KUALA LUMPUR – Following Federal Territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa’s directive to cut down all high-risk trees in Kuala Lumpur, several experts are urging for proper discussions with relevant researchers and valuators before proceeding.
Universiti Putra Malaysia forestry and environment faculty deputy dean Nazre Saleh said the blanket solution of cutting down all high-risk trees was inefficient. He emphasised the need for scientific input in the decision-making process.
“Take a break, rethink and get every stakeholder’s opinion… do not just ask the management (side) and hear the solution. If you deal with biological matters, you need scientific data and opinions,” he told Scoop.
“I am not saying it cannot be solved, but it would be inefficient. To be sustainable, you need to think 20 years ahead. (After) chopping a tree, you need resources to grow another, such as money and people to take care of it.”
Similarly, Malaysian Nature Society executive director Shanmugaraj Subramaniam stressed the importance of re-evaluating the trees before they were cut down, noting their potential heritage value.
“With the current trees in the town, we must see if we can save them instead of chopping them all down. Some trees can survive for many years. They (the authorities) have to revalue the trees (to see) if they are valuable,” he said, suggesting that agencies such as Forest Research Institute Malaysia could value them.
“Some trees have heritage value, as they were there before all the development around them. If (we) need to chop them down after valuation, we can proceed. If we can manage, then we should do that.”
Following recurring incidents of trees uprooting in the capital, Zaliha ordered Kuala Lumpur City Hall to remove high-risk trees in the capital.
DBKL said it had been taking measures to identify aged and high-risk trees since 2019.
It identified 175 high-risk trees, which are mostly aged over 50. Of the total, 147 have already been cut down, and the remainder are set for removal.
What can be done?
Equating trees to humans, Nazre explained that trees required personalised measures to address any issues, especially those growing in urban areas, which could impose stress on them.
“Unlike in the forest, where they are living with their population, (a tree) would need good immunity and resistance when living alone in an urban area,” he said.
“Otherwise, human intervention is needed to help the trees resist diseases and restore their health. Once (a tree) fails in one aspect, every part will eventually fail if it cannot resist the deterioration.”
Nazre recommended short- and long-term solutions, such as conducting regular checks on the trees and taking immediate action as recommended by arborists.
Meanwhile, Shanmugaraj underscored the importance of proper tree maintenance and drainage systems to ensure balanced growth.
He said that trees needed to grow in balance and that humans indirectly paved the path for where they grew – such as trees growing around buildings, obscuring direct sources of sunlight.
“In urban landscaping, they will cut roots on the surface and slab thick cement, resulting in no breathing space in the soil and the tree weakening. Without proper drainage, the soil will loosen and the tree will uproot,” he said.
“(In some cases) the tree’s roots are wrapped before planting, so the tree cannot grow. So, it ends up being heavy above the ground but too light underneath.
“Some tree branches are only pruned on one side (in the capital) to make way for the monorail, leaving them slanted (and susceptible to uprooting).” – May 15, 2024