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Alex Lo

Hong Kong is an urban jungle so we need trees and greenery to make it liveable. That seems obvious but it is not - that is, not when you and I have to pay for it.
The Development Bureau will insert new guidelines on the management and care of trees on private property into existing building management laws.
That sounds good - on paper - until you find out the guidelines will have no legal force.
READ MORE: Tracking the health of Hong Kong's trees: an interactive map
They say private tree owners have a duty of care. And you may be one if the residential estate you are living in is responsible for slopes on which there are trees.
Responsibilities include hiring professionals for tree works, mitigating risks, keeping records and maintaining slope safety.
Well, all that costs money and time. Since those guidelines do not have the force of law, what do you think most owners will end up doing?
They will just cut down the trees and be done with it once and for all.

The problem is, under current laws, they are liable for damages if a tree falls on their property and someone is injured or killed.
So unless they are real tree lovers, owners have a legal incentive to get rid of trees that may pose a danger, and those are usually the older and larger ones which are also the most ecologically valuable.
READ MORE: 'Tree massacre' fears as Hong Kong introduces tree handbook for building managers
Hong Kong desperately needs a tree law to prevent people from cutting down trees on a whim and to force them to care for those on their property. But the Development Bureau says no. It says it has studied overseas laws and doesn't think they suit Hong Kong's conditions.
The real reason is that officials don't want to upset residential owners too much - more than half of the local population owns their own homes - by forcing them to pay for costly tree maintenance.
It's not that our government doesn't recognise the public good, but it is always worried about upsetting vested interests, so it does everything halfway. Officials think they are balancing different interests. In fact, they are just introducing inefficient half measures.
That's the case with vehicle emissions, the plastic bag surcharge, waste recycling and kindergarten subsidies. So it is with tree protection.


There's a problem at the root of Hong Kong's new tree management guidelines

Chinese banyan trees are a common sight in urban Hong Kong.

The government cut down a cluster of banyan trees on Bonham Road in Sai Ying Pun this summer unannounced, triggering protest that it was like a "summary execution". Photo: Sam Tsang

'Tree massacre' fears from experts as Hong Kong introduces tree handbook of rules for building managers

The falling tree on Robinson Road killed a pregnant woman last year. Photo: Sam Tsang

Picture shows the trees were cut down on Friday night and the unannounced government move triggered protests over the weekend. The cutting down of trees on Bonham Road was like a "summary execution". Photo: Sam Tsang

Revamp possible for way Hong Kong's trees are handled

Trees like this could be handled in a new way. Photo: Reuters

Trees like this could be handled in a new way. Photo: Bobby Yip

Deborah Kuh hopes the new study can help the government overhaul its tree-management regime. Photo: Bruce Yan


It's a saw point: why Hong Kong's urban trees need managing better

Balloons and messages were tied to the roots of four banyan trees in Bonham Road after the trees were suddenly chopped down. Photos: Sam Tsang, Bruce Yan, Jonathan Wong, Edmond So, Nora Tam

Ken So inspects a tree in Happy Valley whose crown was hacked off and its limbs reduced to stumps. 

Deborah Kuh, of the government's Tree Management Office.

Chinese banyan trees are a common sight in urban Hong Kong. 

John Ho, president of the International Society of Arboriculture's Hong Kong chapter.

Two people were sent to hospital with injuries after this tree fell in Bonham Road a month before the four banyans were chopped down.

Don Picker (left), managing director of Asia Tree Preservation, and co-founder Jon Picker inspect a Chinese banyan tree in Mong Kok.

Tracking the health of Hong Kong's trees: an interactive map

Opinion

Comment

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


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My Take

My Take | There's a problem at the root of Hong Kong's new tree management guidelines

READ MORE: Tracking the health of Hong Kong's trees: an interactive map