Mayor invites activist for tree talk
Published on: Thursday, January 15, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir has invited environmental activist Dr CY Vun to discuss views on ways to preserve trees in the City.Madingkir said while he is not an agriculturist, he is a nature lover and appreciates the presence of trees in his surroundings.He headed the committee that set up the Tenom Agriculture Park (Taman Pertanian) while serving as Permanent Secretary in the Agriculture Ministry in 1996. The park impressed former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir who described it as among the best he had ever visited.
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"Together with a team of botanists and agriculturists, including well known botanist Tony Lamb, we created the Taman Pertanian," he said.Vun had earlier described Madingkir as perhaps among the worst of the three Mayors the city has had so far when it comes to tree-cutting. His remarks followed the cutting of five trees a stone's throw from the City hall headquarters and doubted City hall's version that the trees had to be removed because they had been poisoned by unscrupulous quarters.City Hall said the cut trees would be replaced with new shady ones.The Mayor said he was surprised why Vun was comparing winter season and spring time to Sabah when there was only one season here, except for the monsoon or rainy season.
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He said the removal of dying and damaged trees in the City was done after much consideration and the physical condition of the tree itself."Before removing any tree, our Landscape Department team will conduct physical inspections on the said tree, according to the Tree Risk Assessment Guidelines of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the National Landscape Department," he said.
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Madingkir also said City Hall currently has two Certified Arborists to assess the health and the physical conditions of trees under its jurisdiction.A thorough study covering physical aspects, health, site condition and types of defects on roots, base, trunk and tree stems and foliages are carried out. The removal of trees also takes into consideration other aspects such as public safety and road widening.Madingkir added that it has been a practice of City Hall that whenever a tree can be saved, it will be transplanted to another suitable location. All trees that had been removed would also be replaced.City Hall also requires all agencies involved in road widening to replant every tree that was removed, at the equivalent of six new trees for every one tree or according to the tree value, whichever is higher.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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