才可確保準確無誤。同時，我亦要購買大量參考書及文獻令書 本內容更加充實、準確。

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

現時坊間有大量來自本港、臺灣以及中國大陸有關植物和園藝方面的科普書，也有不少植物學專門著作。當中不少都是隨便 拍幾張植物照片，缺乏仔細資料搜集就出版書刊，因此存在大量錯誤資料。其中有些作者並沒有鞏固的植物學知識，亦沒有 認真為其書本上的植物品種進行標本核對和文獻回顧。 儘管出版書本過程困難重重，從中也學習不少。在撰寫的過程中，我也在不斷地學習新的植物學知識，亦有機會認識及見證 整個出版過程。我要親自查看各式各樣的印刷用紙，挑選最合適的作為這本書的紙張。而當印刷廠將藍紙印好後，就要核對 排版， 以防錯漏。由於書籍全是彩色印刷，雖然是同一張相，於電腦上跟印刷出來的顏色會有稍微分別，必須跟印刷師傅 商討有關色差的問題，最後還要決定書籍釘裝等。這一切對我來就都是新嘗試。 問: 請問對於有意加入樹木管理或綠化行業的同學有何建議？ 答: 年輕人應先裝備自己，最好在入行前就有一個穩固的知識基礎。就我本人而言，未加入樹藝行業前，就已經認識香港大 部份樹木品種，亦已走遍香港各大公園。千萬別打算入行後才慢慢學，因為你出來社會工作後，學習的意慾就會慢慢減褪。 另外，現時的學校教育大多會教你如何避免陷阱、如何追求成功及追求勝利；但我卻認為，成功是建基於失敗，做任何事情， 過程中難免會遇到挫折，故失敗是無可避免。反之，有很多時候，假如明知有機會失敗，亦應去嘗試。因為從失敗的過程中， 你將會獲得比成功更值得的體驗和得着。 後記： 經過短短兩小時與歐陽先生的訪談，得悉書籍出版的經歷和心 得。透過歐陽先生出書的心路歷程，明白到我們面對值得做的 事應存有要求，並努力追求定下的人生目標。在充份準備下， 才會獲得成功，同時細味過程中的變化而獲得更多事前未有預 見的得着。

左 : 歐陽卓立 中 : 鄧銘澤 右：祝承謙

鄧銘澤是 ISA HK Chapter 會務秘書及浸大國際學院樹木管理課程講師 祝承謙是浸大國際學院樹木管理課程二年級生

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ISA Hong Kong Chapterď˝&#x153;Newsletter Issue No 2ď˝&#x153;Feb 2019

GAMES

The answers can be found on page 33

Across 3.

The full name of QCPT is Qualified Chainsaw and Pruning (______-based)Technician

4.

The ISAHK held a climbing workshop in June. What was the common name of the family of trees that the workshop was concerned about?

7.

Where did the HKTCC 2018 take place?

8.

How many ISAHK newsletters have been issued including this issue?

9.

The botanical name of one of the common exotic species is Acacia

Down 1.

Where will the ISA conference be held in 2019?

2.

What is the family name of the tree species Aleurites moluccana?

5.

One of the board members of ISAHK received the Exceptional Contribution to Practical Arboriculture Award, what is his surname?

6.

What is the meaning of the Latin word "alba? Such as Michelia x alba?

10. For how many years has ISAHK sent representatives to attend the World Forum on Urban Forests including 2018?

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

如何正確攀爬棕櫚樹

CLIMBER’S CORNER

吳志雄 2018 年 9 月

攀爬棕櫚的原因 一般的喬木有著大大小小的橫枝，可以作為攀樹繩索的掛點，讓攀 樹者輕易攀到樹冠層上。但棕櫚樹只有一條主幹，要攀到樹上，攀 爬的方法會有點不同，而攀爬技術亦有其獨特之處。一直以來，攀 爬棕櫚樹的目的主要是採摘種子，例如椰子及海棗。由於城市的發 展，大量棕櫚樹在市區種植，以作為園林景觀的一個重要部份。清 除枯葉以達到美觀及安全的目的，也成了現代樹木工作者攀爬攀棕 櫚樹的主要原因之一。 攀爬方法 攀爬棕櫚的方法很多，林林總總，五花百門。現分成兩大類，一種 是非使用繩索系統，另一種是使用繩索系統。使用繩索的方法相對 比較安全，一旦在意外發生時，攀爬者也不會因失去知覺而從高處 墮下。進行空中拯救時，由於有安全帶及繩索，拯救過程也較為容 易。 徒手及簡單輔助器材 在一些以棕櫚植物作為經濟作業的地區，工人們會以簡單的工具輔

使用樹單車及在樹皮造成損傷

助，甚至以徒手方式進行攀爬工作。這些方法，由於沒足夠的個人保護裝備，所以並不建議在都市樹木上使用。 樹單車 樹單車主要由兩件金屬腳踏器及一組安全短繩組成，操作時，左右 腳輪流向上提升，並以一條安全短繩繞過樹幹，以保持上身的平 衡，向上的動作如上梯級，下降時是把動作重複向下。腳踏器的金 屬部份在使用時直接接觸到樹皮，所以會在樹幹造成一些損傷。從 安全角度分析，由於系統中沒有使用繩索作掛點，在出意外時，傷 者難以保持安全和舒適的位置，如攀爬者困在棕櫚樹上, 在拯救上亦

