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Typhoon Mangkhut proves Hong Kong urban jungle is no place for trees
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More than 1,500 trees fell when the extremely strong Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong on September 16 (“Balance needed on trees in green city”, September 21). These trees blocked many major roads throughout the city. Moreover, some fallen trees damaged some of the overhead cables of the MTR East Rail Line, thus causing significant disruption and delays to railway service in the New Territories and Kowloon. With roads and railways severely affected, traffic service in the city was seriously paralysed on the day following the typhoon.
As most of the road blockage was due to fallen trees, one line of argument could be: if these trees had not been there, most of our roads would not have been blocked.
Accordingly, something must be wrong with the policy of our Tree Management Office (“Experts question if 11 specimens on Hong Kong’s ‘Old and Valuable Trees’ list could have survived Typhoon Mangkhut with proper care”, September 22). In my opinion, it is because the work of this office is based on some major misconceptions.
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Firstly, the conception that people and trees can live harmoniously together is just an ideal and can never work in populous areas like Hong Kong. This is because trees require large areas to stay healthy. Accordingly, we must make a choice between trees and people/facilities.
Watch: Historic trees felled by strongest typhoon since 1946
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