Stone wall trees need better management

The hundreds of stone wall tress across Hong Kong enrich the urban ecology and breathe life into the city’s soul and character. Officials must ensure that these treasured assets do not become safety liabilities

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The stone wall trees enrich the urban ecology and breathe life into the city’s soul and character. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 4:54am, 5 May 2018Updated: 4:54am, 5 May 2018

Trees do not often make the news. But when they do, it is usually bad news, such as majestic heritage trees being cut down due to poor management or people being injured or killed by collapsed trunks. An exception was a South China Morning Post report early this week.

After much delay, landscaping officials are finally exploring ways to better manage the hundreds of stone wall trees found in the city.

That it has taken so long for officials to recognise the need for a change is to be regretted. It has been three years since the Highways Department came under fire for hastily removing four century-old stone wall trees in the wake of a serious accident on Bonham Road. But if the studies being carried out by the government can offer better conservation, it is a still a positive step forward. After all, the typhoon season is coming.

The challenges were mapped out by the government’s greening, landscape and tree management section – the tree office. Although these stone wall trees, usually banyans, have become part of our urban landscape for more than a century and did not seem to pose any major threat to people, the 2015 accident was a timely reminder that public safety cannot be taken for granted.

It is understood that 15 stone wall trees have been cut down over the past two years because of safety concerns, while at least five have failed on their own.