使用釘鞋時對樹皮造成的傷害

有一定的困難。 釘鞋(馬刺) 由於棕櫚樹沒有樹枝，所以有些地區的攀樹工人會做用釘鞋進行攀爬，這方法雖然很快捷，但會對樹幹做成十分 嚴重的傷害，所以除非要移除樹木或進行樹上拯救，其他樹木工作用途並不建議使用。 11

ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

使用兩條扁帶 這方法是用兩條扁帶，分別以牛索套住樹幹，上面一條扣住攀樹安全帶，下面一條用作踩腳，當踩高身體時，將 上面一條扁帶推高，當重心轉到上面的扁帶時，則將下面的扁帶推高，動作輪流交替向上攀爬。下降時，可以把 樹皮保護器安裝在樹幹高處，再利用攀樹繩返回地面。 樹上掛點： 使用單繩攀爬技術，先投擲豆袋，把豆袋繩從 高處跨越樹冠中央，然後利用豆袋繩把打好蝴 蝶結的攀樹繩拉到樹幹高處。由於在地上已把 繩端穿過蝴蝶結，所以把攀樹繩拉緊，蝴蝶結 部份便可固定在樹幹上作為單繩攀爬技術的掛 點。 這方法只適用於單繩技術，而且非常安全快 捷。唯安裝的位置，常受到棕櫚花苞的影響， 只能到達花苞的下方，不能安裝到更高的位 置。在修剪棕櫚葉時，由於手鋸不能觸及樹冠，要使用長柄鋸來鋸斷葉柄。 樹基掛點： 此方法可應用單繩系統，雙繩系統或 4：1 系統。 首先也是先投擲豆袋，把豆袋繩從高處 跨越樹冠中央，再把攀樹繩經樹冠中央 拉回地上，然後固定在樹基。由於攀樹 繩的重量，在穿過樹冠時，繩端常卡死 在樹冠上拉不下來，所以用這方法時， 最好選用一種很輕而強度十分高的繩 (Dyneema) 。6 毫米直徑的繩，強度 可達 3500 公斤。這類繩索可輕易拉過 樹冠頂部，回到地上之後，繫在一個留纜器上。攀爬者可用這條輕便的繩索，直接把一條攀樹繩拉到樹冠頂部， 以作單繩技術用途，也可連拉一個單滑輪並掛一條攀樹繩作為一組雙繩系統。有時為了省力，也可在把雙滑輪拉 上樹冠，並藉以安裝一組 4:1 的攀爬系統。 這方法的好處是攀爬者可到達樹冠高處， 配合熟練的攀樹繩索技術，可說是最快，最省力的棕櫚攀爬方法，也 可減少被墮下枯葉擊中的機會。

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

攀爬棕櫚樹的風險 爬棕櫚樹的風險，主要來自掛在樹幹上的枯葉，攀爬者亦可能會 受到住在枯葉內的黃蜂攻擊，也有機會被下墮的枯葉打中而至受 傷甚致死亡。 拯救方案 當攀爬者在棕櫚樹上需要協助時，如在車輛能到達的地方，一般 會使用升台或雲梯進行拯救，但當車輛不能到達時，則要使用其 他方法。如攀爬者利用樹幹進行支點作攀爬，主要的拯救方法， 也是沿樹幹上攀，使用繩索進行高空救援。當攀爬者是使用樹基 掛點方式進行攀爬時，進行拯救時，只需在地上，解開留纜器的 繩索，同時利用留纜器，安全地把攀爬者放回地上。 總結 攀爬棕櫚樹的方法很多，我們在選擇合適的方法時，應同時考慮個人的技術，配合的器材和緊急應變措施。無論 使用那一種方法，也應合付基本的安全守則，在攀爬期間，最少要有一個掛點，而在工作時，例如使用手鋸，則 必須有兩個掛點，以保護攀爬者，避免在高空工作時發生意外。 吳志雄是國際樹木學會註冊樹藝師, 註冊攀樹師, 國際樹木學會香港分部董事會成員及香港攀樹錦鏢賽委員會委員

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

ACTIVITIES & EVENTS 2018 April 15, SciFest 2018, “Meet the Arborist”

March 25, SciFest 2018, “Love Trees, touch and climb it”

April 29, “Insect on Trees”

April 21, “Tree Risk Assessment Qualification course and assessment”

June 29, “Golf Club field trip”

X June 25, 26 & 28, “Public seminar for Property Tree managers”

June 30, “Palm Climbing Workshop”

Aug 10 & 12, “電油鋸操作安全工作坊/電油鋸及修剪(地 上)技師資歷評估備考工作坊”

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

1-2 Dec HK Tree Climbing Championship

23-24 Nov ISAHK 3rd Annual Conference

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Asia’s First ITCC Winning Female Arborist

AWARDEES’ CORNER - 1

Kay CHEUNG

I recently competed in the 2018 International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) in Columbus, Ohio, the United States, as a member of the Hong Kong team. I had a great experience and am proud to share this experience with members of the ISA Honk Kong Chapter.

The announcer just finished presenting the awards for another event, turned to us in the crowd and yelled out: “…in the biggest event, it is time to start announcing the Work Climb results!!”

"Are you ready?"

"I can't hear you! Are you ready!!??”

"In the Women’s Individual, the 3rd place, winner is from the Hong Kong Chapter, Hoi Kei Kay Cheung!"

When I heard 'Hong Kong Chapter....' I was unexpected and surprised. I wanted to scream out loud!! I don’t even recall hearing my name called as I was still surprised and happy that I won the 3rd place. Prior to this, there has never been a female climber from Hong Kong on the stage to get a medal, and I felt so proud of myself and the Hong Kong Chapter. I think the other competitors should feel proud for Hong Kong as they also clapped and yelled really loud. The feeling was even better because my friends, teammate, and family was there to share this moment with me. I had been competing for several years and this was my proudest moment!

