One third of the tree trunk of the King Banyan collapsed on 13th August 2007. The Banyan, situated at the football pitch in Kowloon Park, was elected as the “King of Hong Kong Urban Tree” in 1997. It was the largest Chinese Banyan and the tree of with the thickest trunk diameter in Hong Kong, and also a listed old and valuable tree. The tree was in critical conditions due to construction work and improper tree conservation measures.
One third of the tree trunk of the King Banyan collapsed in 2007.
The importance of tree conservation cannot be understated. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department Tree Team is comprised of only 110 staff, (but) taking care of 700,000 trees all over Hong Kong. Although inspection of old and valuable trees are done twice per year, the collapse of the King Banyan clearly revealed that the Administration did not commit enough resources to tree conservation.
The inspection works of the King Banyan, done by LCSD, was not thorough and detailed enough to correctly estimate the condition; the percentage of internal decay was simply unknown, the effectiveness of the existing measures was thus questionable. The Conservancy Association urged the Administration to conduct a detailed inspection so as to formulate effective remedial measures. Through the lessons of this incident, together with the collapse of the Wishing Tree in Lam Tsuen, the Administration should remove concrete or stones compressing the root flare of the trees with immediate actions.
Whether a tree is able to survive cannot be determined just by its health conditions, but also the structural stability is equally important. Even if the trunks are healthy in appearance, a tree with serious root decay still owns chance to collapse. Though the Administration spares expenses on greening, it should also allocate resources to tree conservation. Otherwise trees can hardly help enhance our environment, with increased risk of collapsing. This would waste public funds and jeopardize public safety. The Conservancy Association strongly urges the Administration to increase the transparency of tree conservation measures, so that professional groups, environmental groups and the public can monitor how the Administration utilizes our public assets.
Recent view of the King Banyan.
