The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement on Friday that six trees will soon be removed from Dr. Carlos d’ Assumpção Park in Nape and the Reservoir Park for their “high risk of collapsing” and, therefore, posing a hazard to pedestrian safety.
According to the statement, three Crateva religiosa (aka spider trees) – a species of flowering tree under the capers family, located in the windward position of the Reservoir Park, have been found to have sustained multiple wounds, with their leaning condition having deteriorated year by year. They were stabilised with ropes by the bureau in 2021 to enhance their wind resistance, the statement pointed out.
However, after Severe Tropical Storm “Talim” affected Macau earlier this month, the statement pointed out, the tilting of the three trees was found to have worsened, being at risk of breaking, according to a recent IAM inspection of the city’s public parks. Among the risks, the statement added, one of the trees is tilted over 30 degrees and the trunk wound of another is seriously rotting, while the third has a hollow trunk and is infested with termites.
Two Callistemon viminalis (aka weeping bottlebrush or creek bottlebrush) – a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, a Bauhinia × blakeana (commonly named as the Hong Kong orchid tree) – a hybrid leguminous tree of the genus Bauhinia – near the footpath in Dr. Carlos d’ Assumpção Park have also been affected by strong winds, which, the statement noted, increased the tilt angle of their trunks and crowns, posing potential safety hazards to pedestrians.
During the tree removal, the statement underlined, members of the public should follow the site instructions and avoid walking near the area, so as to avoid any accidents.
In the statement, members of the public are urged not to stay under trees during or within a few days after a storm and downpour as trees then face the risk of breaking branches under the influence of external forces such as wind and rain.