The 2018 international tree climbing championships was held at beautiful Franklin Park in Columbus Ohio, U.S.from Thursday, August 2nd till Sunday, August 5th. The equipment check-in and event walkthrough took place on Thursday and it was great to see the other competitors from all over the world.

As this was my 3rd time competing in the ITCC with the Hong Kong team, the other competitors and I had become well-acquainted with each other. There was a total of 75 competitors from over 24 countries, including 26 women and 49 men. Friday and Saturday were the ITCC Masters' Qualifying events with award ceremony taking place at the park on Saturday afternoon after completion of all events.

The last day, Sunday, was the Masters’ Challenge event with only top 5 men and usually the top 3 women competitors qualified, however this year they made an exception that a total of 4 top women competitors were accepted. I learned on late Saturday that in addition to placing 3rd in the preliminary round, my final score allowed me taking a 5th place overall.

There were five overall events and all of the climbers and the volunteers were busy focusing on each event.

Competitors wanted to perform smoothly and the volunteers want to ensure the event goes smoothly. We all knew the event with the highest score is the Work Climb so this was the single event that all competitors tried to really do their best and earned the most points possible. Prior to starting the Work Climb, I arrived at the site a bit early to get ready, calm myself down, and think about my goal of finishing all of the stations and reaching the ground before the allowed time. I watched a few competitors to learn the best route to each station, how to go back and forth, and then how to make a beautiful landing - all allowed within the 5 minutes. When it was almost my turn, I went up the tree, took a deep breath, adjusted my mind, and 16

ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019 again went through every station in my head. When it was finally my turn, my teammate Pau gave me a thumbs up and that gave me much confidence. ‘I will do my best!’ I said to myself. The judge said “when ready just press the horn and go!” Once I started, the 5 minutes went like a flash and each station was a bit rush for me, swinging widely from branch to branch and during the long limb walk. Throughout the entire event I was focused but still heard the crowd cheering me up. I had just completed the last station when I heard my husband Colin and teammate Pau yelled out "only 20 seconds”, then “15 seconds”, and finally “10 seconds, hurry Kay!” OMG, I knew I had to hurry and due to the rush, I didn’t land on the designated point on the ground, but I really didn’t care as my only thought was to unclip my carabiner. As I landed I noticed all timers were really focused on me and the time - then finally I managed to unclip my carabiner and yelled out “Done!!”.

I was very exhausted and asked one of judges about my time and he simply said “1 second”. I was very disappointed and upset that I was 1 second overtime. After a few seconds though I told myself to be happy as I did my best and that was my goal. The judge saw my face and said to me “hey you finished under 5 minutes, with only 1 second remaining". I was so overjoyed and happy!! At this point I had no idea that by the end of the day only a few females overall were able to complete all of the stations within 5 minutes or that I would get 3rd place overall. This was why I was so surprised when I heard “From the Hong Kong Chapter…” later that day.

In addition to the competition events there were other activities at the site like the Arbor Fair and Expo. This was very well-organized and as you entered the area you felt like you were in a shopping street with a lot of tree gear manufacturers showing and selling many products. I felt cool to walk around see equipment and other tree climbing gear for sale. At the same time, though, you needed to spend some money as the gear was in high quality with special price. For most of us this was a unique experience, so it was worth spending the money to get tools you need. Also if you have any questions about the tools, there was always someone ready to give you great answers. In overall the competition and my weekend both were great and I look forward to competing and representing Hong Kong in the ITCC for more many years.

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Hong Kong arborist presented with ISA’s Practical AWARDEES’ CORNER - 2 Arboriculture Award Samuel MA spreads arboriculture knowledge throughout Asia Samuel Ma of Hong Kong is the recipient of the 2018 Millard F. Blair Exceptional Contribution to Practical Arboriculture Award from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). This Award of Distinction honors individuals for providing outstanding service in promoting practical arboriculture in their work.

Ma, now an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist®, is the owner of Kassod Arbor Tree Consultancy and Services Limited in Hong Kong. In addition, he owns an arborist and tree technician training company and arborist gear company in Taiwan. He was also responsible for organizing the first official Hong Kong tree climbing championship, held by ISA Hong Kong Chapter in 2014.

“Samuel has been instrumental in developing the ISA Hong Kong Chapter,” says Paul Ries, ISA board president. “He has been able to utilize the tree climbing competitions to promote best practices in arboriculture and promote education in the Asia region.”

Traveling and working throughout Asia has allowed Ma to educate others, and in turn, take new techniques back to Hong Kong. Ma even traveled to Hawaii to pursue his ISA certification. “After I became an ISA Certified Tree Worker, I came back to Hong Kong and applied my new knowledge,” says Ma. It was at that time that he began helping the Hong Kong Chapter with chapter development and organized their tree climbing competitions, as well as starting his own training company.

“One of the reasons that I wanted to start a training company in Taiwan is that they wanted to know more about arboriculture and best practices there,” adds Ma. He is dedicated to assisting non-English-speaking arborists, teaching them how to respect their job and improve their own skills. “There is a challenge with the language barrier. Because I could speak four languages, I was able to work with various people where others could not.”

Ma says he is most proud of all mentors and friends he has met so far in this industry, all of whom he says have taught him a lot. “It is encouraging to know I have friends worldwide who respect what I do and the contributions I have made,” says Ma. In referencing past winners of the practical arboriculture award, Ma expresses his humility but agrees that they share a common thread. “I think we are similar in our passion to help the industry and make our hometowns better, and make tree care practitioners in our regions better.”

