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Olga Wong

When a tree falls in the urban forest, does it leave a void?
In most cases in Hong Kong, it does, since there is no one there to replace it.
The vast majority of tree removals by government departments are not made up for by replanting. That is because internal guidelines require replacement of only those trees affected by public works.
The government is considering changing that policy. 
Figures from the Development Bureau yesterday show more than 21,000 trees were removed for various reasons last year. Of these, only 4,310 were replaced by healthy trees. 
Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor  told lawmakers yesterday the guidelines were being reviewed by the greening, landscape and tree management section the bureau set up in March. 
'The section is reviewing the guidelines with a view to further improving the measures on compensatory planting,' Lam said. 
'It also intends to require government departments to consider, in cases where trees are removed for purposes other than government works, planting suitable trees [at the site] or nearby in compensation where there is sufficient space and soil depth for tree growth.'
About 17,500 trees that were removed last year as a result of extreme weather or tree management work were not replaced with healthy trees. 
Under the guidelines, compensatory trees should be over 3.5 metres tall, with a trunk more than 75mm wide. There should be at least as many trees planted as removed. 
Lam said the tree management section was set up to formulate standards and best practices in tree management - including guidelines for proper tree care and the identification of problematic trees - and to promote the best practices among government departments and in the field. 
Apart from widening the coverage of the tree replacement scheme, the section will also monitor trees affected by diseases and pests. Lam said a study would be commissioned to find out the causes of such diseases and to provide a set of baseline data for better tree conservation. 
'Trees should only be removed when there's no alternative,' she said. 'If heritage trees are felled, a notice will be posted to explain the removals.'
Patrick Lau Sau-shing,  the lawmaker representing town planners, said a member of the public had complained to him last month that about six big trees at the junction of Kotewall Road and Conduit Road had been removed by the government. Some trees had also been heavily pruned, he said. 
Lam said two of the trees had died before they were removed. She expected all the trees to be replaced once the guidelines were reviewed.
Selective replanting
Guidelines require only trees affected by public works to be replaced
Trees removed last year due to extreme weather or tree management work that were not replaced by healthy ones: 17,500



Guidelines for replacing trees being reviewed