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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) removed a Celtis sinensis at Kowloon Park Drive Children's Playground today (October 9) to safeguard public safety.
Following detailed inspections by the department staff and arborists, and analysis by members of the tree expert group, the tree was believed to have its vascular bundles blocked which affected the transportation of nutrition and water, causing the tree to deteriorate rapidly. The tree also suffered from termite attack which caused its health to decline severely with a potential danger of collapse.
Listed on the Register of Old and Valuable Trees (OVTs) with the registration number LCSD YTM/56, the 18-metre-tall Celtis sinensis was located on a slope in Haiphong Road at Kowloon Park Drive Children's Playground. The department staff had been all along conducting regular inspections and carrying out suitable maintenance measures on the tree. An inspection on October 2 by the department staff and arborists found no sign of termite attack or rapid deterioration on the tree. However, when the department staff reinspected the tree on October 7, they found that most of the tree leaves were dried and its root had signs of termite attack. Following detailed inspection by arborists, the tree was believed to have its vascular bundles blocked which affected the transportation of nutrition and water, and together with the termite attack, its health rapidly declined. After analysis by members of the tree expert group, the tree was confirmed to have a potential danger of collapse and should be removed for the sake of public safety.
The LCSD will invite a professional pest control agent to check if there is any sign of termite on the trees along Haiphong Road. The department's tree team will continue to monitor the condition of the trees in the area.
The LCSD stressed that it would continue to adopt a prudent approach in managing its trees. Removing a problematic tree would only be the last resort when there was no viable option to keep it.
Ends/Friday, October 9, 2009
Issued at HKT 19:35
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