Career takes root in HK

Environmental awareness and public concerns about hazards posed by trees increase demand for arborists

Hong Kong is home to lush foliage, country parks and many species of trees that have flourished amid rapid urbanisation. But when greenery meets concrete it creates demand for experts that can solve problems related to plant life in cities. Horticulturists face new challenges as the care of trees and plants heralds a new era for the industry.

'Horticulture is a fairly substantial industry in Hong Kong,' said Ian Robinson, director of Oriental Landscapes, a landscaping subsidiary of Swire Properties. 'It took shape in new-town developments like Sha Tin and Fanling in the '70s through to the '90s. Companies started to need horticulturists; the industry became more sophisticated as they were dealing with landscape architects, and people needed to keep abreast of landscape practices.'

In the wake of this, came garden developments such as Taikoo Shing. Spaces allocated for landscaping and greenery not only added value to property sales, they also renewed demand for horticulturists. An industry took shape with the best available talent, mostly coming from landscape architecture.

'A large number of landscape architects have been part of the industry for the past 30 years,' Mr Robinson said. 'But many landscape architects don't specifically know about many aspects of horticulture, and a lot of them simply bow to the wishes of developers.

'Anyone wanting to enter the industry in Hong Kong should try and get a job with a government department or with some landscape contractors. It is a case of building experience. There isn't, however, an industry standard yet. Titles for landscape practitioners may have different meanings in different companies.'

But options exist to standardise the industry. A case in point is the field of arboriculture, which has become globally standardised through certification from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), a worldwide professional organisation. Arboriculture is now vital to Hong Kong, which is dealing with the consequences of mismanaged trees.

'In Hong Kong, I think there is more opportunity for people to become certified arborists,' said Donald Picker, managing director of Asia Tree Preservation, which provides arboricultural services and training throughout Asia. 'There's a demand for someone out there who can tell us why a tree has failed or why it may fail. And they should obviously become truly trained and professional in that field so that they can meet that need,' said Mr Picker, who is a certified arborist based on the mainland.

He said demand for tree specialists was soaring as government departments and property developers were looking for industry professionals not only because of greater environmental awareness, but also the public's growing concern about the hazards that could arise from trees in urban areas. 'In an urban environment, people expect [to be able to sit under a tree and be safe].'

Mr Picker said problems arose because of co-dominance where the growth of a tree could cause it to split into two equally sized trunks that broke apart. 'This may be harmless in a remote forest, but is unsafe in a crowded urban area. There are other factors, such as disease and insects, and numerous problems that emerge from the transportation of trees bought from places such as the mainland and placed into property developments.'

While some courses have long been available, including qualifications that can be taken in other countries in the region, the ISA certification provides an internationally recognised industry standard. Categories extend to certified arborist, certified utility specialist, certified municipal specialist and certified tree worker or climber specialist.

This demonstrates how the industry has become increasingly professional and, as this happens, property developers will realise the importance of having such positions in their companies.

Joe Lau, one of the first six ISA certified arborists in Hong Kong, said the city had 'risk trees' everywhere, and he welcomed more clearly defined credentials in the field. 'This problem came about because of the wrong decisions made in past decades when many of our top management did not have knowledge of trees. Terrible accidents have put a lot of people in hot water, but now they have woken up.'

A case in point was when a 100-year-old tree fell on Hong Kong teenager Kitty Chong Chung-yin in Stanley in August this year, killing her.

But a qualified workforce, which can prune trees and clear hazards, may take years to fully solve the problem.

'There's a bit of a rush on at the moment for providing courses and taking tests,' Mr Robinson said. 'And the 75 or so ISA certified arborists in Hong Kong will know principles about how an individual species can respond.

'But they need to work in the industry for five to six years to gain confidence. A person needs 10 to 15 years of experience of dealing with trees. People can see an opportunity and a profession that they can take on board to pursue as a career for the next 10 years.'

Key Players

Landscape architect

Arborist

Horticulturist

Certified utility specialist

Jargon

Die back death of many branches. The external condition of a tree can determine how sick it is

Pruning trimming or removing dead branches or parts of trees to eliminate hazards or to improve air flow

Crown reduction specific pruning technique for height restriction of trees by using hand saws, pole pruners or chain saws

Co-dominance a process in which a tree splits into two equally sized trunks that break apart during growth, causing it to fall down

Wound dressing a compound for covering cut branch ends