King Banyan in Kowloon Park

One third of the tree trunk of the King Banyan collapsed on 13th August 2007. The Banyan, situated at the football pitch in Kowloon Park, was elected as the “King of Hong Kong Urban Tree” in 1997. It was the largest Chinese Banyan and tree of thickest trunk in Hong Kong and one the listed old and valuable trees. The tree was in critical condition due to construction works and ineffectual tree conservation measures.

The importance of tree conservation cannot be understated. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department Tree Tam comprises only 110 staff, but have to take care of 700,000 trees in Hong Kong. Although there is inspection of old and valuable trees twice per year, the collapse of the King Banyan clearly reveals that the Administration does not commit enough resources to tree conservation.

The inspection works of the King Banyan done by LCSD is not thorough and detail enough to access its condition; the percentage of its internal decay is simply not known, the effectiveness of existing measures is thus thrown into question. The Conservancy Association urges the Administration to conduct a detailed inspection so as to formulate effective remedial measures. Through the lessons of this incident as well as the collapse of the Wishing Tree in Lam Tsuen, the Administration should remove concrete or stones compressing the root flare of the trees in either immediate or potential danger.

Upper Left: May 2002     Right: March 2005     Lower Left: October 2005

13 August 2007

Whether a tree is able to survive cannot be determined just by its health conditions, its structural stability is equally important. Even if the trunks are healthy, a tree with root decay still has chance to collapse. The Administration spares no expenses on greening, but it should also allocate resources for tree conservation, otherwise trees can hardly enhance the environment and increase the risk of collapses. The result is that it both waste public fund and jeopardize public safety. The Conservancy Association strongly urges the Administration to increase transparency of tree conservation, so that professionals, environmental groups and public can monitor how the Administration utilizes our public assets.