I have formally left Hong Kong island for the first time since arriving in the city and now moved my family to Tseung Kwan O, in Sai Kung district. A portion of the outdoor view is a hill filled with trees. I guess as crowded Hong Kong may be, the tree population easily outnumbers human beings here. Despite that, cutting a tree down can lead to legal action by the government. And if the offender belongs to any government agency, no less than the city’s Ombudsman will hunt responsible parties down to bring justice. A recent case of the negligent felling of a pine tree near a school was the topic of contention as Civic Party legislator Tanya Chan lodged a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman.

Not all trees cut down are subject to the same litigation process, but with such cases escalating to formal complaints rather than a casual settlement, a tree is indeed a valuable commodity in Hong Kong. That is why proper guidance needs to be enforced when pruning trees for the safety of double decker buses, trees that need to be cut down during typhoons or trees deemed as a threat to public safety. Sometime last year, a female teenager standing near the roadside was crushed to death when the tree behind her suddenly collapsed.

More than just environmental protection, a Hong Kong law called the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance helps preserve trees as part of a vicinity or object defined as having historical or archaeological interest. According to the Ordinance, any one without permits granted by the Secretary for Home Affairs, is not allowed to excavate, carry on building or other works, plant or fell trees or deposit earth or refuse on or in any proposed monuments or monuments; or demolish, remove, obstruct, deface or interfere with any proposed monuments or monuments.

Therefore, long after I am gone from this building, the trees I can see from my window will still be here for a long time.