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Recent years have seen an increase in the cases of injuries or deaths caused by falling trees or branches.  Many valuable old trees have died or are dying due to the lack of proper care and maintenance.  Recently, the Legislative Council has passed a motion for 'perfecting the tree management system' and various suggestions have been made to enhance urban tree management.  The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been proactive in undertaking tree management research and offering recommendations to the authorities.  In October 2010, Prof. Chiu Siu-wai from the School of Life Sciences at CUHK urged the government to formulate a sustainable tree strategy and establish a tree health database in Hong Kong to improve the effectiveness of tree management.  The government has adopted the proposal and is currently working on the tree management database expected to be completed in 2012.  After years of research, Professor Chiu has recently developed two novel tree management skills—'paint coating' and 'micro-drill sampling', which can help prevent trees from dying due to pest infestations and detect hidden tree diseases at an early stage. 

Currently, there is no government regulation requiring tree wounds be sealed.  However, wounded trees are vulnerable to further attacks by pests and many old and valuable trees may decay due to this reason.  An innovative method for sealing tree wounds, 'paint coating' involves applying low-cost, environmentally-safe and water-soluble paint to tree wounds, inhibiting the growth of pests and containing pest invasionto maintain tree health.  The sealing procedure takes less than one hour to complete and the protective effect lasts for more than nine months.  Compared with the conventional wound sealing methods that use toxic coatings, and the more time-consuming and complex procedures commonly adopted in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan, 'paint coating' is simple, low-cost, safe and produces longer-lasting effect.  'Micro-drill sampling' is a non-invasive tree tissue sampling method in which micro-drills less than 2 mm in diameter are used to collect tissues of sick trees or trees without visible symptoms for laboratory tests.  This method helps to detect hidden hazards to tree health and thus enables early treatment. 

In February and March 2011, the School of Life Sciences at CUHK organized the city's first-ever 'Tree Pests and Treatment Workshop' in collaboration with the Institute of Horticulture Science of Hong Kong Limited.  Various experts were invited to talk on tree diseases caused by common tree pests, e.g. nematodes, termites and fungi, and the related control strategies.  The workshop provided hands-on experience for participants who were given opportunities to practise sample collection and carry out tests in a laboratory of the University.  The workshop was highly praised by the participants, who were mainly landscape architects, tree managers, arborists, horticulturists, gardeners from various government departments, as well as marketing managers, product distributors, contractors and graduate students.

Organized by the School of Life Sciences at CUHK and a charitable organization Sustainable Green Ltd, and co-organized by the Estates Management Office at CUHK, the second workshop will be held on Saturday, 16 July 2011.  With a focus on sick tree treatment, this workshop will invite experts to enhance participants' knowledge of tree diseases and disorders encountered in tree nurseries, killer tree fungi, and pest control and treatment.  It aims at improving tree care professionals' skills, enhancing cost-effectiveness in tree management, and reducing the number of hazardous trees and sick trees in our city.  Interested parties can submit the application form (attachment and downloadable at www.cuhk.edu.hk/lifesciences/Documents/tree_workshop2_form.pdf ) on or before Monday, 11 July 2011. 

CUHK Green Pioneer Series

CUHK is privileged to have a green campus that is among the most beautiful in Asia.  For two years in a row, the University has been recognized at the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence, reaping the gold award last year under the category of Public Organizations and Utilities among a total of 400-plus entries, and granted the class of excellence 'Energywi$e' label, setting a model of sustainability in the academic sector. 

CUHK will build on its outstanding achievements in carbon reduction, water saving, paper saving, ecosystem conservation, and environmental education.  It will launch more innovative projects and share its latest green works through the Green Pioneer Series, bringing its experiences off-campus and share them with the public to promote green living.