Ma was recognized during the opening ceremony of the ISA Annual International Conference and Trade Show on Sunday, August 5 in Columbus, Ohio. “By recognizing individuals who have a positive impact on arboriculture, ISA helps provide role models and learning opportunities for all of us,” added Robert Bartlett Jr., chairman and CEO of Bartlett Tree Experts. “We applaud Samuel Ma and all of the honorees for their contributions in research, education and mentoring.”

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019 ISA serves more than 30,000 members and credential holders worldwide, and has been honoring members and industry professionals with the Awards of Distinction since 1963. The winners are selected by the ISA Awards Committee, a diverse group of experts in arboriculture, and are approved by ISA’s Board of Directors.

5-8 Aug 2018 94 th ISA Annual International Conference

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

THE IMPORTANCE OF TREE CAVITIES IN HONG KONG- THE ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

TECHNICAL ARTICLES - 1

Text & photos : Dickson WONG and To CHAN Trees are highly beneficial to wildlife in various ways. All parts of trees could be utilized by different kinds of wildlife. Amongst these, tree cavity is one of the important “micro-habitat” which are very vital to the survival of various species of wildlife. Some examples of the usage of tree cavities are: 1. Nesting Site - place for breeding, the most important function of tree cavities 2. Roosting Site - place for sleeping and resting 3. Water Pool - the shape of cavities sometimes acts as water bowl to hold rainwater for wildlife drinking 4. Food source - cavities provide decaying wood as food for insect larva/ arthropods, these insect larva/ arthropods in turns are prey for other predatory animals, e.g. birds 5. Rooms for activities - e.g.dining and grooming

Figure 1 A Lesser Green Leafbird, Chloropsis cyanopogon, 小綠葉鵯 was drinking and bathing in a water pool formed by tree cavity (Photo taken in Sabah, Malaysia)

6. Food storage place - some animals would use cavities as their food storage. Rodents such as mice and squirrels have such habit Amongst these, the most important role of cavities on trees for wildlife is as nesting and roosting site. Cavities provide very good shelter for most wildlife especially those who breed and raise young. Plenty of wildlife in the world are cavity users. Many birds, for example owls, woodpeckers, parrots, ducks, falcons and many other small passerines prefer tree cavities as their nesting site. Many of them only survive with tree cavities, that makes these animals more vulnerable to tree cutting. In Australia, about 15% of vertebrate are cavity or hollow users, while a large percentage of them are even endangered (Gibbons, 2002). In Hong Kong, we can also find many different animals which utilize tree cavities.

Some of the examples would be illustrated in the following paragraphs.

Figure 3 Large number of scattered feathers of the victim of Spotted Dove, Spilopelia chinensis, 珠頸斑鳩 were observed in a trunk base cavity at Central. It was an evidence that the predator had used this cavity as its dinning room to enjoy the meal.

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Figure 2 A Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Dendrocopos canicapillus, 星頭啄木鳥 was finding foods inside tree cavities. (Photo taken in Taiwan)

ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019 Mammals Masked Palm Civet, Paguma Iarvata, 果子狸 Masked Palm Civet belongs to the family Viverridae. They can be easily recognised by their white facial mask and long tail (The similar looking Chinese Ferret-badger, Melogale moschata, 鼬獾 has a relative short tail). They are highly arboreal, foraging on trees for fruits and insects.

They are mainly nocturnal but can be active in daytime if they are comfortable with the environment, becoming more common to be observed close to human settlement. Their breeding season is from early spring to late autumn, mainly inside large tree cavities.

Besides Masked Palm Civet, another two Figure 6 Pallas's Squirrel is very common in some large urban parks

Figure 4 Masked Palm Civet are highly arboreal

Figure 5 Masked Palm Civet rely tree cavities for nesting and roosting

Pallas’s Squirrel, Callosciurus erythraeus, 赤腹松鼠 Figure 7 Japanese Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus abramus, 東 亞家蝠 is the commonest bat in Hong Kong, which could live in tree crevice and cavities.

Pallas’s Squirrel belongs to family Sciuridae. It is the only squirrel member in Hong Kong and claimed to be an introduced species, while they are very common in nearby region, e.g. Southeast Asia and Taiwan. They are the most arboreal mammals in Hong Kong, foraging on trees for fruits and seeds. They would also chew the tree bark to control the growth of incisors, which might give some damage to the tree trunk. Pallas’s Squirrel are diurnal and very common to be seen in all urban and rural areas in Hong Kong. They breed all year round, with the nests inside tree cavities, but the peak is from May to December.

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Bats (Chiroptera) 蝙蝠 Bats is one of the most typical groups of mammals that frequently roost in tree cavities. Their faeces deposited inside the cavities can provide extra nutrients for the trees and hence are beneficial to the trees. There are around 27 species of bats in Hong Kong (many of them are migratory) but their cavity-roosting behaviour in Hong Kong is less studied.

Other mammals In addition, there are some arboreal mammals which may well utilize tree cavities. For example, the Macaque, (Macaca spp. 獼猴)and some rodents such as Sikkim Rat (Rattus andamanensis 印支林鼠), carnivores such as Small Indian Civet (Viverricula indica 小靈貓)and Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis 豹貓) would also roost in tree cavities.

Figure 8 Sikkim Rat, Rattus andamanensis, is one of the arboreal rodent in Hong Kong, which may also utilize cavities for various purpose

Birds Owls (Strigiformes) 貓頭鷹 There are about 200 species of owls worldwide. Many of them are bred in tree cavities, rock crevices, etc.

