The Greening, Landscape and Tree Management Section (GLTMS) of the Development Bureau (DEVB) today (December 19) published the "Street Tree Selection Guide". It features 80 less commonly used tree species suitable for street planting in Hong Kong, providing a reference for Government departments and interested parties in selecting street tree species.
The purpose of the Guide is to improve the resilience of Hong Kong's urban forest by maximising species diversity under the "right tree, right place" principle, with a view to improving ecological health upstream and minimising tree risks downstream.
A spokesperson for the DEVB said, "Currently, our roadside urban forest is dominated by a small range of 20 common tree species, which altogether account for about half of the trees recorded. Limited vegetation diversity makes our urban forest more vulnerable to outbreaks of pests and diseases and diminishes soil quality, consequently leading to higher maintenance efforts.
"The effects of more frequent adverse weather brought by climate change and ageing street tree assets are challenges that we need to face. We need to make our urban forest resilient, adaptable and sustainable to meet these challenges."
In Hong Kong's compact and dense urban environment street trees have to withstand harsh roadside conditions such as urban heat, drought, wind, pollution and waterlogging. The 80 tree species recommended are assessed against these essential criteria as well as other desirable values including their ornamental value, ecological value and canopy size. The tree species listed in the Guide are not meant to be exhaustive. Users are welcome to suggest other suitable species that meet the selection criteria set out in the Guide.
The Guide comprises a set of user-friendly and graphically presented datasheets setting out the basic information for each selected tree species, including resilience to different types of urban planting environment, distinctive character, species features and colourful photographic image.
The Guide also comes with a software application – the Street Tree Selection Matrix – for users to modify the selection criteria to suit specific sites such as microclimate or other specific requirements.
The Guide is now available on the GLTMS website as follows –
www.greening.gov.hk/en/knowledge_database/street_tree_selection_guide.html. The full Chinese version will be available by the first quarter of 2019.
Follow this news feed: East Asia