‘Ancient trees are precious. There is little else on Earth that plays host to such a rich community of life within a single living organism.’
— British broadcaster and biologist, Sir David Attenborough
On my way to work yesterday, I paid more attention to the roadside trees at Petra Jaya, particularly from the Tun Datuk Patinggi Abdul Rahman Yakub Bridge to MetroCity, where my office was located.
I looked closely at the branches and noticed all had been pruned properly. Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) which was in charge of the areas had obviously taken good care of the trees. There was no sign of sick or weak trees. All those I saw stood majestically.
But unfortunately, I did not know the tree species and how old they were.
Mind you, previously, there were times when I was worried about my own personal safety as I drove past a long line of roadside trees that looked messy and untrimmed in bad weather. These trees were in other parts of Kuching City.
During those times, how I wished the local authorities had chopped down some of the flimsy and dangerous looking branches dangling from some of the trees!
You see, I often read about reports of trees falling on passing or parked cars in bad weather in Kuching City and other towns in Sarawak. In my opinion, prevention would have been so much better than cure in such incidents.
For example, in Sibu, a heavy thunderstorm at about 6.10 pm on April 5 this year uprooted about 15 trees while some houses had their roofs blown off.
The Sibu Civil Defence Force then received calls from the public for assistance to remove the trees which had made the roads inaccessible.
The roads blocked by the uprooted trees were Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, Jalan Dr Wong Soon Kai, Jalan Pahlawan, Jalan Deshon, Jalan Teng Chin Hua, Jalan Pahlawan, Ulu Sungai Merah and Jalan Merdeka.
The trees were cleared not only by the Civil Defence but also the Fire and Rescue Department personnel.
My friends, I have been looking at trees in Kuching City South and Kuching City North with new eyes this week, thanks to a statement that Datuk Wee Hong Seng, the mayor of Kuching South City Council (MBKS), made on the removal of trees in his areas.
He said they would only be removed after consultation with experts.
He went on to explain that while the cutting of trees was discouraged, it might be necessary because the trees were old or posed a danger to the public.
“Since I became mayor, I have never wanted to cut down trees because trees are very important to the environment.
“If you see the way our staff cut down the trees, they are already old and if they are not removed, they could pose a danger to the public as there have been situations where trees fall down onto the roads. And we do not want this to happen.”
Wee said this in response to a Facebook post from a user who was concerned about the removal of a tree in Padungan.
“I am disappointed that another tree is chopped off in Padungan! Can the local authority look after the trees? They are more than 80 years old,” the Facebook user had posted.
Is it bad to cut down old trees? In my opinion, no, if they pose a danger to human lives. Old trees should be cut down and replaced with new trees if they are sick or weak and can easily be uprooted or break into pieces in a storm.
I don’t know whether the old tree in Padungan looked sick or weak. What was the tree species?
Frankly speaking, the last time I was in that part of Kuching City, I thought some of the branches of the trees along Jalan Padungan, which is lined with shophouses built in the 1920’s and 1930’s, looked as if they were in urgent need of pruning.
With the assurance by Wee on the cutting of trees, I think lovers of old trees in Kuching City South now have nothing to worry about at all. Old trees will be preserved as long as they are healthy and are of no danger to anyone.
Urban trees are, in fact, a critical asset to cities. Among many things, they reduce air pollution, filter stormwater, quieten noise and keep our cities shaded and cool.
Urban trees can also play a significant role in cities by combating climate change and mitigating its impacts. All over the world, including Malaysia, mass tree planting schemes have been gaining ground for years as a way to suck carbon from the atmosphere.
So friends, let us all take good care of the urban trees, young and old, in our cities and towns for our own good, the good of our state and nation. Malaysia Boleh!
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