There are at least 9 species of owls listed in HK and some of them breed inside Hong Kong. Collared Scops Owl (Otus lempii 領 角 鴞 ) and Asian Barred Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides 斑頭鵂鶹) are two of the owls which can be found in tree cavities in rural and urban area.

Collared Scops Owl is one of the commonest owls in Hong Kong which lives close to urban area. They can be seen and commonly heard even in urban parks. Their breeding period is from March to June.

Figure 9 Collared Scops Owl can be seen nesting in cavities of urban trees

Figure 10 Collared Scops Owl Chicks found inside a cavity.

Asian Barrd Owlet is relatively diurnal when compared with other owls in Hong Kong. They breed from April to June in tree cavities. The OVT Chinese Banyan, Ficus microcarpa, in Shui Mei Tsun of Kam Tin, was one of the wellknown nesting sites for them.

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Parrots (Psittaciformes) 鸚鵡 There are around 400 species of parrots in the world and most of them are bred exclusively in tree cavities. In Hong Kong, there are 3 species of wild parrots, which are all introduced species.

Figure 11 Asian Barred Owlet, Glaucidium cuculoides, on an OVT at Shui Mei Tusen, Kam Tin

Figure 12 A pair of Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo were excavating a tree cavity of a Camphor Tree in Sheung Wan

Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea 小 葵花鳳頭鸚鵡) is probably the most familiar species of parrot for arborists in Hong Kong. Flocks of them were commonly observed biting off twigs and barks of trees in Hong Kong Park. They are sometimes treated as pest in the point of view from arboriculture.

Naturally Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is endemic to islands around Sulawesi of Indonesia. However, these birds were frequently caught by pet-trade and the number declined dramatically. IUCN Red listed the bird as Critically Endangered while some of the island population were already extinct. The introduced population in Hong Kong comprise around 200 or more individuals, becoming one of the very important groups of this species in the wild.

Figure 13 Tree cavities are the most important habitat for these The other two well established parrots species in Hong endangered birds Kong are Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria) (Near Threatened) and Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameria) which can be readily observed in Kowloon Park. The OVT Camphor Trees, Cinnamomum camphora, at Haiphong Road provide some good nesting cavities for them.

Ducks (Anatidae) 鴨 Ducks always give an impression of aquatic creatures but surprisingly some of the duck species are bred exclusive in tree cavities. One of the typical examples is the famous beautiful Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata 鴛鴦) which is also a winter migrant in Hong Kong. However, as natural breeding of duck’s species are unlikely to be occurred in Hong Kong, it would not be discussed in details here.

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Woodpecker (Picidae) 啄木鳥 Woodpecker are famous cavities excavator in the world. In Hong Kong, there are only five species of woodpeckers recorded and they are relatively rare, living in mature woodland, e.g. Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve.

Their breeding records in Hong Kong are not yet confirmed and thus won’t be elaborated here.

Other Passerine There are also a large number of birds using tree cavities for breeding. One of the familiar small birds in Hong Kong, Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis 鵲鴝) is the best example. They are very common urban birds and their nest can be seen even in the city. Their breeding season is from February to August.

Figure 14 Nest of Oriental Magpie Robin in a cavity of Yellow Poinciana at Central

Figure 15 Oriental Magpie-robin is a very common bird which can see their nest in urban tree cavities

Arthropods Although insects are always regarded as pest in arboriculture, the symbiosis of trees and insects is very important for the survival of trees and even to the whole ecosystem. Tree cavities provide food and roosting rooms for large number of insects and other arthropods. Some of the social insects such as Honeybee (Apis spp. 蜜蜂 (Apidae)) and Giant Paper Wasps (Polistes gigas 棕馬蜂 (Vespidae)) would also nest inside tree cavities.

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ISA Hong Kong Chapterď˝&#x153;Newsletter Issue No 2ď˝&#x153;Feb 2019

Figure 16 Honeybee, Apis mellifera nest in tree cavity at trunk base

Figure 17 Nest of Polistes gigas inside tree cavity

Figure 18 Large cavities does not mean instability. Most of the veteran "Fung Shui" Camphor Trees in Tai Po are actually totally hollow but they are strong and healthy which can withstand many many years of rainstrorms and typhoon in HK wherever many younger solid trees were already collasped.

With the known importance of tree cavities to wildlife, many countries consider the presence of tree cavities as one of the important conservation factors of trees. Trees with cavities are highly conserved. In Hong Kong, however, the situation is reversed. Tree cavities are always considered as unacceptable defects and hazards. A large number of old trees with cavities were wholly removed in recent years. However, it should be emphasised that the presence of tree cavities is not necessarily risk of failure to the tree. More factors should be taken into account for consideration. In other point of view, the presence of cavities could even be beneficial to the trees.

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019 It is not only the environmental, conservational and moral issue for arborists to understand the importance of tree cavities to wildlife. Legally, all birds and most wild mammals, including the aforementioned species are protected under HK law Cap.170 Wild Animals Protection Ordinance. If an arborist is not knowledgeable enough to assess the existence of wildlife, especially the nest, inside tree cavities, he could be legally liable for disturbing the nesting wildlife if the trees were removed or pruned.

