Govt Rules Out 'tree Law' Due To Lack Of Experts

The government has ruled out bringing in a tree management law for the time being, saying the city doesn't have enough tree experts.

Development Secretary Michael Wong told lawmakers that while there are around 7,300 tree care specialists in Hong Kong, to implement a "tree law" Hong Kong will need at least another 2,800.

He said without more staff, private property owners would struggle to get regular surveys of their trees done, and any new law on tree safety and conservation could just lead to many trees being cut down unnecessarily.

Leading tree expert in Hong Kong, Professor Jim Chi-yung of Hong Kong University, submitted a draft tree law to the government years back on managing trees in the city.

But Democratic Party legislator Ted Hui rejected the government's argument against such a move. He said the administration should improve the career prospects of arborists so that more people will choose to work in the industry.

Hui told RTHK's Maggie Ho that a tree law is necessary to protect trees not only on private land, but also in public areas.