‘Time running out’ to save historic Hong Kong banyan tree felled by Typhoon Mangkhut
Tree had been at Tsim Sha Tsui site – once the marine police headquarters, now a hotel – for more than 100 years
The clock was ticking on Tuesday night to save a century-old tree that lay stricken after Typhoon Mangkhut swept through Hong Kong, a local arborist said.
The giant banyan tree, near the Heritage 1881 hotel site in Tsim Sha Tsui, had stood at the former marine police headquarters for more than 100 years. But it was uprooted and on its side by Tuesday.
Mangkhut battered the city on Sunday, causing damage and disruption. It felled about 1,500 trees, government statistics showed. It was unclear exactly when the banyan fell.
Its health had long been a concern for environmentalists, who said it never recovered from being moved during the site’s redevelopment, plans for which were unveiled in 2004 and which opened in 2009.
The developer, CK Asset Holdings, was criticised by the Conservancy Association for putting the big banyan inside a cylindrical preservation structure, which the green group said was bad for its health.
Jim Chi-yung, an expert once involved in conserving the trees on the site, made a plea to the developer not to remove the tree, but to save immediately.