Figure 19 In many countries, cavities even on a dead tree in a targeted urban park are always retained as much as possible by pruning away the hazardous parts. Cavities can be created by some special chainsaw technique so to enhance the usage of wildlife. (Habitat Pruning in Sydney)

In order to provide professional advice on problematic trees with cavities, arborists are suggested to: (1) understand the importance of tree cavities to surrounding wildlife, (2) understand the surrounding wildlife, observe for their existence, especially those of protected species, (3) assess the condition of tree cavities as well as its effect on tree stability and determine the risk level, In most cases, hazards from trees with moderate or even high risk, could be mitigated by special pruning (e.g. habitat pruning, coronet cut…, etc.) or propping such that important tree cavities could be retained. Arboriculture is not merely tree science, arborist should also consider the relations of tree and wildlife, giving it more thoughts and shaping balance ecosystem.

To CHAN is an ISA Certified Arborist Dickson WONG is a Terrestrial Ecologist at Ho Koon Nature Education Centre Reference: Corlett, R. T. (2005). Interactions between birds, fruit bats and exotic plants in urban hong kong, south china.Urban Ecosystems,8(3-4), 275-283. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11252-005-3260-x Clive Viney, Karen P, Lam Chiu Ying (2005). The Birds of Hong Kong and South China. Hong Kong. Information Services Department C.T.Shek. (2006). A Field Guide to the Terrestrial Mammals of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong Fran Cafferata Coe (2014). Cavity-Nesting Birds and Small Woodlands. Woodland Fish & Wildlife , July 2014 Neville Fay (2002). Environmental Arboriculture, Tree Ecology And Veteran Tree Management. Arboricultural Journal, 26 (3) P 213-238.

Neville Fay, C. Mynors and C. Davis (2000), Veteran trees: A guide to risk and responsibility. English Nature Philip Gibbons, D. Lindenmayer (2002), Tree Hollows and Wildlife Conservation In Australia. CSIRO Publishing

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Urban Forestry Series 2

TECHNICAL ARTICLES - 2

THE DIRECTION OF URBAN FORESTRY IN HONG KONG Chiky WONG

In the series 1 article we have briefly reviewed the fundamentals of Urban Forestry. We will elaborate the concept through understanding the situation in Hong Kong this time. It is important to acknowledge and evaluate our diverse urban forest asset as the foundation for developing a strategic plan.

Notwithstanding being a small city, there are quite diverse and relatively sufficient areas of urban forest to sustain the living quality of more than 7.3M population. Our country parks alone cover more than 40% of total land area of the territory. Our current urban forest asset was mostly established since the 1950s through massive plantation, planned greenery programmes, or unintentional neglect in some areas. Together with parks, gardens and other green open space, the per capita urban forest area, in a broad sense, is 105 sq. m (Annon, 2011) a figure quite high amongst cities in Southeast Asia (Table 1). However, the figure would drop to about 2.5 sq. m (comparable to some cities in developing countries) if country parks are excluded (Jim, 1998).

Table 1 – Comparison of green open space accessible by the public (including planted areas trees) (Annon, 2011)

City UN’s target (World Health Organization, 2010) Hong Kong Bangkok Beijing Delhi Guangzhou Hanoi Jakarta Kuala Lumpur Manila Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo

Population (person/km2) 7M (6362.2) 5.7M (3607.4) 17.6M (1069.4) 17.4M (11733.0) 7.9M (2067.5) 6.5M (1935.1) 9.2M (13889.9) 1.7M (6811.1) 11.6M (18165.1) 10.5M (17288.8) 5M (7025.2) 2.7M (9789.9) 13M (5946.9)

Urban open space per(sq. m) Min. 9.5 Ideal 50 105 (including country parks) 3 88 19 166 11 2 44 5 23 66 50 11

Our urban forest provides various services to the society of Hong Kong (Fig. 1). There are quite diverse components of urban forest locally (Wong, 2017) and they have some shared services to the city, such as carbon sequestration, heat island effect reduction, physical and physiological health improvement of the citizens. On the other hand, some services are quite site specific. For example, roadside tree rows for shading and screening, slope planting for erosion control, rooftop planting for reducing energy consumption, country park for conservation and water catchment.

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

Fig. 1 – Major components of urban forest in Hong Kong and their key services

Though often taken for granted or unnoticed, such diverse functions of the urban forest are equally important to the services that other city infrastructures such as roadworks, water and power supply, drainage, hospital provide. In the past, budget and standards for designing, building and maintenance of urban forest (green infrastructure) were very low. Tree planting is usually absorbed in landscaping and mostly comprises less than 2% of the total contract sum of most development projects. As plantings were generally classified as “landscape” for amenity, aesthetic function, the real benefits of them have always been masked. With this underestimated importance of the urban forest, the performance standards and requirements for personnel responsible for the planning, design, implementation and maintenance were insufficient for the actual need. Appropriate planting space is commonly sacrificed for other utilities readily without formulating a compromise option.

The old mindset needs to be changed fundamentally so that the development of urban forestry will be on the right track. There is no shortcut, but it is achievable with collective thinking and innovative trials.

Increased expectations of the urban forest’s quality and services implies the possibility of an increased budget, which may sound like a burden to municipal authorities. Currently, the majority of urban forest in Hong Kong is solely funded and managed by the government. While the public has little involvement, noise is made quite often on the quality of the government’s greening and tree management work. It appears far from satisfactory to rely solely on public funding in management of green infrastructure. In fact, the community has become highly enthusiastic and involved in greening issues in recent years. This trend has created an environment for government-community collaboration in urban forestry. There are many possibilities for collaboration and below two are listed for further discussion: 1. Active participation of community on urban forestry management It is a longstanding practice in many developed countries that the community is engaged to actively participate in the planning, design, implementation and maintenance of the urban forest. Entrusting pieces of abandoned lands to non-profit or community groups which have a strong mission in greenery is one way.

Partnering of municipality and these groups in planting and maintenance works is another direction that can be explored in already-established green space.

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

The Plantation Enrichment Programme (PEP) at Country Parks by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department is a frontier scheme locally in which different community groups are engaged in the planning, design and hands-on planting and maintenance work for a relatively long period of time, with funding raised from different sectors of the community. The scheme has formed a good model for reference in other urban forestry programmes.

2. Alternative funding from the community Upgrading the standard of care of the urban forest and its function involves a lift in expenses. There are various private funding sources which have a strong mission in serving the community and improving the environment. Matching of them with the real need is necessary for a wise use of resources. For example, a popular local electronic-payment system launched a scheme for some years to fund tree planting (for each transaction) at private locations and small communities. Such kind of initiative would have been even more effective and with a greater positive impact if there had been better coordination and stronger support from the authorities which own the largest pieces of land. Nevertheless, this scheme was ground-breaking and would also become a valuable experience for future fund-raising schemes.

Being a component of the city’s infrastructure, urban forestry requires a strong team of professionals in the planning, design, implementation and maintenance. It requires the collaboration of various professions and their importance also varies depending on site nature (habitat) (Miller, et al., 2015). Fig. 2 elaborates the general concept further for the situation of Hong Kong.

Fig. 2 – Flow chart for urban forestry development including resources and involvement of professions.

Nearly 10 professions should be involved in holistic urban forest management. For example, in the planning and design stage the goal of the urban forest is laid down in response to society needs. This involves urban planners and usually ecologists as well for benefiting the environment. While trees are the backbone of urban forest, the urban forester / municipal arborist plans for the life cycle of the forest, designs the appropriate species to deliver different functions and enhancement, and determine the required space.

Landscape Architects consider the leisure and recreational needs of users and plans for the site function and spatial arrangement, and designs for other associated facilities. Engineers of different specialities contribute when there is need in coordination with other infrastructure during the development.

During the construction stage, all building / planting works delivered are supervised by various qualified specialists, arborists, ecologists and horticulturists may usually get involved in many practical works during the planting and establishment stages.

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019 Compared with the previous two stages, the maintenance stage of the urban forest lasts much longer in time. While there are smaller plants which may be replaced after a few years, the backbone – trees can usually last for more than 80 years in the urban scenario if there is no interference or damage. However, growth of trees requires different levels of care so that their services will be maintained or preferably enhanced as they age. The damaged trees need extra attention and maintenance efforts as they tend to have more conflicts with the built environment.

As the Seoul Action Plan has predicted, awareness of the functions and benefits of urban forests and trees would increase urban forestry investment (FAO, 2017). With an increased budget, the services that the existing green space can provide to the city would be advanced too – which will benefit not only the city dwellers, but the overall global climate. The key players should acknowledge this movement and get prepared for the change.

Chiky, Cheuk Yuet Wong Immediate Past President and Education Committee Chairperson, ISA Hong Kong Chapter

Reference: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Annon. (2011). Asian Green City Index. Economist Intelligence Unit, London EPS iDo website: https://www.eps.com.hk/ido/chi/ FAO’s Urban Forestry website: http://www.fao.org/forestry/urbanforestry/en/ FAO (2017). Seoul Action Plan for the Development of Urban Forestry in Asia-Pacific Region. Released in 2nd Asia-Pacific Urban Forestry Meeting 1315 Sept 2017.

JIM, C.Y. (1998). Impact of Intensive Urbanization on Trees in Hong Kong. Environmental Conservation. 25(2):146-159 Kuchelmeister, G. (1998). Urban Forestry: Present Situation and Prospects in the Asia and Pacific region, FAO Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Forestry Policy and Planning Division, Rome Miller, R.W., Hauer, R.J., Werner, L.P. (2015). Urban Forestry: Planning and Managing Urban Greenspaces. Waveland Press, Long Grove, IL. pp.1722 Wong, C.Y. 2017. Change of Forest Role and the Approach of Management in Hong Kong. Proceeding of 2nd Asia Pacific Urban Forestry Meeting.

Food and Agriculture Organization, UN World Health Organization (2010). Urban Planning, Environment and Health: From Evidence to Policy Action. Meeting Report, http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/114448/E939 87.pdf?ua=1

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

ANNUAL REVIEW 2018 Feb 8

Seminar on Brown Root Rot Disease (3 hours)

Feb 9

Chainsaw Operation Safety Workshop for QCPT (3 hours)

Mar 24

Dec2515 Mar Apr 15

ISA Credential WrittenMEETING Exam ANNUAL GENERAL CUM SEMINAR: AN INTRODUCTION TO TREE QCPT Assessment – Written Exam (1/2 INSECT PESTS IN HONG KONG day) SPEAKER: SciFest – Tree Climb Fun Day (1 day) • MR. YIU VOR, CHAIRMAN OF THE HONG KONG ENTOMOLOGICAL SciFest – Meet the Arborist (1 day) SOCIETY

Apr 21-23

TRAQ course and assessment (3 days)

Apr 22

Certified Tree Workers skill exam (1 day)

Apr 29

Field trip, Insects on Trees (1/2 day)

June 24

QCPT Assessment (1/2 day)

June 25, 26 and 28

Public Tree Management seminar for Property Management (3 hours x 3)

June 29

Golf Club Visit (AM / PM sessions)

June 30

Palm Climbing Workshop (1/2 day)

Aug 10

Chainsaw Operation Safety Workshop for QCPT (3 days)

Aug 12

QCPT Preparatory Workshop (3 days)

Sep 21

Seminar: Understanding Geotechnical site activities for tree perservation (3 days)

Oct 6

ISA Credential (written) Exam (1/2 day)

Oct 10

TRAQ Renewal Course and Assessment (1 day)

Oct 11-13

TRAQ course and assessment (3 days)

Oct 21

Certified Tree Workers skill exam (1 day)

Oct 25-27

TRAQ course and assessment (3 days)

Nov 23

ISAHK 3rd Annual Conference 2018 (1 day)

Nov 24

ISAHK 3rd Annual Conference, workshop and field trip (1/2 day)

Dec 1-2

Hong Kong Tree Climbing Championship 2018 (2 days)

Dec 9

QCPT Assessment (1/2 day)

Dec 14

Briefing session by Qualification Framework Secretariat cum Annual General Meeting 2018 (members only) (3 hours)

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

WE ALL TRAVEL THE MILKY WAY TOGETHER, TREES AND MEN; BUT IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME UNTIL THIS STORM-DAY, WHILE SWINGING IN THE WIND, THAT TREES ARE TRAVELERS IN THE ORDINARY SENSE. THEY MAKE MANY JOURNEYS, NOT EXTENSIVE ONES, IT IS TRUE; BUT OUR OWN LITTLE JOURNEYS, AWAY AND BACK AGAIN, ARE ONLY LITTLE MORE THAN TREEWAVINGS – MANY OF THEM NOT SO MUCH.

JOHN MUIR, NATURALIST, EXPLORER, AND WRITER (1838-1914)

WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR AND A GREAT DEAL TO LEARN FROM TREES, THAT VIGOROURS AND PACIFIC TRIBE WHICH WITHOUT STINT PRODUCES, STRENGTHENING ESSENCES FOR US, SOOTHING BALMS, AND IN WHOSE GRACIOUS COMPANY WE SPEND SO MANY COOL, SILENT, AND INTIMATE HOURS.

MARCEL PROUST,, FRENCH NOVLIST AND CRITICS (1871-1922)

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ISA Hong Kong Chapterď˝&#x153;Newsletter Issue No 2ď˝&#x153;Feb 2019

As at 28/11/2018 13

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ADVERTISMENT Answer 1. Knoxville 2. euphorbiaceae 3. ground 4. palm 5. ma 6. white 7. hkgolfclub 8. two 9. confusa 10. first

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We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement we believe is incompatible with ISA Hong Kong Chapter.

Tel : (852) 5228 5526 Email: admin@isahongkong.org

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019

ISAHK MEMBERSHIP In order to raise the professional standing of the arboriculture industry in Hong Kong and to promote quality performance and career prospects of practitioners, ISA HK Chapter offers the following Membership Scheme:

• • •

A Chapter member enjoys several membership benefits: Obtain the latest industry update and information through conferences, seminars, workshops and events.

Establish and maintain a network of professional arborists in Hong Kong and worldwide.

Maintain ISA credentials through CEUs offered by the Chapter.

Obtain discounts on seminars, book purchasing and services.

• • •

By becoming a Chapter’s member, you are also helping to: Maintain and improve the industry standards in Hong Kong Encourage education and research Raise public awareness on proper tree care and management

•

Professional Membership, Ordinary Membership and Student Membership: Membership Form: https://goo.gl/C9XMa8 Or scan this:

CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP Corporate contributions are important to support the development of our local arboriculture industry.

ISA Hong Kong Chapter treasures the connections with local companies and organizations that are embracing the values of trees in benefiting the urban environment and citizens’ living. Our Corporate Membership Program provides your company / organization a chance to show your support to our industry professionals, as well as industry and public education initiatives. Become a Corporate Member of ISA Hong Kong Chapter today you can enjoy a lot of benefits more than justify the reasonable cost of membership including increased exposure of your company in various local arboricultural events.

ISAHK Corporate Membership Form: https://goo.gl/XHhHPK Or scan this:

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ISA Hong Kong Chapter｜Newsletter Issue No 2｜Feb 2019 Acknowledgement : Thanks for the nice drawing from Ms. Liona Poon

錦田樹屋 這兩張畫分別於 1995 年及 2018 年完成，潘鑽霞老師於 1995 年 在 錦 田 樹 屋 戶 外 寫 生，當時樹屋可以隨便進入， 讓人近距離觀察樹根的情 況 。時至今日，該樹屋已被 編入古樹名木册(編號 LCSD YL/6)，受康文署管理，幾年 前該樹曾受褐根病侵襲，一度 有健康及倒塌的憂慮。現時， 該範圍已不容許進入, 市民只 可以隔著圍欄欣賞。若想觀察 此樹, 可以乘搭西鐵到錦上路 站，再轉乘 601 專線小巴在水 尾村天后古廟下車 。據說樹 屋本來是一間書齋（一說是天 后廟），但其主人離開錦田 後，石屋給丟空了數百年，被 鄰近榕樹絞纏，幾乎將這所書 齋都吞了，結果造成「屋樹合 一」的奇景。

畫家：潘鑽霞 (Liona) 老師 潘鑽霞老師是本港著名 的水彩寫實畫家，現為 「香港畫家聯會」永久 會員、「香港水彩藝術 學會」副會長。潘氏是 太陽天畫苑創辦人之 一，作品獲香港中文大 學、中國封開縣博物館 及中外人士私人收藏， 至今從事藝術及美術教 育工作達四十餘年。潘 氏曾為菇菌專家鄧銘澤 (Alvin)博士的著作<< 一菇一世界—菇菌趣味 新知>>繪畫插畫。

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